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Undated: MinnPost’s “New Americans” beat is dedicated to covering the state’s immigrant and refugee communities, chronicling the contributions and challenges faced by these groups as they transform the notion of what it means to be a Minnesotan in the 21st century.
https://www.minnpost.com/new-americans/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInenrm4eD4QIVjIbACh2whgJpEAAYAyAAEgKOxfD_BwE
-- 2017 --
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January 27: Executive Order 13769, titled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, often referred to as the Muslim ban[1] or the travel ban, was an executive order by United States President Donald Trump. Except for the extent to which it was blocked by various courts, it was in effect from January 27, 2017, until March 16, 2017, when it was superseded by Executive Order 13780. Executive Order 13769 lowered the number of refugees to be admitted into the United States in 2017 to 50,000, suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for 120 days, suspended the entry of Syrian refugees indefinitely, directed some cabinet secretaries to suspend entry of those whose countries do not meet adjudication standards under U.S. immigration law for 90 days, and included exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Homeland Security lists these countries as Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.[2] More than 700 travelers were detained, and up to 60,000 visas were "provisionally revoked".[3]
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The signing of the order provoked widespread condemnation and protests and resulted in legal intervention against the enforcement of the order with some calling it a "Muslim ban" because Trump had previously called for temporarily banning Muslims from America soon after the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack, and because all of the affected countries had a Muslim majority.[1] A nationwide temporary restraining order (TRO) was issued on February 3, 2017 in the case Washington v. Trump, which was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on February 9, 2017. Consequently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stopped enforcing portions of the order and the State Department re-validated visas that had been previously revoked. Later, other orders (Executive Order 13780 and Presidential Proclamation 9645) were signed by Trump and superseded order 13769. On June 26, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the third executive order (Presidential Proclamation 9645) and its accompanying travel ban in a 5–4 decision, with the majority opinion being written by Chief Justice John Roberts.[4]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_13769
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February: Trump Executive Order on Refugees and Travel Ban: A Brief Review
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/trump-executive-order-refugees-and-travel-ban-brief-review
February 7: Fighting the refugee ban
The ACLU-WA is representing refugees who have been separated from their families by Trump's Executive Order on immigration.
https://www.aclu-wa.org/cases/doe-et-al-v-trump
March 14: In Trump presidency, nearly 2,500 refugees have entered U.S. from six travel-restricted countries
A total of 2,466 refugees from six countries under new travel restrictions – Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – have resettled in the United States since Donald Trump became president, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. State Department data. The number of refugees from the six travel-restricted countries represents 32% of all refugees who have entered the U.S. since Trump took office.
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Trump recently signed a new executive order, scheduled to take effect March 16, that bars new U.S. visas for 90 days for people holding citizenship from the six nations while security measures in those countries are reviewed. (A previous order that took effect Jan. 27 also barred citizens of Iraq, but parts of it were stopped by the courts.) The new order also suspends refugee admissions to the U.S. from all countries for 120 days, pending a review of security screening measures.
During the first full week of Trump’s presidency (Jan. 21-27), 687 refugees from the six restricted countries entered the U.S., accounting for 34% of all refugee admissions that week. The following week, Jan. 28 to Feb. 3, refugee admissions from the six restricted countries all but stopped after Trump’s original executive order on restrictions took effect. They then resumed shortly after a federal judge in Washington state suspended key parts of Trump’s initial order on Feb. 3 and lifted the travel restrictions, a decision that was upheld by a federal appeals court.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/03/14/in-trump-presidency-nearly-2500-refugees-have-entered-u-s-from-six-travel-restricted-countries/
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June 26:
December 8: Trump lifts refugee ban, but admissions still plummet, data shows
In late October, President Donald Trump lifted a temporary ban on most refugee admissions, a move that should have cleared the way for more people fleeing persecution and violence to come to the United States.
Instead, the number of refugees admitted to the country has plummeted. In the five weeks after the ban was lifted, 40 percent fewer people were allowed in than in the last five weeks it was in place, according to a Reuters analysis of State Department data. That plunge has gone almost unnoticed.
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As he lifted the ban, Trump instituted new rules for tougher vetting of applicants and also effectively halted, at least for now, the entry of refugees from 11 countries deemed as high risk. The latter move has contributed significantly to the precipitous drop in the number of refugees being admitted.
The State Department data shows that the kind of refugees being allowed in has also changed. A far smaller portion are Muslim. When the ban was in place they made up a quarter of all refugees. Now that it has been lifted they represent just under 10 percent.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trump-effect-refugees/trump-lifts-refugee-ban-but-admissions-still-plummet-data-shows-idUSKBN1E21CR
-- 2018 --
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January 23: For Refugees in the Trump Era, a Tougher Path to the U.S.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/for-refugees-in-the-trump-era-a-tougher-path-to-the-u-s/
January 26: Trump administration set to admit far fewer refugees than plan allows for
International Rescue Committee says 21,292 refugees will be admitted to the US this year, far below administration’s 45,000 limit
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/26/trump-administration-refugees-resettlement
February 12: Trump Has Undercut U.S. Refugee Resettlement. Here’s One Way to Restore It.
