Somali refugees under pressure to repatriate after US ban

A U.S. executive order pausing the refugee program and barring nationals from seven countries from entering the United States for 90 days could endanger thousands of Somalis who had been cleared for resettlement, aid agencies and humanitarian workers warn.

Analysts told Devex that the order may also empower extremist elements within Somalia, which could benefit from a new pool of disaffected recruits. Frustration toward the U.S. ban could unravel goodwill toward Washington among the refugee population.

Somali refugees are under increasing pressure to return home — despite ongoing threats to their safety — as borders and camps close in the region and internationally. The U.S. block would pause or end one of their last lifelines for resettlement.