Refugees in Limbo as U.S. Halts a Resettlement Program.
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You're listening to State of the World from NPR, the day's most vital international stories up close where they are happening. It's Friday, April 18th. I'm Christine Arismith. The Trump administration's tariffs on Chinese imports are casting a dark shadow across economic forecasts, and buyers and sellers attending China's oldest and biggest trade fair are having to pivot. We visit in a moment.

But first, to Kenya and the Dadaab refugee camp, one of the largest of its kind in the world. Three sprawling UN-run camps shelter thousands of refugees who have fled the constant cycle of war, drought, or famine in neighboring countries. Many there cling to the hope of resettlement abroad in countries such as the U.S.,

But in his first week in office, President Trump signed an executive order abruptly halting the U.S. refugee admissions program. Now, many in Dadaab are waiting anxiously to see if the program will be resumed later this month, as Emmanuel Ngunza reports from Nairobi. What was supposed to be a temporary haven has now become a place of permanent limbo for many here in Dadaab.

Over the last three decades, thousands have built their lives in this barren, dusty sprawl of refugee camps in northern Kenya, raising families waiting for resettlement. Home to over 400,000 mostly Somali refugees, many cling to the hope of resettling in countries like the U.S. Refugees like Farah Abdegade, who lives with a disability. He has been in Dadaab for over 30 years.

Gaid had cleared all background checks, undergone medical screenings and secured a plane ticket to travel to the U.S. But then in January, the news that everyone had been dreading, President Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending the U.S. refugee admission program. My plea to President Trump is to reconsider his decision, he says. Many of us have waited decades for this opportunity. Please don't destroy our dreams.

For many here, including Gade, this is the second time they've been affected by a Trump executive order. The first back in 2017, when the travel ban against seven Muslim-majority countries, including Somalia, came into force. Since he started elected, my heart was broken. Across the Atlantic in Dallas, Texas, Gade's sister Shande's abdicate was devastated when she was told that her brother's travel plans had been cancelled.

Now she fears they may never be reunited. My blood pressure and my sugar is so high because of the stress I got from the refugees are not coming to this country anymore. The current freeze on refugee resettlement is under review. In the next few days, the Department of Homeland Security will decide whether or not the resumption of the program is in the, quote, interest of the U.S.,

But this current crisis for refugees extends far beyond the resettlement delays. In recent weeks, there have been protests in camps including the Adab and Kakuma refugee camp in northwest Kenya, with people demanding access to food, water and shelter.

Trump's freeze on foreign aid and dismantling of USAID has led to reduced food rations and scaling down of other essential services, and people here are frustrated. A huge chunk of the refugee response in Kenya is supported by the United States, upwards of 70% of all the food. Abdullahi Boruhalake from Refugees International wants that food assistance to the refugees in camps

For the Somali refugees, all the three options are getting narrower now. Somalia is not yet peaceful for them to go back to. Kenya, they do not get all the support that they would want. Thirdly, the United States shutting any door or any opportunity for them to relocate.

The situation in Dadaab is dire, with rising desperation leading to a rise in suicides and a growing feeling of hopelessness and abandonment, according to Refugees International. Let the people come and they reunite their families. And for Gay's sister in Dallas, there is a passionate plea to President Trump. Don't stop. We need each other as sisters.

For now, Dada provides shelter, but no clear vision of a future in a place where the prospect of a new life feels more distant with each passing day. For NPR News, I'm Emmanuel Legunza in Nairobi, Kenya. Now to China, to the aisles of the sprawling Canton Trade Fair, one of the largest in the world. The fair opened just after China was hit with soaring tariffs by the Trump administration, causing economists to lower projections of growth there.

NPR's John Ruich and producer Aowen Cao visited the fair in the city of Guangzhou, where the impact's being felt the most. So we have come to the oldest trade fair in China and probably the biggest trade fair in the world. This is the Canton Fair, and we're going to go inside the Consumer Electronics and Information Products section right now.

The Canton Fair in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou is legendary. It's been around for nearly 70 years, and twice a year tens of thousands of companies converge on this massive complex here to display their products, meet new buyers, and cut deals. According to the organizers, over 250,000 overseas buyers came to the fall session a few months ago. Okay, so in here we've got karaoke machines,

We've got keyboards, we've got mini blenders, we've got fans, we've got people selling everything. Monica Liang is one of them. We talked in a quieter part of the fair complex. Liang is a sales manager at a company called Guangdong Gales Electronic Appliance. They make juicers and blenders. She says everyone is in a waiting mode.

Business is on hold because her clients in the U.S. don't want products they might not be able to sell. She says one American customer that had eight containers of goods already on a ship at sea bound for the U.S. asked for them to be returned. Another customer who sourced her products for Walmart had an order in for tens of thousands of units but put it on hold. The goods are now sitting in a warehouse.

The shadow of U.S. tariffs seems to hang over everyone at the Canton Fair. Stephen Zhang is a sales manager at a company that produces small ovens. He says they've had to shut down altogether. They told suppliers not to deliver raw materials and put workers on leave because 90% of their sales come from the United States.

The government says it'll help firms sell more products at home. And some companies with U.S. exposure here are dropping prices and scrambling to find new markets.

But Monica Liang from the company that makes blenders and juicers says pivoting is not going to be easy. Juicers, she says, are not popular in China because people here prefer warm drinks. They're also seasonal since fresh fruit and cold drinks tend to be a summer thing. If the products ship now, they can be sold in time for the summer season. If they don't ship now, I may have to wait a year to ship.

That's a lot of pressure. Maybe a new customer will appear. There are plenty here at the Canton Fair, just not many Americans.

Two guys who look like they might be turned out to be Dutch. We're looking for Americans. We thought you might be Americans. No, no. Luckily not. No, no, I'm joking. And a buyer from Australia had a hunch why Americans were so hard to come by here. I think you guys, most of your sourcing managers have gone to Vietnam for the show next week. A global sourcing fair in Ho Chi Minh City, where U.S. tariffs, at least for now, are much, much lower.

John Rewich, NPR News, Guangzhou, China. That's the state of the world from NPR. Thanks for listening. This is Ira Glass. In Lily's family, there's a story everybody knows by heart. If this story had never happened... All of us wouldn't be here right now. Sammy wouldn't be here. Nana wouldn't be here. Wally wouldn't be here. Anyone that we know wouldn't be here. So what happens when Lily's mom tells her the story is not true?

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