Virginia nonprofit ceases refugee resettlement program in wake of federal cuts
Commonwealth Catholic Charities, a faith-based nonprofit that works with immigrant and refugee populations in Hampton Roads, Richmond and Roanoke, laid off 26 people and ceased a refugee resettlement program in the wake of sweeping federal cuts and executive orders.
The organization has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on things such as direct support and rental assistance for refugees that will not be reimbursed by the federal government, and must now rely more heavily on donations to assist families who have already relocated to Virginia.
'The last month has been pretty nightmarish,' said Kristen Larcher, the nonprofit's director of the Refugee and Immigration program. 'We have received several executive orders, notices of suspension or termination of contracts that have pretty much changed our entire operation.'
The organization has resettled about 1,500 individuals in the Newport News area since 2018.
When refugees flee violence, persecution or war in their home countries to seek safety in the United States, the process can take years. They often wind up in a second country of asylum while they await a lengthy vetting process. The people Catholic Charities helps have been granted visas to travel to the U.S. and promised assistance to find housing and employment.
Until about a month ago, the refugee resettlement program at Catholic Charities worked like this: Before refugees arrived in Virginia, the organization would procure housing and supplies, making sure the fridge was stocked.
Then, staff would pick up refugees from the airport and begin an intensive acclimation process, which lasts 90 days. That meant meetings with a case manager. Health screenings. Pre-employment training and job interviews. Financial literacy training. English and cultural orientation classes. In the background, staff was coordinating transportation, helping people look for jobs and booking interpreters.
'I can imagine it's a whirlwind for a new refugee,' said Larcher. 'All these things we're trying to do to educate and just prepare them for life here.'
That intensive case management, called the reception and placement program, has been totally suspended as a result of federal policy changes.
The first came in January, when President Donald Trump issued an executive order suspending the United States Refugee Admissions Program. That effectively barred new refugees from entering the country, except at the discretion of the Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security, who could agree to admit new people on a case-by-case basis. While the suspension is supposed to be reviewed every 90 days to determine whether it should resume, the practical effects meant Catholic Charities was no longer able to take in new refugees, ending the cyclical nature of the program.
Virginia Politics | VMI's first Black superintendent says ouster is based on politics
Virginia Politics | Republicans fight to restore party-run primaries, challenge new state law
Virginia Politics | Help could be on the way for Chincoteague water wells contaminated by PFAS
Virginia Politics | Norfolk's Commonwealth's Attorney condemns bill that would prevent federal funding for sanctuary cities
Virginia Politics | Rep. Jen Kiggans asks Department of Defense to limit veteran workforce cuts in new letter
Then the nonprofit, which is contracted through the U.S. Department of State and Office of Refugee Resettlement, received notice that federal funding for programs for new refugees was paused. That means no federal money was coming in to reimburse ongoing services with the resettled families already living in the state. As of Friday, the organization said it will not receive roughly $750,000 in reimbursement on expenses for direct client support, rental assistance and staffing costs.
'We're paying out a lot,' Larcher said. 'We're helping refugees with rent. We are buying them food and clothing, and we're not able to get that funding reimbursed.'
Catholic news outlets reported the State Department canceled its contract on Feb. 27 with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the national agency for Commonwealth Catholic Charities. That has meant the elimination of the reception and placement program.
Vice President JD Vance has been critical of the Catholic Church's involvement with immigration advocacy and refugee resettlement efforts, suggesting that bishops cared more about their bottom line than humanitarian efforts. Trump has said the refugee resettlement pause is necessary to ensure refugees are 'appropriately' assimilated and that taxpayer money is not wasted.
Since October, Commonwealth Catholic Charities has taken on 96 cases, a total of 378 people coming from countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, Syria and Ukraine. The nonprofit is still assisting 60 families while they look for work.
The federal announcements have meant a lot of scrambling, Larcher said, including emergency fundraising efforts to make sure existing refugees in the program are getting basics met, such as rent and utilities.
So far, the organization has raised $280,000 to pay for rent for all new arrivals through March. They hope to raise an additional $120,000 to cover rent through April and May. About $41,000 of the anticipated funding gap affects refugees in Hampton Roads.
After the initial 90 days, Catholic Charities provides other less intensive support for refugees for up to five years, after which they can apply for citizenship. That aid includes support services such as ESL classes, food pantries and immigration assistance. Under new federal policy, the 90-day case management program is terminated; the other support services are ongoing.
'Despite that funding and that program suspension and termination, we can't not continue to take care of refugees that have just come that were assigned to us,' Larcher said. 'These are individuals who are going to be part of our community, and we recognize in solidarity with them that we're all part of one human family.'
