A 90-day deadline for President Donald Trump’s executive order regarding Christian refugee resettlement looms. Numerous faith-based organizations warn that not bringing back the long-running process could “indefinitely” hurt individuals attempting to reunite with loved ones.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.
Why It Matters
The executive order “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)” was signed on January 20, just after Trump was inaugurated. It went into effect just after midnight on January 27, suspending the program for 90 days to allow U.S. officials to determine “whether resumption of entry of refugees into the United States under the USRAP would be in the interests of the United States.”
That 90-day deadline is set to expire on Easter Sunday. Trump administration officials are claimed to have not made any contact with Christian groups in favor of rescinding the order.
What To Know
In 2024, the majority of the 100,034 refugees who resettled to the U.S. were Christians, and 29,493 Christians among them came from 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution, according to church watchdog Open Doors US.
The Trump administration tied USRAP to the U.S. being “inundated with record levels of migration” over the past four years, specifically mentioning “significant influxes of migrants” in cities including Charleroi, Pennsylvania, and Springfield, Ohio—the latter of which drew widespread attention during the 2024 presidential race when Trump, during a debate against former Vice President Kamala Harris, falsely claimed that migrants were eating dogs and cats.
In his first week in office during his first term as president, Trump set the maximum number of refugees to be admitted at 50,000.
Abdulmonam Eassa/Getty Images
On Thursday, the Christian organization World Relief rereleased a statement urging the Trump administration to reconsider its motives and restart the resettlement process.
Even with the suspension, they say that churches, individual Christians, and other supporters have contributed more than $10 million to World Relief in the past three months “in response to gaps created by the administration’s abrupt termination of pre-committed funds for already-resettled refugees and vulnerable people elsewhere around the globe.”
A spokesperson for the organization told Newsweek that as of Thursday, more than 20,000 Christians from all 50 states had signed onto the statement. They include local pastors, denominational leaders, influential authors and podcasters, leaders of prominent national and state-based Christian advocacy organizations, and advocates for persecuted Christians globally.
“In terms of what’s next for refugee resettlement, if resettlement is not resumed, it will mean refugees who were scheduled to be resettled in late January or early February— including many who have U.S.-based family who was desperate to be reunited to them—will have their hopes deferred even further, potentially indefinitely,” Matthew Soerens, vice president of advocacy and policy at the Christian organization World Relief, told Newsweek.
He added: “For many, that means being stuck in a refugee camp where they’d already lived for years or even decades, usually denied the legal authority to work and support themselves, and at a time when reductions to U.S. funding are also restricting access to support for food and other basic necessities for many refugees in camp settings globally.”
A decision of the U.S. to halt all resettlement could lead some host countries to decide to deport certain people who no longer have any likelihood of being resettled back to danger, Soerens added. That includes Afghans in Pakistan, such as those who will face persecution by the Taliban because of their Christian faith or because of their service to the U.S. military.
World Relief and partner groups also argue that the longstanding U.S. refugee resettlement program aligns with the Trump administration’s goals of securing borders through lawful means of legal immigration.
Efforts by World Relief to meet with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and White House Faith Office Director Jennifer Korn have all been ignored, a spokesperson told Newsweek.
It’s not just resettlement that has halted. A private sponsorship program for refugee resettlement called Welcome Corps, which included private groups subsidizing resettlement costs instead of taxpayers, was suspended. Officials say that persecuted Christians in countries like Iran have been “in limbo.”
“Ongoing suspension of refugee resettlement will also mean that local churches who have been engaged in refugee ministry for many years as a tangible expression of their Christian faith will be denied the opportunity to welcome newly arriving refugees, including those who have raised funds to cover the costs of resettlement through the Welcome Corps private sponsorship process,” Soerens said.
“Of course, we can and will continue to care for the refugees already present within our communities, but many churches have provided the most intensive support to refugees within their first several months after arrival, when they need the most support, and those opportunities are now suspended.”
What People Are Saying
National Association of Evangelicals President Walter Kim: “President Trump can lead the nation in rescuing persecuted Christians, as well as believers of other faiths, by restoring and strengthening the U.S. refugee resettlement program. As the son of a refugee from North Korea, I am alive today because my father was given refuge in South Korea and immigrated to the United States.”
Katie Frugé, executive director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission: “America’s longstanding commitment to religious freedom at home and abroad has made it a beacon of hope for persecuted Christians around the globe. I pray that our nation will continue to rise as a protector of those tormented by religious persecution, upholding our great tradition of compassion and strength.”
Christian author Jen Pollock Michel: “Refugee resettlement is not only a Christian priority, given our biblical commitment to protect the most globally vulnerable. It’s something the majority of Americans support. I urge President Trump to re-establish a humanitarian program that has historically brought hope to the persecuted and war-torn of the world.”
Doug Sauder, lead pastor of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale: “The Christian church has a great tradition of caring for refugees. This tradition comes from a clear mandate in Scripture that we care for the widow, the orphan and the refugee. In every society through the last 2,000 years, Christians have advocated for the care of these vulnerable people groups, and the refugee resettlement program and the work of World Relief should continue its good work as we resettle persecuted Christians and those who have helped our nation at a great cost to themselves.”
What Happens Next
The Sunday deadline could impact countless refugees who had anticipated coming to the U.S. earlier this year. It remains unclear whether the Trump administration will waver on the executive order.
