AILA: Refugee Re-Screenings Sow Fear, Not Security

WASHINGTON, DC – In response to news that the Trump Administration will reopen vetting for refugees who entered between January 20, 2021, and February 20, 2025, Ben Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), stated:

“Reopening and re-interviewing hundreds of thousands of refugees who have already passed some of the most rigorous security checks in the world is not about safety; it’s about politics. Moreover, it is a colossal waste of government resources.

This unprecedented and unjustified action calls into question whether any decision by the U.S. government is ever final or reliable. It unnecessarily retraumatizes vulnerable families who followed established processes and waited years to be resettled, and it destabilizes communities where they have rebuilt their lives. All this make-work will divert taxpayer dollars away from genuine security needs. Instead of honoring our legal and moral commitments, the administration is sowing fear and uncertainty and undermining the credibility of its own institutions.”