Refugee resettlement agencies in North Carolina say there's risk for a humanitarian crisis since President Donald Trump's administration put a pause on the U.S. Agency for International Development, known as USAID, as well as .
President Trump's orders to halt resettlement as of Jan. 27 has indefinitely stopped organizations that resettle tens of thousands of refugees in the U.S., including many in North Carolina, "until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States," according to the order.
Raleigh and Durham are home to four of the ten national resettlement agencies that receive federal funding.
Among them is Church World Service. The organization helps resettle about 12% of refugees nationwide, including 628 refugees in the most recent fiscal year by .
Following the Trump administration's orders, the nonprofit furloughed more than half of its staff in the U.S., and reduced services to the "most urgent needs of clients," the nonprofit said in a statement.
鈥淭housands of refugee families, who came to this country via safe and legal programs, are now being targeted by a harmful disinformation campaign and policies meant to sow chaos and confusion while denying them access to support services,鈥� said Rick Santos, Church World Service president and CEO. 鈥淭he impact of these program suspensions is disastrous to the communities we serve and leaves behind thousands of people our nation has pledged to protect 鈥� including Afghan allies who fought alongside the U.S. military and refugee families who have been thoroughly vetted and endured a years-long process to be approved for travel.鈥�
An out-of-office email from Church World Service Durham indicated its staff was operating at a reduced capacity.
In a statement, the organization's president said the executive order is harmful and is preventing "life-saving humanitarian assistance."
Church World Service has offices in Durham, Burlington, Wilmington, and Greensboro.
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, another national agency, has an office in Raleigh.
"The move is a remarkable renunciation of the U.S. commitment to humanitarian protection and freedom," the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants said in a . "To remain a global humanitarian leader, the United States must address the displacement crisis and offer refuge and hope to the most vulnerable."
Lutheran Services Carolinas, which is based in Salisbury in Rowan County, also halted its resettlement program and denounced being "attacked" by Elon Musk, who is helping President Trump's efforts to slash federal aid to many U.S. programs.
Lutheran Services Carolinas runs the New Americans Program, which works with the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement and nonprofit Global Refuge to help refugees in North and South Carolina with housing, healthcare, and jobs.
In a statement, the organization said the government is preventing them from fulfilling their biblical mandate.
鈥淭he resettlement of legal refugees through LSC鈥檚 New Americans Program is consistent with our biblical foundation and American values,鈥� LSC President and CEO Ted W. Goins Jr. said in a statement. 鈥淎s Scripture reminds us in Matthew 25:35, 鈥楩or I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.鈥� Our work is rooted in this call to hospitality and care.鈥�
