Refugee assistance groups are asking volunteers to protect incoming refugees from being sent home, after President Trump issued an executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Assistance Program for the next four months.
The Urban Justice Center called on attorneys to meet refugees arriving at airports in Newark, Washington-Dulles, New York City, Los Angeles and Miami. According to the center, refugees who were in the process of flying to the United States on Wednesday may have lost their admissibility to the United States.
“Each day, vulnerable refugees who have been accepted for U.S. resettlement board commercial flights for the United States,” the center stated. “No matter when an executive order is signed, refugees who have already departed will lose their admissibility while they are mid-air.”
The organization is worried Trump’s order could result in refugees being detained or removed immediately. They’re calling on attorneys to assist refugees in requesting parole or requesting a “credible fear interview.” That interview could allow some refugees to stay in the United States if they have a “reasonable fear” of returning to their home country.
“USCIS has already determined that each of these refugees meets the refugee/asylum definition, so the credible fear interview should be almost a formality,” the organization stated.
