Latest news with #HananRefugeesReliefGroup
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Immigrant advocates say Trump travel ban adds to uncertainty for Milwaukee families
Local and national immigrant advocates expressed concern and uncertainty about President Donald Trump's newly instituted ban on travel to the U.S. from 19 countries and how it could impact Milwaukee-area families waiting to reunite with relatives abroad. The ban is a new take on the so-called "Muslim travel ban" from Trump's first administration, a prominent policy that faced legal challenges and went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court. Former President Joe Biden tossed it out when he took office. Set to take effect Monday, the order bars travel from 12 countries and enacts partial restrictions on seven other countries. This time, some, but not all, have Muslim-majority populations. And there are some exceptions for certain people, such as people who are legal U.S. residents; Iranians from persecuted ethnic or religious minorities; and people with immediate American family members who have applied for visas connected to their relatives. Milwaukee is a hub for immigrants, refugees and students from a number of the countries included in the ban, including Myanmar, Laos, Afghanistan and Iran. The order will likely delay reunions between local residents and relatives abroad who were trying to join their families in the U.S., said Sheila Badwan, executive director of the Hanan Refugees Relief Group, a refugee resettlement agency. Badwan thought of single Afghan mothers in Milwaukee who have been waiting for their husbands to join them, and former Afghan soldiers who have been separated from their wives and children since the Taliban took over. While the order has an exception for Afghans who worked with U.S. forces and are Special Immigrant Visa holders, many others trying to join family do not have those SIVs in hand. The federal refugee resettlement program has been halted since Jan. 20, Trump's first day in office. An executive order said the stoppage was supposed to be reviewed within 90 days, but no review has been produced, the program has not restarted, and tens of thousands of people approved to resettle before the executive order have not arrived. The new travel ban means people can expect even more delays, Badwan said. "Emotions are high right now," Badwan said. "It's definitely devastating." In a proclamation signed June 4, Trump cited "national security risks" posed by citizens of the targeted nations as a reason for the new ban. "Nationals of some countries also pose significant risks of overstaying their visas in the United States, which increases burdens on immigration and law enforcement components of the United States, and often exacerbates other risks related to national security and public safety," Trump wrote in a proclamation. Mark Hetfield, president of national refugee resettlement group HIAS, originally the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, said the Trump administration's method of choosing the countries based on their rate of how many people overstay temporary visas "makes absolutely no sense" and likely will be challenged in court. "The rationale is irrational," he said. "They're having blanket bans on immigrant visas based on nonimmigrant overstays." One country with a total ban is Myanmar, or Burma. Milwaukee is believed to be home to one of the largest populations of Burmese refugees in the U.S., including several persecuted ethnic minorities, including the Rohingya, who are Muslim, as well as the Chin, Karen and Karenni, who may practice Christianity, Buddhism or folk religions. Wisconsin also has the third-largest Hmong population in the country. Many of the first Hmong refugees to the state fled Laos after helping the American military during the Vietnam War. Lo Neng Kiatoukaysy, executive director at the Hmong American Friendship Association, said the travel ban would make it more difficult to visit family and limit opportunities for cultural exchange and education. 'Our great grandma and grandpa, they were in the same shoes as many of the immigrants here today,' he said. 'And what if this happened when they came to America back then? They would not want to have the same fear, the same intense feeling, this isolation that we're experiencing right now.' International students, a particular target of the Trump administration in recent months, could also be affected by the travel ban. Iranians made up the fourth-largest international student contingent at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in fall 2024, according to university data, with 61 students. At UW-Madison, there were 57 Iranian students last semester. More: ICE orders Milwaukee teacher's aide Yessenia Ruano to leave US, fly to El Salvador in days People who have valid visas should not be affected by the ban, the National Iranian American Council said in an informational document. But the organization urged caution for people who haven't yet arrived in the U.S. "Some number of Iranian nationals have continued to receive visas in the opening months of 2025 and may not yet have entered the United States. While the order states these visas should be valid, experience tells us that this does not guarantee there will not be complications attempting to enter the U.S. – particularly amid the rollout of this order," the council said. UW-Madison's International Student Services said it is reviewing the details of the travel ban. In a statement, they advised those from affected countries to 'seriously reconsider any travel plans outside of the U.S.' Beyond affecting travel to and from the U.S., the ban tells Muslim families that "their faith makes them suspect," and it fuels fear in Muslim-American communities, said Fauzia Qureshi, executive director of the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance. "A reinstatement of the travel ban sends a chilling message," she said, adding: "Policies like this make people feel alienated from the very country they contribute to." Hetfield, president of HIAS, said the Trump administration changed its strategy this time by adding other countries — including some in Latin America, Africa and southeast Asia — as courts ruled it was not legal to ban Muslims specifically. "They dressed it up, they put lipstick on it," he said, but ultimately, "it's a way to prevent brown people from coming to this country." This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trump travel ban adds to uncertainty for Milwaukee immigrant families
