Refugees who were slated to travel to the United States after a years-long and often cumbersome process have had their flights canceled, according to a State Department memo to resettlement partners obtained by CNN.

Trump pauses the refugee resettlement program this week as part of a series of executive orders cracking down on immigration.

The decision leaves refugees who have completed a lengthy process stranded abroad and facing extended separation from loved ones already in the U.S.

U.S. health agencies including the CDC this week canceled meetings with external groups, paused some public health publications and told employees to freeze travel after directives from the Department of Health and Human Services,

The Trump administration has canceled travel plans for refugees who have already been cleared to come into the United States. The Associated Press reported that the refugees had been approved to come here before a deadline next week suspending America’s refugee resettlement program.

The surprise halt of travel this week scuttled the hopes of last-minute arrivals as Donald Trump's refugee shutdown took hold early.

The fate of tens of thousands of Afghans awaiting resettlement in the U.S. hangs in the balance after Trump suspended the refugee admissions program.

Thousands of refugees who fled war and persecution and had gone through a sometimes yearslong vetting process to start new lives in America are now stranded at various locations worldwide. That includes more than 1,