Under Trump plan, refugees from 11
countries face additional U.S. barriers
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[October 25, 2017]
By Yeganeh Torbati and Mica Rosenberg
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Trump
administration will temporarily delay processing of most refugees from
11 countries identified as high-risk, while resuming refugee admissions
for other countries, government officials said on Tuesday. Most of the
affected countries are in the Middle East and Africa, according to
documents seen by Reuters.
The administration also will place on hold a program that allows for
family reunification for some refugees resettled in the United States,
according to a Trump administration memo seen by Reuters and sent to
Congress on Tuesday. The resettling of so-called following-to-join
refugees will resume, according to the memo, once screening
"enhancements have been implemented."
U.S. officials said the changes were aimed at protecting U.S. national
security, but refugee advocates said they amounted to a de facto ban on
refugees from the 11 countries and were unnecessary, since refugees are
already heavily vetted.

The changes come at the close of a 120-day ban on most refugees ordered
by President Donald Trump to allow a review of vetting processes. The
120 days ended on Tuesday, and Trump issued an executive order allowing
the general resumption of the U.S. refugee program.
The memo expressed concerns about admitting refugees from the 11
countries and said the government will conduct a 90-day review "to
determine what additional safeguards, if any, are necessary to ensure
... the security and welfare of the United States."
Trump took office in January with a goal of sharply cutting refugee
admissions, in line with promises he made during the 2016 election
campaign. He quickly issued temporary bans on refugees and travelers
from several Muslim-majority countries, which were challenged in court.
Opponents of the bans argued that the policies were aimed at barring
Muslims from the United States. The administration has denied any intent
to discriminate and says its travel ban and security changes are meant
to protect the United States from terrorist acts. The Supreme Court on
Tuesday dismissed the last remaining challenge to an earlier version of
Trump's travel ban.
COUNTRY LIST
The 11 countries to face further hurdles are those whose refugees are
currently required to undergo higher-level security screening known as
Security Advisory Opinions, or SAOs.

As of the end of 2016, SAOs were required for most adult male refugees
who were nationals of Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea,
Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, as well as Palestinians
who lived in those countries, according to a State Department document
seen by Reuters. Three sources familiar with refugee processing said
that list was still current. Officials declined to name the 11
countries.
A senior U.S. official told reporters on condition of anonymity that
during the 90-day review period, refugees from the 11 countries can
still be admitted to the United States on a case-by-case basis, "if it's
deemed to be in the national interest and they pose no threat."
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A woman who is seeking asylum has her fingerprints taken by a U.S.
Customs and Border patrol officer at a pedestrian port of entry from
Mexico to the United States, in McAllen, Texas, U.S., May 10, 2017.
REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

But the administration's memo, signed by Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson, acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Elaine
Duke and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, said the
government will reallocate resources used to process refugees from
SAO countries to those from other locations where "the processing
may not be as resource intensive."
Refugees International, an advocacy group, said the decision
amounted to "a new and near-total ban on admission of refugees from
11 nationality groups."
Citizens of the 11 countries comprised 44 percent of the nearly
54,000 refugees admitted into the United States in the 2017 fiscal
year, according to State Department data.
Of the countries, Iraq, Syria, Somalia and Iran sent by far the most
refugees to the United States. All but two of the countries, North
Korea and South Sudan, are majority Muslim, though many of the
refugees that come from those countries are religious minorities in
their own states.
Of nearly 2,600 Iranian refugees resettled in the United States last
year, for instance, a majority were Christian, according to State
Department data.
The "follow-to-join" refugee program being put on hold allows
refugees who have entered the United States to apply for close
family members to join them. About 2,000 such refugee family members
came to the United States in 2015, according to DHS data.

In a separate State Department memo seen by Reuters and issued this
week, the administration also laid out additional screening for all
refugees seeking admission into the United States, including details
of their whereabouts going back a decade, twice as long as before.
Refugees will also have to provide more detailed information about
their family members.
The new requirements could put an additional burden on refugees
fleeing war, famine or ethnic cleansing, whose lives have often been
upended and whose family members may be scattered across the world,
refugee advocates said.
(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati and Mica Rosenberg; Additional
reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Sue Horton and Cynthia
Osterman)
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