President Trump's halt to U.S. refugee resettlement program angers some faith leaders

Migrant housing tents at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn on Nov. 12, 2023. Credit: Jeff Bachner
President Donald Trump has halted a refugee resettlement program that has brought thousands of people fleeing war and persecution in their homelands to the United States, including to Long Island, for decades.
The suspension has left in limbo an estimated 10,000 refugees who were already extensively vetted and approved by the U.S. State Department and were ready to depart for the United States, according to government documents.
The move has provoked disbelief and anger among faith leaders and advocates who contend the refugee program is a form of legal immigration for people whose lives are in danger and is far different from migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
"The United States is a great country in large part because it has always been a beacon of hope and refuge for people who have nowhere else to go," said the Rev. Steven Paulikas, rector of All Saints' Episcopal Church in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, which took in a refugee family from Afghanistan in 2022 through the program.
"It is incredibly heartbreaking," he said of the program’s suspension. "It’s distressing. And it’s anti-American to cancel the refugee program."
His church was preparing to take in another refugee family, but that is now up in the air.
The only group that is part of the State Department’s refugee resettlement program in Nassau and Suffolk counties is Catholics Charities, which declined to comment. The agency, which is part of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, has resettled hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iraq, Vietnam, Cuba, Kosovo and other countries, Newsday has reported.
Hours after his inauguration on Monday, Trump suspended the program as part of what he calls a major crackdown on out-of-control illegal immigration. Its centerpiece is what he says will be the largest mass deportation program in U.S. history. An estimated 11 million people are in the United States illegally.
"Over the last 4 years, the United States has been inundated with record levels of migration, including through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)," Trump wrote in his executive order shutting down the program. "Cities and small towns alike, from Charleroi, Pennsylvania, and Springfield, Ohio, to Whitewater, Wisconsin, have seen significant influxes of migrants. Even major urban centers such as New York City, Chicago, and Denver have sought federal aid to manage the burden of new arrivals."
"The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees," Trump said.
But Paulikas and others said Trump was incorrectly conflating illegal immigration over the border with a legal immigration program run by the U.S. government. Vetting of the refugees typically takes up to two years, and they must wait in their home countries while their cases are processed.
Once they arrive here, they receive minimal government support initially and must become self-sufficient within about a year, Paulikas said. Typically churches like All Saints or nonprofit agencies assist the refugees in their transition, paying for clothing, food, housing, medical care, education, English language instruction and job training.
Paulikas' parish and other neighboring churches raised $40,000 to help the family from Afghanistan and had 60 volunteers involved in the effort, he said. The family was able to support itself after a year.
The refugees in general "are very eager to start a new life," said Paulikas, who is a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island and whose own father was a refugee from Lithuania. "They want to have a job, be able to pay for their own way and create a better life for themselves. That’s why they come here. They don’t come here to live off the state."
"It makes absolutely no sense why we wouldn’t be resettling refugees," he added. "Refugees add so much to American society."
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) a vocal advocate for Afghan resettlements, said it was "heartbreaking" to see Afghans who were so far along in the process be turned away at the last minute.
"A pause in a program like this has huge consequences for real people who took risks to stand with us in our war in Afghanistan over 20 years," said Coons.
Some Republicans have accused the Biden administration of lax vetting of refugees, especially from Afghanistan. One Long Island civic leader said suspending the program was a good idea because the U.S. immigration system was a mess that needed to be reexamined and revamped.
"The whole immigration system, they have to step back, start getting their ducks in a row, and make sure that whatever policies … that are put into place are proper," said Barrett Psareas, vice president of the Nassau County Civic Association.
The numbers in the national refugee program are set each year by the U.S. president. They totaled 85,000 in 2016 under President Barack Obama, then sank to 11,840 in 2020 during Trump’s last year in office. President Joe Biden rebuilt the program, which reached 100,000 refugees admitted last year, according to Department of Homeland Security figures.
The United States started officially accepting refugees after World War II when thousands of displaced Europeans arrived. Later laws assisted people fleeing Communist regimes from Hungary, Poland, Korea, China and — by the 1960s — Cubans fleeing Fidel Castro’s regime. In recent years the bulk of refugees have come from Africa, Latin American and Near East/South Asia, State Department figures show.
The Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church and other denominations consider it part of their Christian faith to assist refugees. "The Catholic Church views assisting those in need as a fundamental Christian duty that is derived directly from the life of mercy of Christ, who himself was an immigrant and a child of refugees," the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops states on its website.
In New York City, Adrienne Adams (D-Queens), the city council speaker, said: "As far as refugees in New York City are concerned, we are prepared for anything from this presidential administration that has come in. I think that we’ve heard a lot of rumors over the past couple of days. We are in a wait-and-see mode. I mean, we don’t know how broad this is going to impact our folks."
With Matthew Chayes and AP
President Donald Trump has halted a refugee resettlement program that has brought thousands of people fleeing war and persecution in their homelands to the United States, including to Long Island, for decades.
