The Trump administration has directed immigration officials to reexamine refugees admitted under President Joe Biden, ordering a review of whether those individuals met refugee standards and placing pending green card applications from that group on hold, according to an internal memo obtained by CBS News.
The Nov. 21 memo, signed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow, instructs USCIS staff to review cases of all refugees admitted between Jan. 20, 2021, and Feb. 20, 2025. The review may include reinterviews to determine whether each person met the legal definition of a refugee at the time of admission and whether any legal bars exist that would make them ineligible for permanent residency.
Edlow’s directive also imposes an indefinite suspension on pending adjustment-of-status applications filed by refugees admitted during that period. Under U.S. law, refugees become eligible to apply for lawful permanent residency one year after admission. The memo says denials of these green card applications would not be appealable. If a “principal” refugee—the main applicant who may have arrived with family—has their case denied, accompanying relatives’ cases would likewise be denied and their refugee status could be revoked; those denied could be placed in deportation proceedings.
Refugee status requires showing past persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, nationality, religion, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Federal data show roughly 233,000 refugees arrived in the United States between February 2021 and January 2025, a period that largely overlaps the Biden administration.
Shortly after President Trump returned to office, his administration paused the refugee admissions program, allowing limited exceptions primarily for Afrikaners—people in South Africa descended from European settlers. In October, the administration set the refugee ceiling for the fiscal year at 7,500, the lowest ever, saying those slots will “primarily be allocated among Afrikaners” and “other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands.” The South African government has rejected claims that Afrikaners face persecution.
The memo criticizes the prior administration’s processes, saying it “prioritized expediency, quantity, and admissions over quality interviews and detailed screening and vetting.” Before the pause, refugees typically spent years in third countries undergoing medical exams, security checks and interviews before admission to the United States.
The memo was first reported by CNN. CBS News has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.