---
title: "“Trump is dismantling all our dreams”"
description: "Trump’s order to curb immigration has put the lives of thousands of refugees on hold and placed the burden of hosting refugees on countries that are already overburdened."
url: "https://www.nrc.no/news/2017/february/trump-is-dismantling-all-our-dreams"
language: "en"
published: "2017-02-03T11:20:59Z"
modified: "2017-02-03T11:53:42Z"
---

![WITH LIFE PUT ON HOLD: Hamsa (30) fled the war in Somalia in 1987 and settled in Dadaab refugee camp. Later he was relocated to Kakuma to enable him to continue with his resettlement processing. He had already won approval for U.S. resettlement when president Trump put a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States. Photo: NRC/Nashon Tado ](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/kenya/kakuma/denied-resettelmnt/img_5929.jpg)

# “Trump is dismantling all our dreams”

Roald Høvring|Published 03. Feb 2017

[Kenya](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=72) [USA](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=117) [Asylum policy](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=136)

This article was first published more than 9 years ago

Trump’s order to curb immigration has put the lives of thousands of refugees on hold and placed the burden of hosting refugees on countries that are already overburdened.

**KENYA/Kakuma Refugee Camp:** "I had completed all the stages required in the resettlement program. This includes medical check-ups and interviews. I had received a certificate of completion from the Resettlement Support Centre (RSC), which confirms that I am eligible for resettlement in the USA and I have satisfied all requirements. I have even been allocated a resettlement location in USA, says Hamsa Jama Hassan (30).

On Friday 27 January, the U.S. president Donald Trump banned immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries - Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen - and put a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States.

### 26.000 affected

Since then some 26,000 refugees in Kenya have been affected by the ban, most of them Somali, according to United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).

"This policy places the burden of hosting refugees on countries that are already overburdened," said Geno Teofilo, Regional Media & Communication Adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, as low- and mid-income countries house nine out of 10 of the world's displaced.

Half of the 26,000 refugees hit by the ban in Kenya have already won approval for U.S. resettlement while the other half await interview by the U.S. State Department, according to UNHCR.

Somali refugee Bihi, his wife Halay Hussein Barre, and their 10 children have been living in Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp for nearly four years while their resettlement to the United States is processed.

"Trump is dismantling all our dreams," he told Reuters.

### Losing hope

Hamsa has followed the political situation in the USA since the inauguration of Donald Trump. He has learnt about the latest ban on Somalis from visiting the USA. He feels bad about this. All his efforts seem to have been in vain. Although the ban is temporary (90 days), he suspects that it will be prolonged, or stricter measures are going to be put in place.

"Now I might have to begin my resettlement efforts from scratch. I am very unhappy and I am about to lose hope," he says.

**Below you find more stories on refugees in Kakuma refugee camp (Kenya) who have been forced to put their lives on hold:**

![Dahir Mohammed Hassan (36) is a father of four children. He has lived at Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya since 2014. His oldest child is 7 years and the youngest is just 6 months old. He is among tens of refugees in Kakuma who are processing documents hoping to be resettled in the United States of America. "I began this process back in Dadaab refugee camp in 2009. I have completed the first and second phases of the resettlement program. I am waiting to be called in for medical examinations and checks before i can receive a clean bill of health", he says. Photo: NRC/Nashon Tado ](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/kenya/kakuma/denied-resettelmnt/img_5940.jpg)

![Kosar Halima Hussein (57) got her resettlement request approved in April 2015. She has done two medical tests successfully. Her case has been put on hold temporarily. She is worried because her medical result will expire in April 2017. She has heard about the 90 day ban imposed by the US president Donald Trump. She can already see that her medical result will have expired by the time the ban has expired. She appeals to the American president to lift the ban to enable her to complete her resettlement process. Photo: NRC/Nashon Tado ](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/kenya/kakuma/denied-resettelmnt/img_6186.jpg)

![Maryan Dahir Muhamed (30) is mother of four children, she relocated to Kakuma refugee camp in May 2013. Maryan's son Zakaria has a complex medical known as hydrocephalus. Maryan's application for US resettlement was rejected by the US Immigration Centre (CIS). She was not informed why her request was not granted. She had hoped to find a way to the US where her son can receive better medical treatment. She has a message for American President Donald Trump: 'Show that you care about the suffering of people. We are humans like you'. Photo: NRC/Nashon Tado ](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/kenya/kakuma/denied-resettelmnt/img_6059.jpg)