Transformation of America’s Refugee Program

Democracy Dies in Darkness. Recent statistics highlight the significant changes in America’s refugee program.

May 22, 2026, at 6:00 a.m. EDT

Just yesterday at 6:00 a.m. EDT, Adri, center, along with her two daughters, made the difficult journey from South Africa to Lewiston, Maine, in March. (Ryan David Brown/For The Washington Post)

LEWISTON, Maine — On a typical weekday afternoon, a 41-year-old single mother from South Africa, who arrived in the United States this spring as a refugee, made her way to a coffee shop in central Maine.