No one the organization currently works with will go homeless or hungry, Larcher said, but it's clear the nonprofit can't continue operate as is. In addition to laying off 26 staff members, a move that the organization said was necessary to continue to pay for direct assistance for new arrivals, refugees using the nonprofit's services are on a much more condensed timeline to become fully independent. The layoffs accounted for about 15% of the organization's total workforce, and more than half of the refugee resettlement team.
Though a Supreme Court decision last week upheld a requirement to have Trump resume payments for aid work already done, the administration signaled to faith-based charity groups that receive millions of dollars from the government every year that that time is over.
Kate Seltzer, 757-713-7881, kate.seltzer@virginiamedia.com
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


San Francisco Chronicle
39 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Associated Press seeks full appeals court hearing on access to Trump administration events
The Associated Press on Tuesday asked for a hearing before the full U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, seeking to overturn a three-judge panel's ruling that allowed the Trump administration to continue blocking AP access to some presidential events — a four-month case that has raised questions about what level of journalistic access to the presidency the First Amendment permits. Three judges of that court on Friday, in a 2-1 decision, said it was OK for Trump to continue keeping AP journalists out of Oval Office or other small events out in retaliation over the news outlet's decision not to follow his lead in changing the Gulf of Mexico's name. He had sought a pause of a lower court's ruling in AP's favor in April that the administration was improperly punishing the news organization for the content of its speech. 'The decision of the appellate panel to pause the district court's order allows the White House to discriminate and retaliate over words it does not like, a violation of the First Amendment,' AP spokesman Patrick Maks said. 'We are seeking a rehearing of this decision by the full appellate court because an essential American principle is at stake.' A hearing before the full court would change the landscape — and possibly the outcome as well. The two judges who ruled in Trump's favor on Friday had been appointed to the bench by him. The full court consists of nine members appointed by Democratic presidents, and six by Republicans. The news outlet's access to events in the Oval Office and Air Force One was cut back starting in February after the AP said it would continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico in its copy, while noting Trump's wishes that it instead be renamed the Gulf of America. For decades, a reporter and photographer for the AP — a 179-year-old wire service whose material is sent to thousands of news outlets across the world and carried on its own website, reaching billions of people — had been part of a small-group 'pool' that covers a president in places where space is limited. ___ David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at and
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UK to legislate for UN High Seas Treaty by end of year
The UK will introduce legislation by the end of the year to ratify the UN High Seas Treaty, the Government has announced. Marine Minister Emma Hardy said on Tuesday that the Government will introduce a bill to enable ratification of the pact to establish protected areas in international waters. The ocean treaty, which was agreed by 193 countries two years ago, will not come into force until ratification by 60 countries, but just over half of that number have done so. The UK Government is among those that have been previously criticised by environmentalists for not yet ratifying the treaty or announcing a timetable to introduce the legislation required. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the treaty will provide the 'first legal mechanism for the creation of protected areas in international waters', helping to conserve marine life in parts of the ocean outside national jurisdiction – which is approximately two-thirds of the world's ocean. Ms Hardy said: 'Our oceans are dying. Without urgent action, they will be irreversibly destroyed. 'That is why the UK will introduce legislation by the end of the year to ratify the High Seas Treaty, a landmark in protecting marine life around the globe.' The announcement comes as the third UN Ocean Conference began in France on Monday. Governments, business leaders, scientists and campaigners are attending the environmental summit in Nice where the spotlight will be on the commitments individual governments make to reduce the impact on their territorial waters, such as banning the practice of bottom trawling in marine protected areas (MPAs). Bottom trawling and other forms of destructive fishing are permitted in UK waters but conservationists have long been campaigning for a full ban across all marine protected areas. Defra said the Government has proposed to ban bottom trawling in more MPAs in English waters. The department said MPAs will 'help conserve rare, valuable and important marine life of the high seas, enhancing their resilience to stressors such as unsustainable fishing and industrial activities, helping them to recover faster'. There are 181 MPAs, including three highly protected marine areas (HPMAs), covering 93,000 square kilometres or 40% of English waters. The UK also joined more than 90 countries at the conference in reiterating its commitment to agreeing a Plastic Pollution Treaty when negotiations resume in Geneva in August.


Politico
44 minutes ago
- Politico
House GOP finalizes tweaks to keep megabill on track in Senate
House Republicans have finalized changes to the party-line tax and spending package the House passed last month, to keep the bill in compliance with Senate rules. An early copy of the amendment House Republicans plan to adopt this week, first obtained by POLITICO, would make changes to biofuel policy and other provisions. By nixing items the Senate parliamentarian has flagged, the bill will retain its 'privilege' and can pass the Senate without having to overcome the filibuster. House GOP leaders plan to approve the tweaks in the Rules Committee later Tuesday and adopt them on the floor on Wednesday, according to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.