The Trump administration resumed the U.S. refugee program Tuesday after a 120-day ban, but there will be new restrictions on admissions going forward.
After the four-month review, the administration enhanced vetting for all refugee applicants and determined that an additional 90-day review was needed for 11 countries.
However, individuals from those 11 counties will be considered for resettlement in the U.S. on a case-by-case basis, but only if they are determined to be in the “U.S. national interest” and don’t pose a security threat, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Applicants from other countries do not need to prove they are in the “national interest” of the U.S.
Those 11 nationalities were deemed to have a higher risk to the U.S. by the interagency review. Those countries are not being identified because of “law enforcement sensitivities,” according to a senior Department of Homeland Security official.
During the ban, the secretaries of state and homeland security and the director of national intelligence were tasked with determining whether additional security procedures identified during the review process were sufficient to ensure the security and welfare of the United States and whether the program should be reinstated.
The president signed an executive order this evening, which replaces the previous executive order that had mandated the 120-day ban and ordered a review of vetting procedures.