The suspension has left in limbo an estimated 10,000 refugees who were already extensively vetted and approved by the U.S. State Department and were ready to depart for the United States, according to government documents.
The move has provoked disbelief and anger among faith leaders and advocates who contend the refugee program is a form of legal immigration for people whose lives are in danger and is far different from migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
"The United States is a great country in large part because it has always been a beacon of hope and refuge for people who have nowhere else to go," said the Rev. Steven Paulikas, rector of All Saints' Episcopal Church in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, which took in a refugee family from Afghanistan in 2022 through the program.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- President Donald Trump has suspended the official U.S. refugee program, which for decades has brought thousands of people fleeing persecution and war to the United States.
- The refugees and other immigrants impose a burden on U.S. citizens and communities, Trump said.
- The refugees are vetted by the U.S. government, receive minimal financial assistance initially and must become self-sufficient within about a year.
"It is incredibly heartbreaking," he said of the program’s suspension. "It’s distressing. And it’s anti-American to cancel the refugee program."
His church was preparing to take in another refugee family, but that is now up in the air.
The only group that is part of the State Department’s refugee resettlement program in Nassau and Suffolk counties is Catholics Charities, which declined to comment. The agency, which is part of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, has resettled hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iraq, Vietnam, Cuba, Kosovo and other countries, Newsday has reported.
Hours after his inauguration on Monday, Trump suspended the program as part of what he calls a major crackdown on out-of-control illegal immigration. Its centerpiece is what he says will be the largest mass deportation program in U.S. history. An estimated 11 million people are in the United States illegally.
"Over the last 4 years, the United States has been inundated with record levels of migration, including through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)," Trump wrote in his executive order shutting down the program. "Cities and small towns alike, from Charleroi, Pennsylvania, and Springfield, Ohio, to Whitewater, Wisconsin, have seen significant influxes of migrants. Even major urban centers such as New York City, Chicago, and Denver have sought federal aid to manage the burden of new arrivals."
"The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees," Trump said.
But Paulikas and others said Trump was incorrectly conflating illegal immigration over the border with a legal immigration program run by the U.S. government. Vetting of the refugees typically takes up to two years, and they must wait in their home countries while their cases are processed.
Once they arrive here, they receive minimal government support initially and must become self-sufficient within about a year, Paulikas said. Typically churches like All Saints or nonprofit agencies assist the refugees in their transition, paying for clothing, food, housing, medical care, education, English language instruction and job training.
Paulikas' parish and other neighboring churches raised $40,000 to help the family from Afghanistan and had 60 volunteers involved in the effort, he said. The family was able to support itself after a year.
The refugees in general "are very eager to start a new life," said Paulikas, who is a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island and whose own father was a refugee from Lithuania. "They want to have a job, be able to pay for their own way and create a better life for themselves. That’s why they come here. They don’t come here to live off the state."
"It makes absolutely no sense why we wouldn’t be resettling refugees," he added. "Refugees add so much to American society."
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) a vocal advocate for Afghan resettlements, said it was "heartbreaking" to see Afghans who were so far along in the process be turned away at the last minute.
"A pause in a program like this has huge consequences for real people who took risks to stand with us in our war in Afghanistan over 20 years," said Coons.
Some Republicans have accused the Biden administration of lax vetting of refugees, especially from Afghanistan. One Long Island civic leader said suspending the program was a good idea because the U.S. immigration system was a mess that needed to be reexamined and revamped.
"The whole immigration system, they have to step back, start getting their ducks in a row, and make sure that whatever policies … that are put into place are proper," said Barrett Psareas, vice president of the Nassau County Civic Association.
The numbers in the national refugee program are set each year by the U.S. president. They totaled 85,000 in 2016 under President Barack Obama, then sank to 11,840 in 2020 during Trump’s last year in office. President Joe Biden rebuilt the program, which reached 100,000 refugees admitted last year, according to Department of Homeland Security figures.
The United States started officially accepting refugees after World War II when thousands of displaced Europeans arrived. Later laws assisted people fleeing Communist regimes from Hungary, Poland, Korea, China and — by the 1960s — Cubans fleeing Fidel Castro’s regime. In recent years the bulk of refugees have come from Africa, Latin American and Near East/South Asia, State Department figures show.
The Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church and other denominations consider it part of their Christian faith to assist refugees. "The Catholic Church views assisting those in need as a fundamental Christian duty that is derived directly from the life of mercy of Christ, who himself was an immigrant and a child of refugees," the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops states on its website.
In New York City, Adrienne Adams (D-Queens), the city council speaker, said: "As far as refugees in New York City are concerned, we are prepared for anything from this presidential administration that has come in. I think that we’ve heard a lot of rumors over the past couple of days. We are in a wait-and-see mode. I mean, we don’t know how broad this is going to impact our folks."
With Matthew Chayes and AP
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