Organizations that work to resettle refugees were left reeling after a series of executive orders that freeze not only applications to come to the U.S., but the money that provides a cushion for refugees adjusting to their first months in the country. Those who work to settle refugees say it’s unprecedented and will be devastating to both refugees and the U.S. staffers who serve them.
They’re not even sure they’re allowed to keep up their work.
“We have been officially told you cannot help people that we told you to bring here,” said Seth Kaper-Dale, who runs a nonprofit that also helps resettle refugees and is co-pastor at the Reformed Church of Highland Park in New Jersey. “We’ve signed contracts that say we’re supposed to be providing services, and now we’re being told by this new administration, well, forget that.”
Refugee resettlement groups, like many organizations and government agencies, are grappling with broad, sweeping and sometimes conflicting orders from the new president. Refugee admission is halted. Foreign aid is frozen. Within the U.S., workers are unsure if they’ll face consequences for trying to provide aid to refugees who are already here and were told they were guaranteed some assistance in acclimating to a brand-new country.
“On a personal level, I’m so devastated because the people who are going to suffer most are vulnerable populations,” Chelsea Sobolik, director of government relations at World Relief, said. “We are honestly, quite frankly, shocked at the immediacy of this.”
Sobolik said that organizations like hers had been preparing for the refugee ban. Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 that froze the processing of all applications for refugee programs, potentially indefinitely. He had done similar things during his first term and mentioned on the campaign trail that he would do so again.
But this time, he moved faster. The executive order was supposed to stop the admission of any refugees into the U.S. on Jan. 27, but the canceled flights and travel came several days early, multiple organizations said, making it impossible to get people already approved to come to the country here in time.
“We were shocked even then that this was an indefinite ban. We were trying to find out if we could get the most vulnerable cases on two flights in that intervening week, when we thought we would have a little bit of time before the ban actually went into place,” Danilo Zak, director of policy at Church World Service, said.
Zak said they learned in the middle of last week that the ban was in effect: “All the flights that we had of refugees who were set to arrive began to be canceled.”
Days later, nonprofits who resettle refugees were sent what was essentially a cease and desist order. In a separate executive order, Trump declared a 90-day pause on any foreign development assistance, including money given to resettle refugees.
The nonprofits had assumed that the order applied to any new aid, not money that had already been contractually agreed to and delineated by Congress. They say they were wrong — and were ordered to stop all services using federal funds based on the executive order that paused foreign assistance.
It’s unclear whether the government’s sudden reversal on funding is legal. In some cases, nonprofits are under contract to care for a certain number of refugees. In other cases, grants have already been awarded, even if the money wasn’t doled out. Congress already approved the delineation of the funds.
“Congress already authorized and appropriated this money. That opens up some interesting questions about, can they rescind grants that have already been promised?” Sobolik said. “Things are moving very fast, and we’re still seeking guidance. So, I honestly don’t know.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the Department Homeland Security or the Department of State.
Some organizations are afraid of being targeted by the Trump administration if they don’t interpret the orders in the right way. Dozens of senior staff at the U.S. aid and development agency were placed on leave Monday after allegedly trying to circumvent some of Trump’s orders.
Resettlement groups also fear losing the government funds they do have. Because different government agencies handle different types of aid, there are still some funds available through the Department of Health and Human Services — at least for now.
“We can tap those funds now. Do I think those funds will be here next week? No,” Kaper-Dale said. “I think that there’s a very good chance that, in the same way we were shocked by the callousness of the State Department cease and desist notice, it could completely happen with Health and Human Services as well.”
In the meantime, he’s trying to find a way to serve the people who are already here, with virtually no money.
“We can’t use those monies, so we’re raising money like crazy. That’s basically all I’m doing,” Kaper-Dale said. “I laid off 20% of my staff today. First time in my life I’ve ever laid off anybody for financial reasons in our nonprofit.”
Other nonprofits weren’t sure yet what would happen but acknowledged that more layoffs and restrictions of service could happen.
“The sad reality is, yes, that will probably happen,” Sobolik said of possible layoffs. “But the other reality is we have committed to these refugees.”
There will also be long-term consequences to halting the process of both vetting and admitting refugees into the country, those involved in the process told NOTUS.
Vetting for refugees is stringent and must occur during certain time periods, so any delay in admitting a refugee can set back their case for years. It will take time to rebuild the networks that help refugees apply from abroad. Even if another president prioritizes resettlement, organizations in the U.S. that have to cut staff will need time to bring them back.
Those involved said they’re not even sure the orders targeting refugee resettlement are over.
“Although we expected a refugee ban, the level to which this administration seems determined to break apart the ship that provides humanitarian assistance and welcomes the most vulnerable is a whole other level of cruelty,” said Meredith Owen Edwards, senior director of policy and advocacy at Refugee Council USA.
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Casey Murray is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.