Life in limbo for refugees as Trump closes US borders

UN says nearly 38 million refugees worldwide; Afghan, Iraqi nationals who worked with US also hit

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Eleven suitcases, stuffed with puffer jackets and winter boots, stood ready outside Somali refugee Hassan's corrugated iron home in Kenya's sweltering Dadaab camp.

His dream of a new life in Seattle was finally within reach.

The 24-year-old and his family of 10 were due to fly to the United States on February 10, ending a wait of more than 15 years and filling Hassan with hope for a fresh start on the US Pacific coast.

That was until US President Donald Trump suspended refugee admissions as one of his first acts in office on January 20.

"When I found out our flight was cancelled, it was very bad news for us," Hassan told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Dadaab in eastern Kenya's Garissa county.

"My father sold everything, even his sheep. I was born here in Dadaab and thought I was finally leaving this place, but maybe God has other plans," added Hassan, whose name has been changed to protect his identity.

From Somalia to Afghanistan, thousands of refugees who fled conflict, disaster or persecution, and were approved for resettlement in the United States, have been left stranded after Trump halted the country's refugee programme. The suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Programme (USRAP) was to ensure public safety and national security, Trump said in an executive order. It will be reviewed in three months to determine if it sufficiently benefits Americans, the order said.

This is not the first time that Trump has placed restrictions on refugees.