He, his wife
and 10 others were set to leave on Jan. 21. But just one day before, he
received heartbreaking news. Due to an executive order by US President Donald
Trump, their resettlement was canceled.
Philosoph, a
father of six, heard the news while completing final departure formalities at
International Organization for Migration facilities in Harare.
Philosoph, who
asked that just his nickname be used because he fears retribution, was going to
travel under the US Refugee Admissions Programme. The programme started in
Zimbabwe last year. Philosoph first came to Zimbabwe in 2005 from Rwanda, where
state repression often makes life difficult for people who oppose the
government.
The executive
order, which came the day of Trump’s inauguration, issued a stop-work order for
all activities by the US Agency for International Development, including
resettlement of refugees. This week, USAID was apparently closed, its offices
locked and employees told to stay home.
The stop-work
order is characterized as a “90-day pause,” but it’s unclear when — or if —
USAID programs will resume.
In response to
a Global Press Journal request for comment, the US State Department confirmed
that it has “suspended refugee arrivals and case processing activities.” It did
not provide any other details.
More than 1,300
refugees from the settlement were resettled in the US in 2024 and 887 new
submissions were made that year, says Johanne Mhlanga, settlement administrator
at Tongogara Refugee Settlement. The settlement is home to about 16,000
refugees and asylum-seekers, including Philosoph and his family.
In 2024, over
100,000 refugees were resettled in the US through the US Refugee Admissions
Program. It is the highest number admitted in one year since 1994, according to
a 2024 Refugee Council USA report.
African
countries constituted the majority of admitted refugees.
Since 1980,
more than 3.1 million refugees from various countries have been admitted to
resettle in the US.
Kudzai
Mwapaura, a lecturer at the Women’s University in Africa who published a study
on the Tongogara Refugee Settlement in 2024, says the decision can exacerbate
already challenging living conditions at camps like Tongogara. While the camp
is structured to provide basic needs, resources are often strained and the
shift could lead to difficulties maintaining adequate services for its
residents, he adds.
“Refugees may
experience increased uncertainty, psychological stress and a lack of access to
basic resources as the hope for resettlement diminishes.”
The shift deals
an emotional blow to Philosoph and other refugees.
“All I wanted
was a better future for my children,” he says.
Refugees are
demoralized, Mhlanga says, as their home countries continue to be rife with
protracted conflicts.
Chris, who
asked to use only his middle name for fear of retribution, fled war and
persecution in Democratic Republic of Congo. He hoped for a safe and secure
life in the US after being a refugee in Zimbabwe for 14 years.
“I envisioned a
life with dignity, where I could provide for my family and contribute to my
community,” he says.
Mhlanga says
refugees must now wait some more and hope for a positive outcome during the
90-day pause noted in the executive order. The wait is particularly painful for
those whose flights were abruptly cancelled.
“They had to
come back to the settlement, yet they had disposed of their assets and paid
farewell to their relatives and friends,” Mhlanga says. “Imagine the pain!”
Philosoph gave
all he owned to other refugees at the camp, including a small project involving
pigs. Now, he has to start over.
Local
integration is difficult, if not impossible, for refugees in Zimbabwe, who
cannot get citizenship here. The country does not offer full resettlement,
providing only a designated place for refugees to live.
“The policy
position is that refugees will voluntarily return to their home countries once
the situations that forced them to seek international protection have changed
for the better,” Mhlanga says.
But the end
result, Mhlanga says, is that refugees simply remain in Zimbabwe.
Philosoph says
his life depends on bimonthly distributions from the World Food Programme,
which sends food aid globally to refugees and other people in need.
Chris says
policymakers need to consider the human cost of their decisions.
“Refugees like
me are not statistics; we are people who deserve dignity, safety and a chance
to rebuild our lives,” he says. Global Press Journal
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