The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program has brought in people from other nations since Congress created it in 1980 for refugees fearing persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group and more.
Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley is contracted for refugee resettlement program services in the Dayton region.
In 2024, Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley helped 462 new arrivals take root in the Dayton area. A little more than 90% of these new arrivals, which include adults and children, call the Democratic Republic of Congo their homeland.
“The countries that are being resettled do change over time,” said Laura Roesch, the CEO of Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley. “Sixty years ago, it was Vietnam and Korea. The refugee designation has to do with being a persecuted person.”
Roesch said the full impact of the executive order is unclear, but as it stands, the order could prolong the separation of refugees from their loved ones.
The executive order put a pause on new arrivals, with hundreds of refugees attempting to enter the country having their flights canceled this week. Roesch said her organization is also anticipating future cuts to programs.
Refugee programs
The term “refugee” is an immigration designation that is given to a person who has fled from their native country and whose application for protection was approved by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. When refugees arrive in the United States, they have completed an 18-24 month screening process and are legally authorized to resettle here, according to Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley.
Roesch said that refugee resettlement programs assist refugees with their initial transition — the first 90 days of their stay — to their new home. Services included in this program are related to housing, employment and job skills training, and other community-based resources.
Roughly 166 adults were supported by employment services through Catholic Social Services in 2024, according to the organization.
“The goal with resettlement is self-sufficiency as soon as possible,” she said. “We believe that refugees are a cultural and economic asset. They are a part of our workforce, they pay taxes, they open up community centers, they join civic organizations.”
Cultural orientation is another major component of resettlement. Roesch said numerous organizations, including Welcome Dayton, the city’s initiative for welcoming immigrants and promoting integration, assist immigrants in connecting to their communities.
“Full integration takes many years and involves many systems working together,” Roesch said. “All of those institutional providers of care and support are involved in that long-term integration, fully supporting a family to build a brand new life,” Roesch said.
Welcome Dayton declined to comment for this story.
‘American people have spoken’
Trump’s executive order does not specifically outline what steps federal agencies and organizations that work with refugees should take, but the order gives public officials space to consider the process of who enters the country and who doesn’t, said Republican state Rep. Tom Young, of Washington Twp.
“I feel from what I heard from D.C. and the state is that we have some very dangerous people who have crossed borders to come into the country — they’re the No. 1 priority,” Young said. “We don’t truly know all the details. My hope would be that those who are the threats to our security would be the priority.”
Young said he has worked with organizations that have brought in refugees fleeing violence, and these immigrants went through the multi-year process to become U.S. citizens.
But Young said he wants American citizens to be prioritized in terms of assistance.
“The American people have spoken. There has to be a pathway to citizenship, and there is,” he said. “But to fly immigrants into a country and give them, well, unlimited benefits while we have citizens that are struggling, the answer there is no. Who comes first?”
“My hope is the Trump administration will address our broken immigration system,” Young said. “It is an antiquated bureaucracy to those who want to legitimately and legally achieve the dream of being an American citizen. It can once again become a pathway that works to create opportunity in our country versus the mess the current system has helped to create for decades.”
‘Tremendous amount of fear’
The executive order to eliminate the refugee resettlement program, among other orders issued by Trump during the first week of his presidency, is not the end of changes to federal policy surrounding immigration, said Katie Kersh, senior attorney with Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE).
Her organization provides legal services to clients who have refugee or other immigrant statuses. Kersh said her organization is fielding numerous calls related to the executive orders.
“There’s a tremendous amount of fear,” said Kersh. “We’re not only getting calls from people who are undocumented but from folks who have Green Cards or who are even naturalized U.S. citizens, asking ‘Am I safe?’”
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