Newly sworn-in Secretary of State Marco Rubio is advising his department to cease refugee resettlement operations and begin ramping up vetting of visas from certain regions in response to executive orders from President Donald Trump.
After officially becoming its next secretary, Rubio directed the Department of State to halt refugee resettlement programs, a senior department source told Fox News Digital.
He also ordered the department to implement enhanced vetting for visa applications from “dangerous regions.”
The secretary cited new executive orders signed by Trump after his inauguration Monday.
Among dozens of executive orders, Trump signed one aimed at “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program” and another to “[Protect] the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.”
The former dictated that the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) be suspended due to its detrimental effect on the country’s interests. The latter order calls for increased vetting of all aliens, “to the maximum degree possible,” especially those “from regions or nations with identified security risks.”
