Virginia nonprofit ceases refugee resettlement program in wake of federal cuts
The organization has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on things such as direct support and rental assistance for refugees that will not be reimbursed by the federal government, and must now rely more heavily on donations to assist families who have already relocated to Virginia.
'The last month has been pretty nightmarish,' said Kristen Larcher, the nonprofit's director of the Refugee and Immigration program. 'We have received several executive orders, notices of suspension or termination of contracts that have pretty much changed our entire operation.'
The organization has resettled about 1,500 individuals in the Newport News area since 2018.
When refugees flee violence, persecution or war in their home countries to seek safety in the United States, the process can take years. They often wind up in a second country of asylum while they await a lengthy vetting process. The people Catholic Charities helps have been granted visas to travel to the U.S. and promised assistance to find housing and employment.
Until about a month ago, the refugee resettlement program at Catholic Charities worked like this: Before refugees arrived in Virginia, the organization would procure housing and supplies, making sure the fridge was stocked.
Then, staff would pick up refugees from the airport and begin an intensive acclimation process, which lasts 90 days. That meant meetings with a case manager. Health screenings. Pre-employment training and job interviews. Financial literacy training. English and cultural orientation classes. In the background, staff was coordinating transportation, helping people look for jobs and booking interpreters.
'I can imagine it's a whirlwind for a new refugee,' said Larcher. 'All these things we're trying to do to educate and just prepare them for life here.'
That intensive case management, called the reception and placement program, has been totally suspended as a result of federal policy changes.
The first came in January, when President Donald Trump issued an executive order suspending the United States Refugee Admissions Program. That effectively barred new refugees from entering the country, except at the discretion of the Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security, who could agree to admit new people on a case-by-case basis. While the suspension is supposed to be reviewed every 90 days to determine whether it should resume, the practical effects meant Catholic Charities was no longer able to take in new refugees, ending the cyclical nature of the program.
Virginia Politics | VMI's first Black superintendent says ouster is based on politics
Virginia Politics | Republicans fight to restore party-run primaries, challenge new state law
Virginia Politics | Help could be on the way for Chincoteague water wells contaminated by PFAS
Virginia Politics | Norfolk's Commonwealth's Attorney condemns bill that would prevent federal funding for sanctuary cities
Virginia Politics | Rep. Jen Kiggans asks Department of Defense to limit veteran workforce cuts in new letter
Then the nonprofit, which is contracted through the U.S. Department of State and Office of Refugee Resettlement, received notice that federal funding for programs for new refugees was paused. That means no federal money was coming in to reimburse ongoing services with the resettled families already living in the state. As of Friday, the organization said it will not receive roughly $750,000 in reimbursement on expenses for direct client support, rental assistance and staffing costs.
'We're paying out a lot,' Larcher said. 'We're helping refugees with rent. We are buying them food and clothing, and we're not able to get that funding reimbursed.'
Catholic news outlets reported the State Department canceled its contract on Feb. 27 with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the national agency for Commonwealth Catholic Charities. That has meant the elimination of the reception and placement program.
Vice President JD Vance has been critical of the Catholic Church's involvement with immigration advocacy and refugee resettlement efforts, suggesting that bishops cared more about their bottom line than humanitarian efforts. Trump has said the refugee resettlement pause is necessary to ensure refugees are 'appropriately' assimilated and that taxpayer money is not wasted.
Since October, Commonwealth Catholic Charities has taken on 96 cases, a total of 378 people coming from countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, Syria and Ukraine. The nonprofit is still assisting 60 families while they look for work.
The federal announcements have meant a lot of scrambling, Larcher said, including emergency fundraising efforts to make sure existing refugees in the program are getting basics met, such as rent and utilities.
So far, the organization has raised $280,000 to pay for rent for all new arrivals through March. They hope to raise an additional $120,000 to cover rent through April and May. About $41,000 of the anticipated funding gap affects refugees in Hampton Roads.
