ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
President Trump took many actions this week to limit immigration, including an executive order suspending the refugee resettlement program. About 10,000 people fleeing war or persecution had already gone through a long screening and approval process. They had scheduled travel to the U.S., and all those plans were suddenly canceled.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
One of those people is Jacombo Marembe, who has lived in a refugee camp in Tanzania for 26 years.
REINE MAREMBE: (Through interpreter) He is sad that he will not come because he has prepared everything and now feels all is lost.
SUMMERS: His sister, Reine Marembe, spoke to us in Swahili. She spent 23 years in that same refugee camp after her family fled violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She came to the U.S. through the refugee program in 2022 with her husband and their five children.
SHAPIRO: She's resettled in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but her parents and other siblings are also at the camp in Tanzania waiting for their opportunities. Reine's brother, Jacombo, had cleared the vetting process and was supposed to arrive in early February.
MAREMBE: (Through interpreter) I had prepared properly for a party. I had prepared for drinks, food and so much more.
SHAPIRO: With the refugee program currently suspended, it is now unclear when that reunion will happen.
MAREMBE: (Through interpreter) I am very disappointed in this outcome. I feel really bad about how things have unfolded.
SHAPIRO: Krish O'Mara Vignarajah has been helping people like Reine and her brother. She is president and CEO of the resettlement agency Global Refuge. Thank you for joining us.
KRISH O'MARA VIGNARAJAH: Thanks so much for having me.
SHAPIRO: You know, during the campaign, President Trump was very clear about his intentions to clamp down on the paths people used to come to the United States. So did this executive order take you by surprise, or was it pretty much what you expected?
VIGNARAJAH: It did still surprise me because President Trump had obviously been clear on the campaign trail that he had a strong preference - supported legal immigration over unauthorized migration. But refugee resettlement is the program that represents the gold standard of legal immigration pathways in terms of security screening, community coordination, mutual economic benefit. And so I was disheartened to hear that refugee resettlement was suspended.
SHAPIRO: You mentioned screening. President Trump and his allies have, in the past, said that we don't know enough about who's coming to the United States through the refugee program. What kind of a process does someone have to go through to qualify for refugee status?
VIGNARAJAH: Yeah, so refugees are fleeing for their lives. They've experienced political persecution, religious persecution. They go through years of intense vetting that includes FBI, CIA, interpol checks, health clearances. And only when those processes have been completed do they have a chance at resettling in the U.S. It oftentimes takes a year or two, if not a decade, to go through that process. And for the refugee families that are lucky enough, they are the select few because less than 1% of the world's refugees are ever resettled.
SHAPIRO: During the first Trump administration, the refugee program was suspended, and then it resumed at much lower numbers. This executive order says the program will be reevaluated within 90 days. What's your expectation of what happens at the end of those three months?
VIGNARAJAH: Well, I hope that it means that the program will be resumed and that we will have a robust pathway to support those who are fleeing for their lives? We've resettled as many refugees under Republican administrations as Democratic ones. For example, President Reagan resettled 600,000 refugees, and so I hope that it will be greenlighted in this 90-day period.
SHAPIRO: One of the justifications in this executive order is that the current number of immigrants is straining American communities and their resources. Has that been your experience in the communities where you have helped resettle refugees? What have you seen?
VIGNARAJAH: Yeah, so I think overall, it's important to take a step back and understand we hear every day from companies who are desperate for the kind of driven, reliable employees that refugees represent. But refugee resettlement is a unique program because we work with a state refugee coordinator who is - explains what the conditions are on the ground, whether there, you know, are enough resources to support these families.
There's a complex algorithm that takes into account the job market, affordable housing, whether the family has a U.S. tie. And we work with the State Department to actually determine where these families go. So it takes into account and makes sure that local communities are not just overwhelmed, but that they're excited and that they're collaborating to support the families.
SHAPIRO: Krish O'Mara Vignarajah of Global Refuge, thank you for talking with us.
VIGNARAJAH: Thank you so much for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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