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stop work order creates 'unprecedented' turmoil for refugees and agencies that serve them
The agencies that help newly arrived refugees adapt to life in Wisconsin are reeling after an order from President Donald Trump's administration to stop work immediately. The order late last week directs the nonprofit agencies to stop using federal funds to provide services such as enrolling children in school, paying refugees' rent for three months and helping them find jobs. The private agencies, many of them faith-based, contract with the federal government to resettle persecuted individuals that the U.S. flies here after years of vetting. The leaders of three resettlement agencies in Milwaukee, and one in Madison, say the unexpected order has left their staff and their clients in the lurch. They will try to continue serving refugees using donations while they wait for the government to decide whether to restart. But the future is uncertain. The suspension of operations and new spending was made pending a review of all foreign assistance programs. After that review, the government will resume, alter or cut the funding completely. "We're in a very bad situation. I'm trying to stay calm," said Sheila Badwan, executive director of Hanan Refugees Relief Group in Milwaukee. The organization, which began as a volunteer-run aid group, became a resettlement agency in July 2023 and hired several staff members with the help of federal funding. Badwan had to lay off one employee earlier this week, she said, and expects to lay off at least two more by Friday. Many of the employees are refugees themselves. More: Afghan refugee women learn to drive in Milwaukee so they can support their families The agency took in 119 refugees in the last three months. Like all refugees, they were promised 90 days of government-funded assistance through Hanan. That aid includes securing and furnishing apartments, helping set up bank accounts and enrolling them in health insurance. "We help them become self-sufficient," Badwan said. "What do you do when you can't provide those essential services?" Many of the refugees who are worriedly calling and visiting Hanan's offices since the stop-work order are vulnerable people, Badwan said. Some are single mothers with several children; some are people with complex medical cases. That's in addition to the relatives of refugees whose flights to the U.S. in the coming weeks were abruptly canceled. Omar Mohamed, the refugee program manager for Lutheran Social Services in Milwaukee, worked in resettlement during Trump's first administration, when refugee admissions were sharply curtailed and the so-called Muslim travel ban was in place. But the orders now are "really unprecedented," he said. More: Whitewater again finds itself the center of immigration, deportation spotlight On social media and in group chats, rumors about what could happen to refugees have spread quickly. As staff are informing clients about the situation, they're trying to stick to the facts and explain that they only know so much, Mohamed said. "I can't tell them what's going to happen tomorrow. But as of today, this is what it is," Mohamed said. The Trump administration has ordered a report within 90 days on whether resuming the refugee program "would be in the interests of the United States." So, the pause on funds and arrivals is expected to last for at least the next three months. Lutheran Social Services feels it has a "moral obligation" to continue supporting refugees despite the funding cut-off. Mohamed asked people to donate and to contact their local elected officials. He also asked people to be kind and respectful to refugees in this moment. "They are afraid right now. They are in shock. This was like their lifeline" to a better future, he said. "They're a fellow human being who is in need." Refugees who are selected to resettle in the U.S. have fled their home countries and wait years, often in refugee camps, while undergoing intensive vetting from a number of federal agencies. When they arrive, they can apply for a green card, or legal permanent residency. About 60% of the refugees who were resettled in Wisconsin in the last fiscal year were from Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia and Venezuela were some of the other most-represented countries. Also, some Afghan evacuees' future in the U.S. could be up in the air, as the Trump administration directed officials not to renew their humanitarian parole, which offered evacuees a temporary legal status and was used widely under Joe Biden's administration. The U.S. admitted thousands of Afghans under the parole policy in 2021. The administration has ordered no new parole approvals for Ukrainians, according to CBS News. More: 'A dream come true for me': A specialized wheelchair has given an Afghan refugee independence, hope Kai Gardner Mishlove, executive director of Jewish Social Services of Madison, emphasized the "domino effect" of the pause. Without knowing if federal funding will restart, the agency can't plan its budget, sign contracts for the future or schedule programs. And the uncertainty affects its partners too, from employers who hire refugees to behavioral health providers to benefits specialists. "Now there's stress on that system," Gardner Mishlove said. She is trying to take a long view. The agency's national affiliate, HIAS, was founded after World War II to assist Holocaust survivors, and it has had to "pivot" several times. Like Lutheran Social Services, staff members are "morally committed" to continuing to serve refugees, she said. "We're all part of a shared community, and we're here to support them," Gardner Mishlove said. Donations and volunteers will be key to resettlement agencies' survival in the coming months. Paul Trebian, president and chief executive of the International Institute of Wisconsin, is confident the broader community will step up to fill gaps. "I've got peace about it. Our community here is very resilient," he said. The pause on resettlement and the stop-work order has overwhelmed and disheartened those who work in resettlement. They're strong believers that refugees benefit the U.S. economy and culture. "They're hard workers, and they just want to live in freedom, just like the rest of us," Badwan said. "We're a nation of immigrants. We're a melting pot. And right now it just doesn't feel that way." Sophie Carson is a general assignment reporter who reports on religion and faith, immigrants and refugees and more. Contact her at scarson@ or 920-323-5758. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trump's stop-work order leave refugees, resettlement agencies in panic
