CLEVELAND — When President Donald Trump took office, within hours he signed multiple executive orders implementing his immigration policies. One of those orders, which sought to end birthright citizenship, has now been temporarily blocked by a federal judge, who called it "unconstitutional."
However, other measures are still in place, including a significant halt to refugee admissions into the U.S. These actions are impacting families and organizations in Northeast Ohio.
RELATED: Refugee resettlement program halted, thousands stranded amid policy shift
Valey Arya had been eagerly preparing to welcome his brother to Cleveland in just a few weeks. His flight was originally scheduled for February 19th, but on Monday, it was unexpectedly canceled after President Donald Trump issued a halt to all refugee admissions.
“I feel very, very worried and disappointed...hopeless," said Valey. "I don’t know what’s going to happen."
Valey and his brother are from Afghanistan, where they helped the U.S. fight during the war. Valey received his green card, while his brother has been waiting for three years in Pakistan to be resettled in the U.S.
“That's really a matter of life and death for people like my brother, who is known to the Taliban, and we are known to the Taliban. I was in the media as an analyst all the time, talking in support of the presence of United States forces in Afghanistan,” Valey said.
Valey’s story is just one example of how the Trump administration's decision to suspend refugee resettlements is impacting families across the country.
The president says these resettlement programs need to be re-evaluated, a position that Ohio Representative Josh Williams has voiced his support for. He cited concerns over the strain that the influx of refugees has placed on local communities.
“The groups that are receiving funding for this resettlement program are the ones that are dictating where individuals go within the United States. Instead, it should be local government, state government working with the federal government about whether or not we have the capacity to assimilate a certain amount of refugees into the community without causing strain on local resources,” said Williams.
For more than 100 years, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) has provided a safe haven for those fleeing war and persecution. In the past few months, it has welcomed more than 250 families and individuals to Cleveland.
However, on Monday, every refugee flight was canceled after Trump’s order to halt all U.S. refugee admissions programs.
Darren Hamm, Senior Director of Field Offices for USCRI, says the process to bring a refugee to the U.S. can take an average of 10 to 12 years, and they work closely with local officials to ensure the community is capable of providing the necessary resources. But this halt means thousands of people will be left waiting.
“They'll be left to wait. And we don't know how long, I mean, we're told four months. It could be four years,” Hamm said.
The pause has also brought a lot of fear and uncertainty among the refugee immigrant community already settled here.
“I think everybody, regardless of pathway, has concerns around the unknown. You know whether or not they have certain rights to remain here, even coming through a very delineated process, like a refugee program, where you are granted those rights upon arrival to the United States for Employment Authorization and a long term pathway for citizenship and naturalization,” said Hamm.
As USCRI waits to see whether the Trump administration will renew the refugee resettlement program in the coming months, the organization is committed to continuing its support for the refugees already here.
“It's a moral duty we have, beyond just the functional duty we have internationally, to help people find safe haven. It really is an obligation we're all very committed to, and should remain committed to,” Hamm said.
They plan to keep doing it as long as its funding allows which upward of 90% comes from federal grants. But with the future of federal grants unclear, the uncertainty remains.
As for Valey, he fears what the future holds. He’s spending $1,000 a month to renew his brother’s Pakistani visa, but he hopes the government will honor the promise that was made to them.
“People who have been working with the United States have been risking everything to stand with the United States in Afghanistan, and if the promise to bring them to a safe place is broken, that damages the very idea, the very concept of greatness that President Trump is seeking,” Valey said.
