Are All Biden Refugees Subject to Re-Interview and Reopening?

(UNITED STATES) The Biden-era refugee program is facing an extraordinary rollback after a new internal directive ordered U.S. immigration officers to reopen and re-interview every refugee admitted to the country since January 20, 2021, halting thousands of green card cases and throwing long-settled families into fresh uncertainty.

The order, described in a USCIS memo signed by agency director Joe Edlow, covers about 233,000 refugees who entered the United States between January 20, 2021, and February 20, 2025. According to reports by Reuters, Associated Press, faith-based resettlement groups, and other organizations, the directive means that every one of those refugees may have their case reopened and their status questioned — even if they have already passed years of security checks and begun building new lives in the country.

What the directive requires

The central instruction is that officers must “reopen and re-interview” each refugee admitted under President Biden. The memo orders staff to conduct a fresh review of whether each person still meets the legal definition of a refugee under U.S. law.

Those who have seen the memo say it claims the review is necessary because the Biden administration allegedly prioritized speed and numbers over strict vetting during those years. USCIS has not released the full text publicly.

Immediate impacts on green card cases

As part of the new policy, all pending applications for permanent residency filed by this group have been frozen. Refugees who submitted adjustment of status requests on Form I-485 to become lawful permanent residents now face indefinite waits.

• Many applicants were already deep into the process — having completed medical exams, paid fees, and responded to requests for evidence.
• VisaVerge.com analysis indicates many cases are halted solely because of the arrival date, not the merits of the applicant’s file.
• The memo instructs that processing of these green card cases will not move forward until the reopening and re-interview process is complete.

Table: Key figures and dates

Potential consequences and risks

The consequences could be severe. The memo states that if, after re-interview, USCIS determines a person does not meet the legal standard for refugee status, the agency can:

1. Terminate refugee status, and then
2. Place the individual in removal proceedings.

That would put people who fled war, persecution, or violence at risk of deportation years after being told they were safe.

• Legal advocates highlight the danger for refugees from countries that have become more dangerous since they left.
• Those countries may now be experiencing ongoing conflict, political crackdowns, or targeted attacks on ethnic or religious minorities.

Why advocates call the move unprecedented

Advocates describe the directive as unprecedented in scope. While officials have sometimes reopened individual cases due to fraud, new security information, or criminal activity, they have not previously attempted to re-interview an entire multi-year cohort admitted under one administration.

Refugee resettlement agencies emphasize that refugees admitted under President Biden already passed one of the U.S. immigration system’s toughest screening processes. Typical screening involves:

• biometric checks,
• multiple security database checks,
• in-depth interviews, and
• coordination between several federal agencies prior to travel.

Notification and uncertainty for families

The memo says individual refugees will receive notice “in the coming weeks,” but it does not provide a full public timeline or explain how long the re-interview process will last.

This creates several uncertainties:

• Families do not know when they will be called in for re-interviews.
• They do not know what questions they will face.
• Minor paperwork errors, translation issues, or changes in country conditions could suddenly put status at risk.

Lawyers report they are receiving calls from frightened clients who have bought homes, started businesses, or enrolled children in school and now fear potential deportation.

“Even after years in the United States, legal status is no longer secure.” — a central concern echoed by refugee and support organizations.

Reactions from refugee and faith-based organizations

Refugee and faith-based groups, including Sojourners and CWS Global, have sharply criticized the directive as:

• wasteful,
• cruel, and
• politically motivated.

Their concerns include:

• The review will consume limited USCIS resources and slow other immigration processes.
• It offers little added security benefit because refugees are already among the most heavily screened newcomers.
• It risks damaging the United States’ reputation as a safe haven, sending a message that protection can be reopened and taken away at any time.

Political context and ties to recent policy changes

The USCIS memo references President Trump’s October 2025 proclamation that set the Fiscal Year 2026 refugee admissions ceiling at 7,500, which advocates call a historic low.

• The proclamation also included language indicating a preference for white South African applicants.
• By tying the review to that proclamation, the administration’s intent appears to be not only shrinking future admissions but also revisiting prior admission decisions.

Broader chilling effects on communities

Community groups report rising fear that people will avoid interacting with government agencies, including routine address updates or benefit renewals, fearing extra attention might trigger faster reopening of their files.

• Some resettlement workers say families are reconsidering international travel for funerals, weddings, or emergencies, worried about re-entry if their case is under review.
• The prospect of retraumatization is real: survivors may be forced to retell traumatic events from years earlier.

Legal community response and preparation

Immigration lawyers are working quickly to interpret the directive and prepare clients. Advice being given includes:

• Gather documents supporting original claims (old police reports, medical records, proof of threats or violence).
• Prepare for potential credibility challenges; trauma and fading memories may lead to differences between the original and subsequent interviews.
• Recognize that ordinary inconsistencies could be used to question applicants’ credibility.

Questions about changed country conditions and legal protections

Officials have not publicly detailed how officers will consider changed country conditions.

• In some cases, violence or persecution may have worsened since departure, strengthening protection needs.
• In other cases, political changes or peace agreements may have occurred.

Advocacy groups warn that using such changes to strip refugee status would violate international refugee protection principles, which aim to prevent return to danger rather than punish people because a country’s situation shifts on paper.

Practical and operational concerns for USCIS

The review’s scale raises major operational questions. USCIS already struggles with large backlogs across asylum, naturalization, and employment-based immigration.

• Re-interviewing more than 200,000 people who already passed intensive vetting will require significant officer time.
• Critics say this will likely lengthen wait times across other immigration case types.
• USCIS’s own refugee information page notes the normal refugee process involves several agencies and many steps; repeating parts of that process is expected to strain resources already impacted by pandemic-era disruptions and budget challenges.

Political debate and future outlook

There is no sign the administration will scale back or delay the directive.

• Supporters of stricter controls argue the review is needed to ensure no one slipped through during a period described as looser screening under President Biden.
• Opponents counter that the move is more likely to harm traumatized families and children than to uncover serious security threats, noting the lack of public evidence of systemic screening failures.

Final takeaway

For the refugees admitted between January 20, 2021, and February 20, 2025, the only certainty is increased uncertainty: they must wait for letters “in the coming weeks,” prepare for new interviews about events that may have occurred years ago, and hope that officers reopening their cases will treat them as people who rebuilt their lives — not as statistics in a political fight.