U.S. refugee admissions cuts leave Utah families separated

Since the start of the second Trump administration, the United States sharply reduced its refugee admissions. An executive order on Jan. 20, 2025 suspended the Refugee Admissions Program and a later cap limited the 2026 intake to 7,500, far below the previous 125,000 annual ceiling. The Migration Policy Institute reports that only about 160,000 refugees arrived in 2023‑24, and fewer than 30,000 have entered since 2025, most of them South African Afrikaners.

In Utah, two refugees illustrate the human impact. A Venezuelan political refugee, identified as “Norberto,” said his family reunification process was progressing until the policy change froze it. A Somali refugee, “Abdi,” recounts his mother’s flight being cancelled after the new rules took effect. Aden Batar, director of Migration and Refugee Services for Catholic Community Services, notes that many parents and children are now unable to reunite. Utah, which has welcomed roughly 8,500 refugees between 2012 and 2023, is seeing the consequences of the tighter admissions limits on its refugee community.