In 2017, the Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area resettled 1,591 refugees. Two years later, in 2019, the organization resettled fewer than 500 refugees. 

 

What caused the nearly 30% decrease? 

 

Dana Lea, director of community outreach for the organization, says it is a result of the Trump Administration’s policies over the last two years that have dramatically decreased the number of refugees allowed to resettle in the United States.

 

“With resettlement being tightened by the numbers of refugees allowed and with executive orders restricting which countries refugees come from, our numbers have taken a heavy hit with arrivals,” Lea said. “We have lost capacity at the local level. Now, we are overburdening the small staff we have.”

 

Lutheran Social Services is not alone. Over the last two years, countless refugee resettlement agencies across the country shuttered their doors or dramatically decreased their services as a result of yearly reductions in the refugee admission ceilings. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Graphic created on Infogram

Data source: Pew Research 

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Just south of Washington, the Church World Service resettlement office in Richmond, Virginia closed at the end of September due to a lack of funding. The office, which served refugees for over 50 years, joined 100 other resettlement programs nationwide that suspended services as of April.

 

In 2016, 85,000 refugees were admitted to resettle in the United States. By 2019, the administration decreased that number to 30,000. 

 

Now, after briefly floating the idea of eliminating resettlement altogether, the administration cut the ceiling to a historic low of 18,000 for the 2020 fiscal year.

 

These organizations receive a lump sum of funding for every person they resettle. Decreases in the refugee ceiling have forced them to cut staff and slash resources as they receive less and less funding from the federal government. 

 

A proposal announced in September could further diminish resettlement by requiring state and local governments to provide consent before agencies are allowed to accept refugees into an area. 

 

“Close cooperation with State and local governments ensures that refugees are resettled in communities that are eager and equipped to support their successful integration into American society and the labor force,” the administration’s statement says. 

 

A recent lawsuit filed by a coalition of refugee resettlement agencies in November, including the national Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, seeks to block the policy by arguing that it threatens to prevent refugees from being reunited with their families in communities across the country. 

 

Local organizations are still working with county and state agencies to obtain consent letters before they resettle refugees. 

 

“We are in an area that is pretty supportive,” said Lea. “We haven't been worried about getting support from local and state leaders.”

 

Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia publicly declared his intentions to continue to welcome refugees in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.  “Virginia’s lights are on and our doors are open, and we welcome new Virginians to make their homes here,” he wrote. 

 

Other states, including Kansas, Utah, Pennsylvania, Washington, North Dakota and New Hampshire also recently released statements in support of refugee resettlement. 

 

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Locally, organizations are experimenting with new ways to serve the refugee community with fewer resources. 

 

NOVA Friends of Refugees, a nonprofit organization based in Arlington, Virgina, sprung up in 2017 to help fill the gap in refugee services that could no longer be filled by short-staffed resettlement agencies.

 

“There is a war going on against the U.S. refugee population,” Kenneth Speicher, the organization’s founder, said about the recent proposals. “And the government, as far as I'm concerned, wants to zero out the population. They're doing it in small pieces.” 

 

Speicher’s entirely volunteer based organization connects 1000 local residents with news about volunteer opportunities, local events and information on advocacy  through an email newsletter. 

 

“It's become this big referral service for refugees in the area,” Speicher said. Volunteers help refugees find everything from local dentists to furniture for apartments and, sometimes, even jobs. 

 

“The big thing is, for all the bad news, there are a lot of people in our area that want to help. We give them a way to do that,” Speicher added. 

 

Though the District’s resettlement numbers have diminished overall, resettlement for certain populations remains steady. More than 97% of those resettled by Lutheran Social Services hold Special Immigrant Visas, according to Lea. These are Iraqi and Afghanistan refugees who worked for the U.S. military in their own country and whose lives are in danger as a result. 

 

“Since the 18,000 determination, we have surprising still been receiving clients,” Lea said. “But, all of them have been Afghans. Last year, we only received seven people from Africa and one person from El Salvador.”

 

The District is home to a large number of SIV holders because of the number of military bases and government agencies housed here, she added. Unlike the refugee resettlement ceiling, which is determined by the president, the SIV program receives its authorization from Congress, which may be why its numbers have remained steady. 

 

Those working closely with resettlement agencies says the changing landscape of refugee resettlement could yield benefits for already settled refugees who arrived more than a year ago. 

 

Nell Green owns and operates Thread’s by Nomad, an online clothing business that “introduces American women to the beauty, craft and artistry of people from around the world.” The business, which started in 2016, hires refugee artisans living in the U.S. to create high-end designs. The goal, Green says, is to help refugees find fulfilling careers. 

 

“What most people don't realize is that people come here and in their displacement, they're shoved into minimum wage jobs that they can't get ahead in,” she said. “But this way they have careers not just jobs.”

 

Green partners with refugee organizations all over the country, including in the District. She says the reductions in the refugee ceiling means organizations can take more time to invest in already settled refugees. 

 

“While we very much admonition the drastic reduction in the number of refugees who are allowed to come to the U.S., it has meant that the refugee agencies that we partner with, who were swamped now have more time to invest in the people who are coming to them,” Green said.

 

Local agencies are doing just that. 

 

With less newly arrived clients, organizations are extending more services to those who arrived in the U.S. between one and five years ago. For Lutheran Social Services,’ this has meant an increased focus on job development services. 

 

The organization's new programs utilize the growing volunteer network to teach classes that train refugees for more dynamic careers. Among the most popular is a sewing class for refugee women. 

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Selma Siddig founded FenZoul Gallery in June 2017. The gallery sells ethnic inspired art from Sudan and elsewhere. Siddig sold the art at a Global Holiday Market on Friday which featured refugee entrepreneurs and other organizations supporting refugees.

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“A lot of times back home, they were engineers, lawyers, doctors and business people. But, the credentials don't automatically transfer here so they end up driving Uber,” Speicher said. “There’s nothing wrong with driving Uber but, if you are an engineer, you want to do what you're trained to do.”

 

One of Green’s clients was a gynecologist in her home country. After arriving in the U.S. as a refugee, she took the first minimum wage job she could find. Now, however, with help from Threads by Nomad, she owns her own jewelry making business.

 

Her story is not unique. Immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs account for 30% of all entrepreneurs in the U.S. They are almost two times more likely to become entrepreneurs than native-born US citizens, according to a study published by the Kauffman Index. 

 

“When somebody is fulfilled, they're able to contribute to our society. That's better for all of us,” said Green. “I would welcome a lot more refugees than the U.S. is currently, for sure, but the situation is not all bad.”

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