The decision effectively amounts to a pause in future refugee admissions, given that the interviews are a crucial step in an often years-long process. The DHS leadership's decision to halt the interview trips was communicated to those involved in the US refugee admission process on Wednesday, one of the sources said. It means that though Trump has not yet ordered a temporary halt to the refugee program, future admissions are likely to be delayed. Heller said the decision to halt the overseas interviews would cause delays in refugee processing even if Trump decides to maintain the refugee program or re-start it after a temporary closure. Trump said during the election campaign that there was no proper system to vet refugees.

Source: The Star January 27, 2017 05:16 UTC