WASHINGTON — Refugees who had been approved to come to the United States before a deadline next week suspending America’s refugee resettlement program have seen their travel plans canceled by the Trump administration.

Thousands of refugees who fled war and persecution and had gone through a sometimes yearslong vetting process to start new lives in the U.S. are now stranded at various locations worldwide. That includes more than 1,600 Afghans who assisted America’s war effort, as well as relatives of active duty U.S. military personnel.

President Donald Trump paused the program this week as part of a series of executive orders cracking down on immigration. His move had left open the possibility that refugees who had been screened to come to the U.S. and had flights booked before Monday’s deadline might be able to get in under the wire.

But in an email dated Tuesday and reviewed by The Associated Press, the U.S. agency overseeing refugee processing and arrivals told staff and stakeholders that “refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice.”

A little more than 10,000 refugees from around the world had already gone through the lengthy vetting process to come to the U.S. and had travel scheduled over the next few weeks, according to a document obtained by the AP. It was not immediately clear how many of those had been set to arrive by the upcoming deadline.

The State Department referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Refugees are distinct from people who come directly to the U.S.-Mexico border to seek asylum. Refugees must be living outside of the U.S. to be considered for resettlement and are usually referred to the State Department by the United Nations.

While the resettlement program has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, the first Trump administration also temporarily halted it and then lowered the number of refugees who could enter each year.

National security staffers: President Donald Trump’s national security adviser on Wednesday sidelined about 160 National Security Council aides, sending them home while the administration reviews staffing and tries to align it with Trump’s agenda.

The career government employees, commonly referred to as detailees, were summoned Wednesday for an all-staff call and told they will be expected to be available to the council’s senior directors but would not need to report to the White House. The council provides national security and foreign policy advice to the president.

Brian McCormack, chief of staff to national security adviser Mike Waltz, delivered the news in a two-minute phone call, telling the detailees they “are directed to be on call and report to the office only if contacted by the NSC leadership.”

West Bank raids: Israel’s military said Wednesday that it was pressing ahead with what it called a new counterterrorism operation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and Palestinian officials said that at least 10 people had been killed.

A spokesperson for the military said that 10 militants were “hit” in the operation, without giving further details.

Earlier, Israel said that it had killed eight militants since the start of the raid. The Palestinian Health Ministry said that 10 people had been killed in Jenin and its outskirts since the start of the raid.

At least four people were injured Wednesday in Jenin, where the new rash of raids were focused, according to Palestinian officials cited by Wafa, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency. Other West Bank cities were also targeted in raids.

Houthis release captives: Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Wednesday they released the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier seized in November 2023 at the start of their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel- Hamas war.

The move by the Iranian- backed Houthis marks their latest effort to de-escalate their attacks following a ceasefire in Gaza. It also comes as U.S. President Donald Trump likely weighs whether to reinstate a terrorism designation he made on the group that had been revoked by President Joe Biden.

The rebels said they released the sailors after mediation by Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula that’s long been an interlocutor with the Houthis. Oman did not immediately acknowledge the release, though an Omani Royal Air Force jet took a flight to Yemen earlier Wednesday and took off again about an hour after the Houthi announcement.

The Houthis also said Hamas separately requested the release of the ship’s crew of 25, who included mariners from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico.

Rebel advance in Congo: The M23 rebel group’s advance toward eastern Congo’s largest city has displaced over 178,000 people in the past two weeks, the United Nations said, as the fighters closed in on Goma on the border with Rwanda.

The M23 has been making significant advances, though it was unclear whether the rebels will try to capture Goma, which they seized in 2012 and controlled for over a week. Congolese authorities said Tuesday its fighters seized the town of Minova, on a key supply route for Goma, a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo in a decadeslong conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced.

Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23, composed of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army over a decade ago. Rwanda’s government denies the claim.