Three refugee families just days away from coming to Central Jersey are among those whose travel plans are now on hold - their future unclear in the wake of

Two of the three families are single mothers and their children who escaped the brutal civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale. His church is involved with Interfaith-RISE, which recently became certified to help refugees once they arrive.

While Trump's executive order temporarily bans people to enter the U.S. from seven countries with predominately Muslim populations, the administration's 120-day hold on visas affects refugees from all countries.

The Congolese women and their children had been told their travel could take place some time after Feb. 2. However, Trump's 120-day freeze goes into effect Feb. 3, Kaper-Dale said.

"I was hoping they would tell me we could have the families here by the 2nd, but I don't think they've been able to pull it off," Kaper-Dale said. His group had lined up apartments for them in Edison and Highland Park, he said.

The U.S. State' Department's travel warning for the Congo says armed groups, bandits and roving military personnel make it nearly impossible to guarantee one's safety. "These groups have been known to kill, rape, kidnap, pillage, and carry out military or paramilitary operations in which civilians may be indiscriminately targeted," the department advises.

"These are people who have been through hell," said Kaper-Dale. "And now we're going to tell them that after going through years of vetting, they can't come?

The two women and their children are living in a refugee camp in Kampala, Uganda.

The third family - father, mother and two children - is from Syria. Kaper-Dale said he was less optimistic that when the holding period expires, they will be allowed to continue their journey.

Unlike the Congolese families, the Syrian family now has two hurdles facing it: the temporary hold on refugees in general, and the tougher clamp down on travelers from seven countries, one of which is Syria.

The family that was scheduled to come to New Brunswick had been in the pipeline for years, before the three-way civil war in their home country triggered an unprecedented flood of refugees in the summer of 2015, Kaper-Dale said.

"Who knows where they'll be coming to? Maybe Canada will take them," he said.

The New Brunswick group works with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a non-profit, that contracts with the U.S. State Department to help refugees find housing, schooling, and jobs.

It welcomed two young Syrian families earlier this month - two young couples with two children each. Three of the four children were born in refugee camps in Jordan, Kaper-Dale said.

Since the uproar over the announcement of the new policy late Friday afternoon, Kaper-Dale said he hadn't talked to the newcomers himself, but said staffers have reassured them that, "Whatever you see in the news about the president and his stands, that's not going to affect your personal life."

Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook.