Trump Refugee Ban Leaves Families Stranded

In January, Congolese refugee Pacito, his wife, and infant son found themselves sleeping in a car park in Nairobi, Kenya.

The family had been preparing to board a flight to the United States for resettlement when they received devastating news, just hours before departure, their flight had been cancelled.

The cancellation followed a decision by US President Donald Trump to suspend the country’s refugee resettlement programme. The move affected over 120,000 refugees who had already been approved to enter the US, leaving many, like Pacito, in limbo. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go,” he said.

Pacito had sold his furniture, music equipment, and most of his belongings, expecting to start fresh in the US. Now, he and his family have no permanent place to stay in Nairobi and struggle daily to meet their basic needs. “Sometimes we get food. Sometimes we don’t,” he told the BBC. “We’ve been struggling very badly.”

Since returning to office in January, President Trump has pushed a strict immigration agenda. His administration has revoked student visas, deported people to dangerous prisons in El Salvador, and offered undocumented immigrants cash to self-deport. While defending the policy as a national security measure, Trump has made rare exceptions.

In February, he signed an executive order allowing only white South African Afrikaners to be resettled in the US, claiming they face racial discrimination. A group of 59 Afrikaners recently arrived and were warmly welcomed near Washington, D.C.

To Pacito, this double standard is painful.

“There are 120,000 refugees who went through the full process and waited for years. But these people get in within months,” he said.

Trump’s claim that white South Africans are being persecuted has been widely challenged. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa denies the allegations and says no land has been seized despite a new law allowing redistribution. Still, Trump responded by freezing hundreds of millions in aid to South Africa and confronting Ramaphosa publicly.

Critics argue that refugee decisions should be based on real danger, not race or politics. “All refugees deserve equal treatment,” said Timothy Young of Global Refuge.

For now, Pacito remains homeless and hopeless. Returning to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where armed conflict and personal loss drove him out, is not an option. “I can’t go back,” he said.

Source: BBC