Executive Order 13815: Resuming the United States Refugee Admissions Program With Enhanced Vetting Capabilities
President: Donald J. Trump
Resumed the refugee admissions program after a 2017 suspension with added vetting; revoked in 2021.
Status: Revoked.
Is Executive Order 13815 still in effect? No. Executive Order 14013 revoked Executive Order 13815 on February 4, 2021.
What does Executive Order 13815 do?
EO 13815 resumed the US Refugee Admissions Program after the 120-day review and suspension directed by EO 13780. State could resume travel for qualified, appropriately vetted refugees, and Homeland Security could resume deciding resettlement applications. This was a resumption subject to continuing security determinations, not an unconditional entitlement to enter the United States. Official source.
The order described changes to applicant information collection, interviews, fraud detection, interagency sharing and biometric and biographic checks. Its assessment that these improvements made the program safer was the administration’s security judgment. The operative provisions gave State and Homeland Security continuing responsibility to assess particular categories of refugees and decide what safeguards should remain, change or end. Official source.
The text distinguished refugee admissions from ordinary immigrant and nonimmigrant visa processing. It explained that Proclamation 9645’s country restrictions did not apply to refugees entering through this program and that refugee screening involved different information and risk factors. It did not list a new set of barred countries in the executive order itself or replace the statutory refugee-admission criteria. Official source.
Before and after
Before the order
Under EO 13780, refugee travel and application decisions had been suspended for a review, subject to exceptions. That temporary period expired October 24, 2017. The agencies had examined screening against the uniform baseline developed for travelers generally and advised that enhanced refugee procedures permitted a general resumption. Official source.
After the order
Applications and refugee travel could proceed with the additional safeguards. Homeland Security retained authority to determine whether measures for categories of refugees should be modified or terminated, consulting State and intelligence officials. A 90-day review and annual reviews created a continuing reassessment mechanism rather than a one-time permission. EO 14013 later revoked this order as part of Biden’s refugee-program rebuilding instructions. Official source.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| State Secretary | Resume appropriately vetted refugee travel; coordinate security assessment and administer the program consistently with Homeland Security determinations. | Resumption October 24, 2017; consultation throughout implementation. |
| Homeland Security Secretary | Resume application adjudication; determine safeguards for refugee categories and review whether they should change or end. | Review within 90 days and annually thereafter; modification permitted at any time when warranted. |
| Director of National Intelligence | Consult on review of refugee-category safeguards and program administration. | 90-day and annual reviews; ongoing consultation. |
| Attorney General | Consult on program administration and report to the President on resettlement’s national-security, public-safety and general-welfare effects with recommendations. | Report within 180 days, consulting State and Homeland Security. |
| Other executive departments and agencies requested by Attorney General | Cooperate in the resettlement-effects report as deemed appropriate. | During the 180-day reporting period. |
What happened next
EO 13815 ends the temporary suspension and authorizes conditional resumption. Official source
EO 14013 expressly revokes EO 13815. Official source
EO 14148 revokes EO 14013, while a separate order changes refugee-program policy; this does not expressly reinstate EO 13815. Official source
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
Section 3 expressly relies on INA section 207(c), applicable parts of section 212(a), and section 402(4) of the Homeland Security Act. Homeland Security’s determinations therefore had to fit refugee-admission and inadmissibility law, not bypass it. State and Homeland Security were required to implement the program consistent with applicable law and available appropriations. The general provisions preserved statutory agency powers and created no privately enforceable right or benefit. Revocation of a later order should not be mistaken for express revival of this one. Official source.
Sources by type
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Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 23, 2026. How we research →