CHARLOTTE — Catholic Charities agencies across the country – including in the Diocese of Charlotte – are scrambling to figure out how their work to resettle legal refugees in the U.S. will be affected by funding cuts ordered by President Donald Trump during his first weeks in office.
A Jan. 20 executive order suspended refugee arrivals under the U.S. Refugee Admission Program and appeared to pause funding for some types of resettlement programs while the new administration evaluates the program’s “public safety and national security” implications.
That order meant canceling flights for about 20 families that had been scheduled to arrive in Charlotte over the next few months. But it was unclear immediately whether the funding cuts also apply to services provided to refugees who have already arrived and are trying to build new lives.
Catholic Charities USA is seeking clarification from the federal government, but locally, Bishop Michael Martin and Catholic Charities say they will honor their commitment to provide essential services to the 117 legal refugees who recently arrived through their resettlement program, a partnership between the Catholic Church and the U.S. government. If the federal funds have indeed been curtailed, Catholic Charities said it will use local donations to cover the cost.
“Our commitment has not waivered,” said Gerry Carter, executive director and CEO of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. “Catholic Charities will continue to serve the refugees under our care and provide the resources they need to successfully settle into their new lives in North Carolina.”
CarterThe diocese’s resettlement program provides essential services in the first 90 days after refugees’ arrivals – and is currently serving 117 people through its Charlotte and Asheville offices. For refugees assigned by the government to be resettled in the region, caseworkers help secure employment, housing, furniture and supplies, medical screenings and English language instruction, and enroll children in school and youth programs.
Under the program, each refugee receives a total of $1,425 to cover the cost for basic needs – including rent – during their first three months.
The diocese also provides services for up to five years through a separate federally funded program potentially targeted for cuts in a Jan. 28 order that was rescinded a day later. That program currently serves more than 1,400 refugees.
The Catholic Church runs one of the nation’s largest refugee resettlement efforts, resettling approximately 18% of the refugees who arrive in the U.S. each year. In partnership with the U.S. State Department and state-run refugee offices, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and its network of Catholic Charities agencies resettle refugees fleeing war, political upheaval, or religious, economic or ethnic persecution.
The flow of refugees dwindled during President Trump’s first term, falling from an average of about 300 refugees a year to about 50 in 2020. Refugee resettlement by the Charlotte diocese climbed in recent years under the Biden Administration to more than 550 refugees in Charlotte and Asheville last fiscal year.
FLIGHTS CANCELED
JonesThe halt on refugee admissions affects about 20 families slated to arrive in Charlotte in the near future, said Laura Townsend Jones, Catholic Charities’ refugee resettlement director.
“All of those families had already been vetted, had health screenings and flights scheduled, and that all got canceled,” Jones said, explaining that refugees go through a lengthy screening process in their home countries before being considered for resettlement in the United States.
Currently, Catholic Charities has 25 caseworkers who assist refugees, including one Burmese staff member whose family members had been scheduled to come to the U.S. before the Trump Administration paused all arrivals and funding. Other families were slated to arrive this year from Ukraine, Venezuela, Colombia, Afghanistan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The families who have been stranded now wait in refugee camps or temporary housing in several nations, far from their home countries and in some cases facing isolation and discrimination.
ASSISTANCE CONTINUES
Despite any loss in funding, Catholic Charities is determined to continue helping refugee families as they acclimate to life in North Carolina, Carter said. He cites the Christian imperative to “welcome the stranger” and notes that most refugees find work within a few months of their arrival and become self-sufficient within four to six months.
“Catholic Charities will continue to work with the refugees that we already assumed an obligation to serve, even if the federal government has chosen to halt the payment that we receive to provide the service,” he said.
For more than four decades, the agency has resettled refugees hailing from 19 countries, most recently coming from conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Venezuela and Somalia. The program is a lifeline for those who often arrive without knowing anyone or speaking the language.
“We are blessed to be a part of their journey,” Carter said. “Through our programs, refugees quickly find jobs, become self-sufficient, and go on to become valuable contributors to our communities.”
— Catholic News Herald. OSV News contributed.