After the initial 90 days, Catholic Charities provides other less intensive support for refugees for up to five years, after which they can apply for citizenship. That aid includes support services such as ESL classes, food pantries and immigration assistance. Under new federal policy, the 90-day case management program is terminated; the other support services are ongoing.
'Despite that funding and that program suspension and termination, we can't not continue to take care of refugees that have just come that were assigned to us,' Larcher said. 'These are individuals who are going to be part of our community, and we recognize in solidarity with them that we're all part of one human family.'
No one the organization currently works with will go homeless or hungry, Larcher said, but it's clear the nonprofit can't continue operate as is. In addition to laying off 26 staff members, a move that the organization said was necessary to continue to pay for direct assistance for new arrivals, refugees using the nonprofit's services are on a much more condensed timeline to become fully independent. The layoffs accounted for about 15% of the organization's total workforce, and more than half of the refugee resettlement team.
Though a Supreme Court decision last week upheld a requirement to have Trump resume payments for aid work already done, the administration signaled to faith-based charity groups that receive millions of dollars from the government every year that that time is over.
Kate Seltzer, 757-713-7881, kate.seltzer@virginiamedia.com
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Chicago Tribune
a minute ago
- Chicago Tribune
Education Department says it will release billions in remaining withheld grant money for schools
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is releasing billions of dollars in grants to schools for adult literacy, English language instruction and other programs, the Education Department said Friday. President Donald Trump's administration had withheld more than $6 billion in funding on July 1, as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House's priorities. The funding freeze had been challenged by several lawsuits as educators, Congress members from both parties and others called for the administration to release money schools rely on for a wide range of programs. Congress had appropriated the money in a bill signed this year by Trump. Last week, the Education Department said it would release $1.3 billion of the money for after-school and summer programming. Without the money, school districts and nonprofits such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America had said they would have to close or scale back educational offerings this fall. The release of that money came days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the administration to allow frozen education money to be sent to states. Those senators had also called for the rest of the money to be distributed, including funds for adult education and teaching English as a second language. The Education Department said Friday the Office of Management and Budget had completed its review of the programs and will begin sending the money to states next week. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, was among the Congress members calling for the release of the grants. 'The programs are ones that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support,' she said. She pointed to after-school and summer programs that allow parents to work while their children learn and classes that help adults gain new skills — contributing to local economies. In withholding the funds, the Office of Management and Budget had said some of the programs supported a 'radical leftwing agenda.' 'We share your concern,' the GOP senators had written. 'However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.' School superintendents had warned they would have to eliminate academic services without the money. On Friday, AASA, an association of superintendents, thanked members of Congress for pressing to release the money. In Harford County, Maryland, some of the withheld federal money made up more than half the budget for the district's annual summer camp for kids learning English. The money helps the district hire certified teachers to staff the camp, incorporating learning into children's play for four weeks during the summer. The program helps kids keep their English and academic momentum over the summer. The district serves roughly 1,100 students who are non-native English speakers. Many of them are born in the U.S. to parents who came to the area seeking job opportunities, often in the restaurants and warehouses that have popped up in the past decades in the region northeast of Baltimore. During the school year, the soon-to-be-released federal money pays for tutors for kids learning English. On Thursday, more than 350 children filled the second floor of Bel Air High School for the second-to-last day of summer camp. Young learners crowded around an alphabet wheel, jostling with each other to push each letter button as they thought of foods starting with letters from A to Z. Middle school students watched a robotics team demonstration, and a few sheepishly raised their hands when asked if they would be interested in joining. High school student volunteers, some of whom had been campers learning English themselves not many years ago, helped the youngest children with art projects.


