World will suffer 'vacuum of leadership' if Trump refugee ban goes ahead, charities warn

Advocates say the expected announcement suspending all refugee arrivals will have a 'global knock-on effect'

File photo of refugees in an Australian detention centre on Manus Island. Mr Trump's order could place 1,000 people there in limbo once again (Reuters)

Charities have warned of a global "knock-on effect" if Donald Trump goes ahead with a temporary ban on refugees entering the US, as the withdrawal of American leadership on refugee action creates a “vacuum of leadership”.

The President is expected to announce a 120-day ban by way of an executive order later on Thursday in a move that has prompted "extreme alarm" among refugee advocates, who are asking him to reconsider.

Mr Trump is also expected to ban immigration and the issuing of visas for people from seven Muslim-majority Middle Eastern and African countries.

The US resettles more refugees than any other country, according to the NGOs, taking in two thirds of resettlements in the world in 2015.

Humanitarians have expressed fears that a sudden lack of US leadership could have disastrous impacts on the protection of refugees.

“President Trump’s plans to pull up the drawbridge and leave refugees trapped in danger are extremely alarming,” the British Refugee Council’s Anna Musgrave told The Independent.

“We can’t let our humanity be undermined by fear. We all know that refugees who arrive in the US through resettlement schemes are among the most rigorously vetted people in the country.

“What’s even more disturbing is the fact that the US currently resettles more refugees than any other country in the world and has led the way in coordinating a global effort to ensure more refugees are able to find safety.”

The Council voiced concerns about the world-wide "knock on effect" Mr Trump’s actions would have and particularly the example it would set.

Ms Musgrave said: "Global leaders must lead by example by offering safe haven, rather than turning their backs on refugees and leaving the job to others.

“With this new vacuum in leadership it’s vital that other countries, including Britain, step forward and ensure that men women and children who are running for their lives are offered safe haven.”

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is the main organisation working to resettle refugees within the US.

David Miliband, President of the IRC and former UK Foreign Secretary, said: "The IRC is very concerned by the reports of new restrictions on refugee resettlement into the US and calls on the administration to take its time and think again.

"Refugee resettlement is an American success story. For decades people have looked to the US as a beacon of political as well as religious freedom. The IRC is proud to have resettled 400,000 refugees into the US since World War II."

Citing record-breaking levels of refugee flow around the world, Mr Miliband said now was "not the time" for America to renounce its historic leadership role.

"Our clear message to the new administration is: now is no time for hasty action," he added. "Talk to us and the experts in your own government to develop a policy that builds on America’s success rather than undermines it."

Another organisation, Help Refugees, warned of the “devastating” impact if the US becomes closed off to refugees.

A statement released by the charity said: “Refugees are, by definition, people seeking sanctuary from some of the most horrific circumstances and it is the duty of compassionate and progressive nations to accept their fair share. Banning refugees on the basis of their religious beliefs is abhorrent.

“Halting resettlement of refugees will not, contrary to Trump's assertions, make America safer. On the contrary it will force people into the hands of traffickers and make the vigorous systems currently in place to vet refugees entering the US completely defunct.”

Among many others, Mr Trump's executive order threatens a refugee resettlement deal with Australia signed late last year, and could leave more than 1,000 asylum seekers in limbo.

"We already didn't have much hope the US would accept us," Behrouz Boochani, an Iranian refugee who has spent more than three years on Manus island, told Reuters. "If they do not take us, Australia will have to."

The US agreed to resettle an unspecified number of refugees being held in Papua New Guinea and the tiny South Pacific island nation of Nauru on Australia’s behalf, under a deal to be administered by the UN refugee agency.

"Any substantial delay in the relocation of refugees...would be highly concerning from a humanitarian perspective," said Catherine Stubberfield, a spokeswoman of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

"These men, women and children can no longer afford to wait."