NJ families in a 'state of desperation' as Trump suspends refugee admissions

Yahoo

26-01-2025

Fahima rushed her daughter to a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, after she suffered crippling seizures. But the day she was discharged, chaos reigned as the Taliban stormed and captured the capital city and the U.S. hastily arranged evacuation flights.
She could not find her husband, who worked in security for a U.S. contractor, or her sons at home. Nearly trampled at the airport, she and her daughter boarded a U.S. flight hoping they would reunite later on.
Three and a half years later, Fahima is still waiting. The woman, who lives in Paterson with her disabled daughter and son, has worked with lawyers and filed paperwork to bring her family, who fled to Iran, to the United States.
'I've been in a state of desperation at the thought of my husband and children stuck in Iran in poor conditions,' said Fahima, adding that they are destitute and that it's too dangerous in Afghanistan, where he could be targeted because he worked for Americans.
She fears what will happen now that President Donald Trump has halted the refugee resettlement program in one of his first executive orders in office, she said.
'I've had sleepless nights since Jan. 20 and am tired of the constant worry for my family,' said Fahima, who asked that her last name be withheld to protect her family.
Trump signed the executive order, titled Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program, on his first day in office, prompting the State Department to cancel flights even for those already cleared for admission. At 90-day intervals, the president will review reports and determine whether continuing resettlement 'is in the interests of the United States.' In the only exception to the ban, the secretary of state and the secretary of homeland security can decide jointly to admit refugees on a case-by-case basis.
Advocates worry about the future of a decades-old program that has served as a lifeline for refugees displaced by war and political persecution.'It is an evolving situation, but so far we have heard about four families getting their travel canceled,' said Courtney Madsen, regional director for Church World Service, a refugee resettlement agency.
The agency's Jersey City Office has settled 66 refugees since the fiscal year began on Oct. 1, Madsen said. It was expecting to receive 134 more people this year.
'As far as impact on families,' Madsen added, 'this is devastating because the suspension is indefinite, so we have no idea when these families will be able to come to New Jersey. In most of these cases they are reuniting with people who are already here, so we are already seeing family separation in action by this administration.'
Freshta Taeb, co-lead for the New Jersey Coalition for Afghan Refugees, said she had gotten over 60 calls in two days from nervous families.
'People are panicking and there's a lot of misinformation that is going around,' she said.
Many of the refugees expected this year are from Afghanistan, including 1,600 people whose flights were canceled by the State Department. They include children waiting to be reunited with their families and men and women at risk of retribution for cooperating with the former U.S.-backed government.
'We don't want folks to think just because flights are canceled that they will never have chance to come,' Taeb said. 'Things are being paused and reassessed. Let's remain calm and steadfast and see what happens.'
Others worry about their status in the United States as recipients of humanitarian parole, a temporary admission granted for urgent humanitarian reasons. Congress failed to pass legislation that would have made Afghan parolees eligible for permanent residency, despite support from military groups and veterans. They worry their asylum cases will go unheard.
On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a memo saying Immigration and Customs Enforcement can strip parole status from migrants who have been in the United States for less than two years. The memo came after Trump suspended parole programs created during the Biden administration for people from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, arguing they were an abuse of the law. The memo did not specify countries of origin or whether it would apply to Afghans and Ukrainians brought in under separate parole programs.
Taeb advised people to talk to an attorney.
'We are advising folks to remain calm and steadfast and make sure you fact-check everything with somebody who is knowledgeable about the executive orders,' she said.
Sofia Wahdat, program manager at Global Emergency Response and Assistance, a North Jersey-based organization that aids refugees, has also heard from families who were hoping to reunite with loves ones and are 'waiting in limbo.'
'These families have fought through so much insecurity and trauma and lot of doubt on what will happen,' Wahdat said.
The United States, which has long been a destination for refugees, formalized the process for admissions in 1980. Since then, the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program has welcomed about 3 million refugees. The president, in consultation with Congress, sets an admissions target each year.
While it once held bipartisan support, the program became politicized when Trump entered his first term and deemed it a security threat. Admissions reached a low of 11,411 in 2021 with Trump in office, according to government data.
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Over the next three years, admissions grew annually, reaching 100,034 last year from counties including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Syria and Venezuela.
Trump's executive order states that the United States 'lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees.' The order mentions the availability of resources for Americans, safety and security, and assimilation of refugees.
Those who work with refugees say it's misguided. They point out that refugees are the most thoroughly vetted group to enter the United States. They apply from overseas, and the UN screens and refers them to the resettlement program. U.S. agencies then carry out multiple background checks, interviews and medical exams before they can be admitted in a process that can take years.
They also fill critical labor shortages and support local businesses, they said. One federal study found that over a 15-year period, refugees contributed $123 billion more than they have cost in governmental expenditures.
The Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale, CEO of Interfaith-Rise, a nonprofit aiding refugees and asylees, has seen the impact firsthand. The Highland Park-based agency has placed clients in jobs with companies including Walmart, Europastry, Trenton Corrugated Products and Powerspec, which makes electronic parts.
Business owners and managers tell him that the addition of workers has helped them to grow and flourish, Kaper-Dale said. Refugees have also gone on to open their own businesses including Paterson's Iraqi-owned Al Mazaq Restaurant and Syrian-owned Nour Al-Sham and Reem Al Sham.
The refugee program also underscores longstanding American values of generosity and compassion and a commitment to human rights, say advocates.
'New Jersey has welcomed those seeking safety and a better life for centuries,' Madsen said, 'and this new refugee ban flies in the face of who we are and what we value.'
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Refugee resettlement frozen: NJ families worry about Trump order