President Donald Trump this week issued an executive order suspending the federal refugee admissions program, a decades-old legal immigration pathway for people fleeing violence and persecution.
The order calls for a 90-day suspension of the program. At that point, the Department of Homeland Security will submit a report on whether to resume resettlement.
Siobhan Whalen directs the refugee program at the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, one of three resettlement agencies in Maine. She said several refugees slated to arrive next month have had their travel plans canceled, and that it’s unclear what happens next.
“There is no assuming anything. I think we’re trying to just gather information and make decisions based on the information that we have at hand,” Whalen said.
Amid the Trump administration’s broad crackdown on immigration, Whalen said federal refugee program has some of the more intensive vetting requirements.
“They complete a rigorous security clearance process,” she said. “The Department of Homeland Security is involved, the CIA, the FBI.”
Refugees must also undergo medical screening before traveling to the U.S.
While the program remains on pause, Whalen said her group will continue providing support services to refugees already in the country, as well as welcome a limited number of Special Immigrant Visa holders — people who assisted the U.S. military in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Jon Godbout, executive director of the Augusta-based Capital Area New Mainers Project, said even as the pace of new arrivals slows, refugees already settled in Maine still need help with housing, education, and employment.
“We view ourselves as there to provide that support to these New Mainers who are really hard working, and looking to make a new life here in our wonderful state,” he said.
Maine resettled close to 700 people through the federal refugee program in the fiscal year that ended last October, the highest number on record going back over a decade, and a significant rebound from the first Trump administration.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
