February 2025: Updates from CRIS

As the news came out that Donald Trump won the presidential campaign last November, all of us at CRIS knew that this administration would have a direct impact on our work. For those of us who were at CRIS in the first Trump administration, we recall with heartbreak the way that the refugee resettlement program was dismantled, the thousands of refugee and immigrant lives that were impacted by travel bans, and more. 

We are now just two weeks into the second Trump administration and we have already felt that same heartbreak and grief in new ways. As a part of our community, we want to share with you the most up-to-date information we can. There is much we still do not know, but we want to be abundantly clear about what we do know: we are committed to continuing our work and mission and we are incredibly grateful for all of you in the CRIS community that continue to support us. 

The following is a snapshot of changes currently affecting CRIS’ work and mission (this is not an exhaustive list).

What We Know

• January 20, 2025: On Day 1 of his second term, President Trump signed an executive order indefinitely suspending the United States Refugee Admissions Program.

• January 21, 2025: On Day 2 of his second term, we began receiving notices that flights for already-vetted refugees scheduled to arrive in the U.S. were canceled. All scheduled flights in February were eventually canceled. 

• January 24, 2025: The U.S. State Department issued a stop-work order for all foreign assistance programs which was interpreted to include the work done domestically through the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) directly impacting our resettlement program. 

• Litigation is ongoing and several courts have temporarily halted the government’s attempted freeze of federal grants which would impact numerous other CRIS programs.

What This Means

• There are 240+ CRIS resettlement clients still within their first 90 days in the United States. Amid the chaos and uncertainty of the program suspensions and funding halts, resettlement offices across the country–including us–are being forced to reduce operations, jeopardizing the quality of, duration of, and access to key integration services. 

• We believe it is our moral responsibility and ethical obligation to continue serving these individuals to the best of our ability. 

• While drastic changes are taking place within our resettlement program, as of now no other CRIS programs have been directly impacted by the administration and policy changes that have taken place. CRIS will continue to serve refugees and immigrants through these programs.

What Our Community is Doing

Even on these dark days, we are continuously encouraged by the support of our incredible community. Hundreds of people have reached out to us with demonstrations of solidarity:

• Over 150 people have signed up to take our next Good Neighbor Training on Sunday, February 9th

• So far 50 individuals have created fundraising pages to help us kickstart the CRIS Enduring Welcome fund

• Nearly 500 individuals have made donations to the CRIS Enduring Welcome fund

• Hundreds have shared CRIS’ recent social media posts to raise awareness

• Many have taken action by telling members of Congress and the White House that they oppose the indefinite refugee ban and executive actions targeting newcomers

To all of those who continue to stand with us and those we serve: THANK YOU! Your support truly makes a profound difference in the lives of many.