The End of Refugee Resettlement
Hiba and Ibrahim, a Sudanese refugee couple from the Nuba minority, fled violence in Sudan and arrived in Jordan one day after a cutoff date that left them without legal status or access to resettlement programs. Despite registering with the UNHCR, they were denied formal refugee status due to Jordanian government restrictions, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and without healthcare or financial support. Their story reflects broader systemic failures in the global refugee resettlement system, particularly under policies that limit protection for vulnerable populations.
- ▪Hiba and Ibrahim, Sudanese refugees from the Nuba minority, arrived in Jordan on January 24, 2019, one day after a government-imposed cutoff for asylum registration, leaving them without legal status.
- ▪The family cannot access formal resettlement, healthcare, or financial aid, and Ibrahim, injured in Sudan, is unable to work due to lack of medical treatment.
- ▪Hiba, the sole provider, faces exploitation and sexual assault while working informal jobs, and the family lives in a poorly insulated apartment without heat or legal protections.
- ▪Black refugees in Jordan report widespread racial discrimination and violence, with little recourse due to fear of deportation and lack of legal standing.
- ▪Jordan hosts millions of refugees but has restricted asylum registrations, contributing to a growing population of undocumented refugees with no path to resettlement.
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Letter from JordanThe End of Refugee ResettlementWhat happened when the Trump Administration turned its back on the world’s most vulnerable.By Annie HyltonMay 14, 2026Illustration by Anuj ShresthaSave this storySave this storySave this storySave this storyOn a brisk morning this past fall, I took a taxi up the sloped roads of a densely populated neighborhood in the eastern part of Amman, the capital of Jordan. The neighborhood, called Jabal al-Joufeh, was historically home to merchants, politicians, and poets. More recently, it has become an informal settlement for refugee families.A Sudanese woman, Hiba, who wore a full-length navy dress and a leopard-print head scarf, greeted my car on the street.
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