The Hill
a minute ago
- The Hill
Education Department releases $5 billion to schools after monthlong hold
The Department of Education announced Friday the release of more than $5 billion of funding to schools after an almost monthlong pause. At the beginning of July, the Trump administration paused the typical release of almost $7 billion in funding to schools that went toward after-school and summer activities, classes for English learners and adults and teacher preparation programs, among other things. Last week, the administration released more than $1 billion for after-school and summer programs but declined to say when the rest would be released. 'OMB has completed its review of Title I-C, Title II-A, Title III-A, and Title IV-A ESEA funds and Title II WIOA funds, and has directed the Department to release all formula funds. The agency will begin dispersing funds to states next week,' said Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications for the Education Department. Republicans were quick to celebrate the release many had fought for. Both of West Virginia's Republican senators, Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice, quickly reacted to news. 'This supports critical programs so many West Virginians rely on and I made that clear to OMB Director Vought,' Capito said on X, referring to Russ Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. 'The release of these funds will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the kids of West Virginia,' Justice, a former governor, said on X. Capito had led an effort among Senate Republicans earlier this month to push for the funding release. 'Exciting news to announce! All frozen education funding for the upcoming school year have been released, following my letter to the OMB! It helps centers like @KidsCanOmaha and our schools!' Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) posted. The White House argued the funds were paused because some money was going to a 'radical leftwing agenda.' An administration official told The Washington Post 'guardrails' have been put on the money to align with the administration's agenda, similar language described in the release of the first $1 billion. It is unclear what these guardrails are or how they will affect the funding. The move received bipartisan pushback, with a letter from 10 Republican senators and a lawsuit from Democratic-led states demanding the funds be released. The pause in funds led to delays and closures in some programs and layoffs at schools in Alaska. 'We are pleased public schools will receive the funding as appropriated by Congress for the 2025-26 school year. On the heels of our survey released Tuesday, detailing how disruptive withholding these funds would be for our nation's students, we thank our members and allies on the Hill. We appreciate their tireless advocacy, communication and outreach to the Administration about the importance of releasing these critical funds,' said David Schuler, executive director of The School Superintendents Association.


Axios
a minute ago
- Axios
Illinois governor escalates redistricting showdown with Trump and Texas
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker hosted Texas state legislators on Friday, offering up a strong signal that state Democrats are ready to fight Republican redistricting efforts in the U.S. House. The big picture: President Trump has said he wants Texas Republicans to redistrict their congressional maps to squeeze at least five more GOP seats in the midterm. That announcement was countered by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who threatened to do the same in his state for Democrats. The latest: Now, Pritzker has entered the fray. How it works: States redraw the maps based on new population counts from the census at the beginning of each decade. Democrats have controlled Illinois congressional district maps for decades, and Republicans have long argued that the maps amount to political gerrymandering. The 2021 map snatched two seats from Republicans, giving Democrats control of 14 of Illinois' 17 districts. Zoom out: Pritzker said he wants Texas Republicans to be "fair" in the redistricting process, infuriating local Republicans who have cried foul against Pritzker and Illinois Democrats for redistricting maps to favor their party. "These state Democrats have the morals of a tomcat," Illinois Freedom Caucus Chair Chris Miller tells Axios. "They will lie to the public, just like the last map that they drew. They said it was the fairest map that's ever been drawn in Illinois. It's laughable." Between the lines: If Pritzker chooses to counter Trump and Texas Republicans, there is nothing in the state constitution that would stop him from doing it. Even though the U.S. Constitution calls for the census to inform congressional districts once every 10 years, that doesn't stop states from mid-decade adjustments. In California, voters would have to approve any redistricted maps. That's not the case in Illinois, although any unprecedented move would probably end up in court. Reality check: Pritzker can't increase how many seats the state has in the House, and it would be difficult to redraw districts in a way to make more seats safe for Democrats. Also, it's only three districts, not enough to counter Texas and Trump's plans alone. Yes, but: With supermajorities in both chambers, it wouldn't take long for Illinois to act, even as early as this year, before the 2026 midterm elections. The intrigue: higher offices or retire, which could make it easier for the legislature to squeeze more seats.