'Unprecedented and cruel': Trump's announcement of freezing 235,000 Green Cards draws flak

The Donald Trump administration's decision to hold 235,000 Green Cards for refugeeswho entered the US between 2021 and 2025 met strong responses from humanitarian groups, NGOs who called the sudden surprise from the government during the Thanksgiving week 'unprecedented and cruel'.

According to an internal memo, the USCIS will now re-interview the refugees and check whether their cases were genuine enough. Refugees pass through a strong vetting process where they have to prove they faced persecution in their own countries but the Trump administration believe that the process was somewhat lax during the Biden administration.

“Just the threat of this is unspeakably cruel. … To threaten refugees with taking away their status would be re-traumatizing and a vicious misuse of taxpayer money,” said Mark Hetfield, the president of HIAS, a refugee resettlement organization, in a statement to CNN.President of Refugees International, Jeremy Konyndyk, said it is shocking at a time when the Trump administration is trying to bring White South Africans to the US. AfghanEvac, an NGO, said the refugees get their status after passing the most exhaustive vetting processes in the world which include checks by multiple agencies, biometric checks, layered security reviews. "This is unprecedented and cruel. And it's even worse that it comes during the week of Thanksgiving, whn families across the country should be resting easy, not eing thrust back into fear," the organization said.

Who are to be affected as US freezes Green Cards

Refugees who entered the US between 2021 and 2025 as their countries were facing war will be affected by the decision.

The list of countries include

The administration also revoked the 'Temporary Protected Status' from Myanmar and urged its people to go back to their country as the situation is improving in Myanmar.

Green card freeze for refugees: All you need to know