Instead of closing resettlement offices and blocking the entry of people from war-ravaged countries, the United States should maintain its historical commitments.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/12/trump-has-undercut-u-s-refugee-resettlement-heres-one-way-to-restore-it/
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April 9: Trump suggests refugees want to harm the U.S. But they just want to make America great, a new report says
Over time, the Urban Institute says, refugees tend to embrace tenets of the traditional American dream — buying homes and starting their own businesses.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-suggests-refugees-want-harm-u-s-they-just-want-n863481
April 15: Families caught in Trump's refugee clampdown
From his new hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, 35 year-old Mohamed Chaghlil calls his elderly mother every day. She asks him if he's looking after himself, and about his love life. He asks her if she's getting her medicine, and promises they'll be re-united soon. But he knows it's a promise he can't keep.
Mohamed and his parents escaped from the horrors of the Syrian civil war in December 2012. Taking refuge in Jordan, they applied to settle in the US. In the autumn of 2016, Mohamed's father died. Shortly afterwards, Mohamed was approved to travel to the US.
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It was a hard decision, but Mohamed and his mother believed she soon would join him. So Mohamed made the journey, arriving in America just weeks before President Trump was sworn in.
But Mohamed's mother was now a widow, meaning checks on her application had to be carried out again. Then came President Trump's first travel ban. It paused refugee resettlement, and banned Syrian refugees indefinitely. More than a year later, Mohamed's mother is still waiting.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43747162
June 18: 8 dangerous myths about refugees debunked
https://www.one.org/us/blog/dangerous-myths-refugees-debunked/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2qXqjv6C4QIVmh-tBh32hgRXEAAYAiAAEgInovD_BwE
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September 18: Trump’s Refugee Fiasco
The administration just slashed the number of refugees the U.S. will admit to a record low. Its reasoning doesn’t pass the laugh test.
It has been strange and unsettling to watch how much effort the Trump team has put into damaging the U.S. government’s own refugee resettlement program, but give them points for effectiveness.
On Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the refugee ceiling for the coming fiscal year will be 30,000. It is the lowest number in the history of the nearly 40-year-old resettlement program. In so doing, he answered the depressing question experts have been asking for the past several weeks: Would the administration stay put at the record-low level it set for itself in 2018—45,000 refugees—or seek to plumb new depths in the coming year?
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In any normal administration, the State Department, which runs the refugee resettlement program, would have led the charge in arguing for a number that better represents the United States’ capacity and humanitarian traditions—something closer to the historical average of 80,000. But in the Trump era, allies of immigration uber-hawk Stephen Miller have occupied key positions at State, virtually guaranteeing that leadership would not come out of Foggy Bottom. Instead, it was reportedly left to the Department of Defense to point out what is actually true: Refugee resettlement creates goodwill, rewards the loyalty of local partners who risk their lives to help U.S. personnel in places like Iraq, can help stabilize host countries bordering conflict zones, and makes it easier to ask the states bearing the brunt of the refugee burden to stretch even further in the humanitarian support they provide.
But however hard or well the Pentagon might have argued, the odds were never with them. Close observers of this administration’s refugee policy suggested to us that the writing was on the wall months ago. The White House would lower the ceiling further into the historical basement, arguing that the program’s pathetic 2018 performance (the U.S. has actually admitted roughly 25,000 refugees, the lowest number in its history, and well short of the ceiling of 45,000) indicated a lack of capacity, and that it could hardly be expected to do better in the coming fiscal year.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/09/18/trumps-refugees-announcement-220063
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September 20: Here's What Trump's New Limits On Refugees Mean
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2018/09/20/trump-official-announces-controversial-new-limits-on-refugees/#322e2548410a
September 25: At UNGA, President Trump Fails to Demonstrate U.S. Leadership on Global Humanitarian Assistance
Refugees International is deeply disappointed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s failure to credibly demonstrate U.S. leadership on global humanitarian assistance in his speech to the UN General Assembly today. Refugees International in a briefing yesterday outlined ways that the president could restore U.S. leadership during his speech to the international forum. However, the president’s comments were ultimately concerning in at least five key areas.
https://www.refugeesinternational.org/advocacy-letters-1/2018/9/25/at-unga-trump-fails-to-demonstrate-us-leadership-on-global-humanitarian-assistance?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInenrm4eD4QIVjIbACh2whgJpEAMYAyAAEgJDYPD_BwE
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October 10: How Does the U.S. Refugee System Work?
