Migration and Refugees

The Latest

In late April 2026, the State Department issued a new directive aimed at identifying and denying potential asylum seekers from traveling to the United States. The directive requires consular officers to ask all nonimmigrant visa applicants about whether they fear harm or mistreatment in their home countries; if applicants answer yes or decline to respond, their visa application will be rejected. Additionally, the Justice Department has announced plans to pursue denaturalization cases against certain foreign-born Americans.

Previously, in February 2026, the administration directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain and review the status of refugees who lawfully entered the United States but have not formally obtained lawful permanent residency within one year of arrival. The review process is designed to assess whether refugees obtained their status through fraud or otherwise pose a threat to national security. Similarly, in January 2026, the State Department announced a pause on reviewing immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries, with the intention of reassessing screening procedures and identifying applicants likely to become a “public charge.” This follows President Trump’s December 2025 announcement of an expanded travel ban and pause on immigration applications for individuals from 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority as well as the elimination of an exception for Afghans who qualify for the Special Immigrant Visa. A provision to restore the State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) – which managed the resettlement of Afghans who had supported U.S. military efforts – was also cut from the National Defense Authorization Act by Speaker Mike Johnson.

Trump also suspended all asylum processing and initiated a review of asylum decisions made during the Biden administration, further deepening an already strained immigration system.

In October, the administration set the 2026 refugee admissions ceiling at just 7,500—the lowest cap since the U.S. refugee program was established in 1980. Refugee slots will now “primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa” and “other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands.” The administration has also terminated the Temporary Protected Status of more than 1.5 million individuals legally authorized to work in the United States.