The decision leaves refugees who have completed a lengthy process stranded abroad and facing extended separation from loved ones already in the U.S.

Refugees who were slated to travel to the United States after a years-long and often cumbersome process have had their flights canceled, according to a State Department memo to resettlement partners obtained by CNN.

President Donald Trump paused the refugee resettlement 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 the Jan. 27 deadline might be able to get in under the wire.