The United States has long accepted refugees from around the world, but President Trump’s sharp cuts to refugee resettlement have sparked debate over the program’s national security implications.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/how-does-us-refugee-system-work
December 7: Trump Cut Muslim Refugees 91%, Immigrants 30%, Visitors by 18%
https://www.cato.org/blog/trump-cut-muslim-refugees-91-immigrants-30-visitors-18
December 12: Trump Moves to Deport Vietnam War Refugees
The White House again wants to expel certain groups of protected immigrants, a reversal after backing away from the policy months ago.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/12/donald-trump-deport-vietnam-war-refugees/577993/
-- 2019 --
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Undated: For nearly 30 years, the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) has been on the front lines of ensuring the rights and protections of displaced women and children. Our work transforms the lives of women, their families, and their communities—from the current crisis at the U.S. border to conflicts around the world.
https://www.womensrefugeecommission.org/
Undated: Refugees Make America Great | But Trump Won't Let Them In
The United States is a nation of immigrants and refugees. People fleeing violence and persecution come to America because it stands as a beacon of hope and freedom to the world. The United States has a proud, bipartisan tradition of leading the global effort to protect refugees. Refugees not only enrich our society, but resettling the most vulnerable among them safeguards our national security.
https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/campaigns/refugees-renew-america?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2qXqjv6C4QIVmh-tBh32hgRXEAAYASAAEgIp__D_BwE
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February 4: Two years after Trump’s travel ban, faith-based refugee groups struggle
Every morning when Khadra Abdo wakes up, her mind turns to her children.
“My first thought is that I hope they are safe today, and that stays on my mind throughout the whole day,” Abdo told Religion News Service through an interpreter provided by Church World Service.
The 40-year-old Muslim mother of seven was separated from her five oldest children from a first marriage nearly 12 years ago when she and her second husband fled civil war twice — first in Somalia, then in Libya. When they arrived in Columbus, Ohio, as refugees in 2012, she filed a request for her four teenaged daughters and one son, living with her 75-year-old mother in Ethiopia, to join her through World Relief.
Seven years later, she is still waiting. And the World Relief office that once helped her has been closed.
https://religionnews.com/2019/02/04/two-years-after-trumps-travel-ban-faith-based-refugee-groups-struggle/
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February 19: Less than five per cent of refugees in need of resettlement in Western countries found new homes last year, the United Nations said, as the United States scaled back its acceptance of displaced people under President Donald Trump.
The United States took in 17,113 resettled refugees in 2018, leading 27 countries who resettled a total of 55,692 refugees under programs run by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the UNHCR said on Tuesday.
But that was down from Washington's acceptance of 24,559 resettled refugees in 2017, Trump's first year in office, and 78,761 in 2016, the last full year of the Obama administration, UNHCR figures show.
The overall total of resettled refugees last year was 10,000 fewer than in 2017 and less than half of the 126,291 in 2016.
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2019-02-19/less-than-5-percent-of-refugees-needing-new-homes-resettled-in-2018-un
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March 4: 40 Years After The Vietnam War, Some Refugees Face Deportation Under Trump
More than four decades after the Vietnam War brought waves of expatriates to the United States, the Trump administration wants to deport thousands of Vietnamese immigrants, including many refugees, because of years-old criminal convictions.
U.S. officials have been working behind the scenes to convince the Vietnamese government to repatriate more than 7,000 Vietnamese immigrants with criminal convictions. They have all been ordered removed from the U.S. by a judge.
Among those facing deportation is Vu, who has lived in Boston for 20 years. He asked not to use his last name because he fears for his safety if he ever goes back to Vietnam.
"They don't like me [in Vietnam] because I'm Amerasian. They would tease me and throw rocks at me," he says through a translator, looking down at the floor. "Over here it's much better. No one gives me trouble. No one hassles me, and no one throws rocks at me."
The U.S. government is trying to deport Vu over two criminal charges of assault and larceny dating back to 2001, even though both of those convictions have since been vacated.
https://www.npr.org/2019/03/04/699177071/40-years-after-the-vietnam-war-some-refugees-face-deportation-under-trump
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March 12: Trump Administration To Close International Offices For Refugee Cases
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services confirmed plans to close its offices abroad to deal with a growing backlog of immigration cases.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-administration-uscis-close-refugee-asylum_n_5c883e71e4b0fbd7661ed8dc
March 14: Senate Vote on National Emergency a Rebuke to President Trump's Attack on Asylum
https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/press-release/senate-vote-national-emergency-rebuke-president-trumps-attack-asylum
November 21: Advocates Challenge Trump Administration Plan To Let States And Towns Block Refugees
https://www.npr.org/2019/11/21/781795867/advocates-challenge-trump-administration-plan-to-let-states-and-towns-block-refu
-- 2020 --
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