Durham resettlement office furloughs staff after Trump’s executive order on refugees
A Trump Administration executive order targeting federal funding and immigration is forcing resettlement organizations to scale back, perhaps for good, including a Durham nonprofit that is furloughing workers.
Church World Service of Durham told supporters in an email Monday that it needs to furlough two-thirds of its staff due to funding cuts and a new order that indefinitely suspends the U.S. Refugee Admission Program, also known as USRAP.
Also on Monday, Lutheran Services Carolinas announced it would shut down its refugee resettlement efforts because President Trump and Elon Musk had suspended the federal program, The Charlotte Observer reported. The faith-based group provides senior living, child care, mental health care and immigrant services in North and South Carolina and has a resettlement office in Raleigh.
USRAP, a 40-year-old federal program that has received bipartisan support, identifies and admits refugees fleeing violence and other issues for resettlement in the United States. It works with placement organizations, like Church World Service, to help place refugees in different communities.
In Durham, the organization helps over 1,500 refugees and immigrants each year. Over the past 15 years, it has welcomed refugees from 24 countries.
“The devastating impact of this loss in federal funds cannot be overstated,” Bethany Showalter, interim director of the CWS Durham Office, wrote in the email. “Without CWS Durham’s programming, these individuals are at risk of losing their housing, health care, benefits, employment, and educational services.”
CWS Durham said the furloughs would begin at 5 p.m. Monday. The entire CWS organization is affected.
“CWS has significantly reduced its operational capacity including by placing more than half of its U.S.-based staff on furlough and limiting local service provision to the most urgent needs of clients,” a news release read.
According to its website, the Durham office has 13 people on staff. In an automatic email reply, Daniela Archibald, the group’s operations manager, said the staff would not have access to work computers or phones and could not respond to requests for comments.
The resettlement agency provides a range of social services, employment help and legal assistance to support immigrants and refugees. The legal service is provided for free to help support people obtain residency, citizenship and family reunification, according to their website.
CWS Durham is also asking for donations to sustain its services and needs $600,000 in emergency funding to retain staff for the next six months and help its most vulnerable clients.
A ripple effect
Trump’s orders are having a ripple effect beyond CWS Durham.
In Carrboro, the Refugee Support Center works closely with Church World Service to support refugees after their first 90 days in the country, helping with jobs, housing and other needs.
They learned about the staffing cuts in an email, said Flicka Bateman, the center’s director, who has been fielding questions from refugees since before the election. The center was “inundated” with green card requests last year, completing 185 applications instead of the usual 50, she said.
While they and other local groups can step up to help refugees with food, jobs and housing, there’s no way to make up for a sizable organization like CWS, Bateman said.
“They’ve just been such a great support, and I’m so, so sorry that all of this is happening. I’m so sorry for refugees,” Bateman said. “Somebody was here today whose parents arrived a week before the ban, and typically, they would get a lot of services in the beginning from CWS, and that’s not going to happen.”
What does Trump’s order say?
The executive order, which took effect Jan. 27, outlines Trump’s reasoning for the suspension in seven sections. It states that public safety and national security are “paramount considerations.”
“The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees,” the order reads. “This order suspends the USRAP until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States”
The order also said the Secretary of Homeland Security would halt all decisions on applications for refugee status for at least 90 days. The secretary, who is Kristi Noem, will report back to Trump “in consultation with the Secretary of State,” if refugees can resume entry into the US.
Additionally, the order revokes the Biden Administration’s Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs To Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration.
In a statement, Rick Santos, the president and CEO of Church World Service, called on the Trump Administration to rescind the order and “honor the American tradition of welcoming newcomers with compassion and generosity.”
“For many decades people of faith and conscience have welcomed refugees through resettlement and walked alongside them as they have become a vital part of our American communities — they are our co-workers, neighbors, community leaders, and friends,” Santos said.
In the Spotlight designates ongoing topics of high interest that are driven by The News & Observer’s focus on accountability reporting.
This story was originally published February 4, 2025 at 1:45 PM.