On his first day back in office, President Trump signed dozens of executive orders on Inauguration Day in 2025, many of them related to immigration.
What followed was an unprecedented year for newcomers and the Americans that support them. Lawful pathways were shuttered, critical assistance was ended, and protections were revoked. Many of these actions were framed as temporary reviews or suspensions. However, they went far beyond good-faith reviews—solidifying over the months as lasting steps to dismantle vital systems that protect and support refugees and others in the United States and around the world.
Refugee Resettlement
Most refugees remain blocked from seeking safety in the United States.
Executive Order 14163 called for “realigning the U.S. refugee admissions program (USRAP),” the system that interviews, resettles, admits, and supports refugees in the United States. This executive order included a suspension of arrivals, beginning on January 27, 2025, and called for reviews every 90 days on whether to lift the suspension on arrivals.
Refugee arrivals were suspended within 48 hours of the executive order. Families that were weeks or even days away from resettlement had their flights to the United States abruptly cancelled.
A year later, this program-wide suspension remains largely in place, with only a few dozen previously approved refugees arriving under ongoing litigation in Washington State. The Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for this fiscal year capped annual refugee admissions at 7,500—their lowest in the program’s history, down from 125,000 in the prior fiscal year—and reserved these slots primarily for Afrikaners from South Africa.
Actions framed as a temporary suspension have become a de facto shutdown of the refugee program for new arrivals, with minimal exceptions.
Travel Restrictions
Individuals from 39 countries are now fully or partially banned from coming to the United States, and many of those already here now face delays in getting green cards, work permits, and more.
Executive Order 14161 called for a comprehensive review of countries with insufficient vetting and screening of their nationals.
This review of vetting standards was supposed to take 90 days, inspiring fear among advocates and service providers that travel restrictions based on the review would begin in the spring. A travel ban went into effect in June, placing full or partial travel restrictions on the citizens of 19 countries.
The administration has recently expanded these sweeping travel restrictions. Under a December 2025 proclamation, an additional 20 countries are now included on full or partial travel bans. Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders were also newly barred from arriving. Additionally, processing for green cards and other requests has been suspended for individuals from these 39 countries—including those already living in the United States, regardless of when they entered.
Rather than careful individualized decisions on visas and other applications, these policies amount to blanket bans on entire populations.
Humanitarian Aid
The vast majority of humanitarian aid from the United States has been abruptly shuttered, endangering millions across the world.
All United States foreign aid was also subject to a 90-day review under Executive Order 14163. Like other actions, the EO went far beyond a mere review.
Vital humanitarian assistance funding and programs around the world were quickly halted. The world’s largest donor, the U.S. Agency for International Development, was largely dismantled, with its few remaining staff and operations folded into the State Department. Assistance to refugees already in the United States through the domestic Reception & Placement program was cut off.
While some of this programming came back online later in 2025, U.S. humanitarian assistance remains drastically reduced—to the detriment of millions in need.
Asylum
Seeking asylum remains restricted, and many people who had arrived safely in the U.S. are now at risk for removal.
Executive Order 14165 ended the ability of asylum seekers at the U.S. border to schedule an asylum interview with the CBP One App. The order directed federal agencies to facilitate “safe third country” agreements, which require individuals to pursue asylum claims in the first country they traveled through after leaving their homes.
Reports indicate that the administration is designating people for transfer to third countries in order to refuse to consider (or “pretermit”) their asylum applications—putting those seeking protection without a pathway to safety and at risk of detention or removal.
Parole and Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
The administration continues to narrow or eliminate legal pathways to safety, putting those who lawfully entered the U.S. at risk of detention and deportation.
Executive Order 14165 also called for the termination of the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV) parole processes—which allowed nationals of those countries to seek temporary status and work authorization in the United States. Despite litigation up to the Supreme Court, the decision to end CHNV has moved forward, ending protection for an estimated 530,000 people.
Executive Order 14159 directed review of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations, work authorization, and parole. Since January 2025, the administration has taken steps to terminate or signal termination for 12 TPS designations, including Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Haiti, and Venezuela. Many of these decisions appear at odds with harmful conditions continuing in designated countries. Afghanistan’s designation, for example, has been terminated despite ongoing repression of Afghan allies and a state of gender apartheid for Afghan women and girls.
Additionally, the administration has made it harder for people to remain authorized to work to support themselves and their families. A policy change ended automatic work authorization extensions, and there are potential plans to pause work permits for asylum seekers—a move that could negatively impact many individuals seeking protection. Global Refuge continues to monitor these policy developments closely.
Citizenship
Litigation has blocked the end of birthright citizenship for now, but the government remains poised to implement the change.
Executive Order 14160 sought to prohibit all U.S. government departments and agencies from issuing documents recognizing U.S. citizenship for babies in certain circumstances, despite their having been born in the United States. Due to ongoing litigation, the citizenship executive order remains blocked from going into effect nationwide. Despite the litigation, however, USCIS has issued an implementation plan to take effect if the executive order is allowed to move forward.
On December 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court granted review of a case that will determine the constitutionality of this executive order. Oral arguments are expected for spring 2026, and the Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling by summer 2026.
Global Refuge's Promise
One year later, refugees and other immigrants in the United States and around the world remain at great risk. Global Refuge will continue to monitor the legal and policy landscape, advocate for federal protections that apply equally to all, and support the rights and dignity of those seeking safety. Read our statement on the anniversary here.
