20,000 refugees could be affected by President Trump's immigration order, U.N. says

Thousands of refugees will feel the impact of President Trump&#039;s 120-day ban.

(Image credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

published 30 January 2017

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported Monday that as many as 20,000 refugees will be affected by President Trump's executive order on immigration. The estimate for Trump's 120-day ban, which bars people from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the U.S., was based off of "average monthly figures for the last 15 years." U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi wrote in a statement Monday that already, more than "800 refugees set to make America their new home" have instead "found themselves barred from traveling to the U.S."

The uncertainty has left refugees "anxious, confused, and heartbroken," and Grandi "deeply worried," the statement read. "Refugees share the very same concerns about security and safety that Americans have," the statement said. "They themselves are fleeing war, persecution, oppression, and terrorism. The individuals and families UNHCR refers to governments for resettlement are the most vulnerable — such as people needing urgent medical assistance, survivors of torture, and women and girls at risk."

Grandi reminded the U.S. of its "decades" as a "global leader in refugee protection" — and urged the U.S. to continue "its long history of protecting those who are fleeing conflict and persecution."