U.S. curtails refugee admissions to focus on resettling Afghan evacuees

The U.S. government is curtailing admissions of refugees to focus on the massive effort to process and resettle tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees, the State Department said Monday.

Through January 11, the U.S. will stop admitting refugees who don't qualify for certain exceptions. Refugees who need to reunite with family in the U.S., who are travel-ready, who have "urgent cases" or whose medical and security screenings are set to expire soon will continue to be resettled, the State Department said.

The limits on refugee admissions were requested by the local nonprofit refugee resettlement agencies that partner with the government to help immigrants fleeing violence and war settle in American communities, two people familiar with the matter told CBS News.