HONG KONG, China (AFP) — After 13 years in Hong Kong as a refugee, John received plane tickets that would grant his family new lives in the United States (US) — only for them to be snatched away with a stroke of the pen by President Donald Trump.

Trump’s executive order to suspend all refugee admissions and halt the US asylum program, signed hours after taking office, has left adrift dozens in the Chinese city approved for US resettlement.

John’s scheduled flight to Los Angeles barely missed the Monday 27 January deadline — had he been allowed to board, the executive order would have taken effect while he was in the air.

“It was devastating news for the whole family,” said the 37-year-old, who fled persecution in an East African country and spoke to Agence France-Presse using a pseudonym.

“(We had) just a few days remaining.”

The order — despite being up for review in 90 days — has already caused “pain” and a “huge ripple effect” as asylum seekers in Hong Kong now fear being sent back to square one, according to advocates for refugee rights.

John said he had completed years of stringent US vetting, including security and medical checks.

The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) had “prepared everything” to resettle him, his wife and their children.

“We actually asked (the IOM), ‘Is there any way we can buy the ticket for our own and just travel maybe on Sunday?’ They say, ‘No way possible.’”

Sleepless nights

Trump’s order temporarily cuts off a legal migration pathway for the estimated 37.9 million refugees fleeing wars, persecution or disasters around the world.

In his order, Trump said the US had been “inundated” and could not absorb migrants in a way that protects Americans’ safety and security. In the 2024 fiscal year, more than 100,000 refugees resettled in the US, the most in three decades.

James, who was cleared for US resettlement this month after waiting 14 years in Hong Kong, said it was “not fair” to halt all arrivals.

“First time we heard the news, I wasn’t able to sleep... until now it’s still difficult,” said James, 31, who fled an East African nation and asked to use a pseudonym for safety.

“How many millions of people doesn’t sleep... because of what (Trump) signed?”