USA Today
31-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Stop work order creates 'unprecedented' turmoil for refugees and agencies that serve them
Stop work order creates 'unprecedented' turmoil for refugees and agencies that serve them The agencies that help newly arrived refugees adapt to life in Wisconsin are reeling after an order from President Donald Trump's administration to stop work immediately. The order late last week directs the nonprofit agencies to stop using federal funds to provide services such as enrolling children in school, paying refugees' rent for three months and helping them find jobs. The private agencies, many of them faith-based, contract with the federal government to resettle persecuted individuals that the U.S. flies here after years of vetting. The leaders of three resettlement agencies in Milwaukee, and one in Madison, say the unexpected order has left their staff and their clients in the lurch. They will try to continue serving refugees using donations while they wait for the government to decide whether to restart. But the future is uncertain. The suspension of operations and new spending was made pending a review of all foreign assistance programs. After that review, the government will resume, alter or cut the funding completely. "We're in a very bad situation. I'm trying to stay calm," said Sheila Badwan, executive director of Hanan Refugees Relief Group in Milwaukee. The organization, which began as a volunteer-run aid group, became a resettlement agency in July 2023 and hired several staff members with the help of federal funding. Badwan had to lay off one employee earlier this week, she said, and expects to lay off at least two more by Friday. Many of the employees are refugees themselves. More: Afghan refugee women learn to drive in Milwaukee so they can support their families The agency took in 119 refugees in the last three months. Like all refugees, they were promised 90 days of government-funded assistance through Hanan. That aid includes securing and furnishing apartments, helping set up bank accounts and enrolling them in health insurance. "We help them become self-sufficient," Badwan said. "What do you do when you can't provide those essential services?" Many of the refugees who are worriedly calling and visiting Hanan's offices since the stop-work order are vulnerable people, Badwan said. Some are single mothers with several children; some are people with complex medical cases. That's in addition to the relatives of refugees whose flights to the U.S. in the coming weeks were abruptly canceled. New directives drive confusion, chaos for refugee agencies Omar Mohamed, the refugee program manager for Lutheran Social Services in Milwaukee, worked in resettlement during Trump's first administration, when refugee admissions were sharply curtailed and the so-called Muslim travel ban was in place. But the orders now are "really unprecedented," he said. More: Whitewater again finds itself the center of immigration, deportation spotlight On social media and in group chats, rumors about what could happen to refugees have spread quickly. As staff are informing clients about the situation, they're trying to stick to the facts and explain that they only know so much, Mohamed said. "I can't tell them what's going to happen tomorrow. But as of today, this is what it is," Mohamed said. The Trump administration has ordered a report within 90 days on whether resuming the refugee program "would be in the interests of the United States." So, the pause on funds and arrivals is expected to last for at least the next three months. Lutheran Social Services feels it has a "moral obligation" to continue supporting refugees despite the funding cut-off. Mohamed asked people to donate and to contact their local elected officials. He also asked people to be kind and respectful to refugees in this moment. "They are afraid right now. They are in shock. This was like their lifeline" to a better future, he said. "They're a fellow human being who is in need." Refugees who are selected to resettle in the U.S. have fled their home countries and wait years, often in refugee camps, while undergoing intensive vetting from a number of federal agencies. When they arrive, they can apply for a green card, or legal permanent residency. About 60% of the refugees who were resettled in Wisconsin in the last fiscal year were from Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia and Venezuela were some of the other most-represented countries. Also, some Afghan evacuees' future in the U.S. could be up in the air, as the Trump administration directed officials not to renew their humanitarian parole, which offered evacuees a temporary legal status and was used widely under Joe Biden's administration. The U.S. admitted thousands of Afghans under the parole policy in 2021. The administration has ordered no new parole approvals for Ukrainians, according to CBS News. More: 'A dream come true for me': A specialized wheelchair has given an Afghan refugee independence, hope Agencies seek donations to fill gap Kai Gardner Mishlove, executive director of Jewish Social Services of Madison, emphasized the "domino effect" of the pause. Without knowing if federal funding will restart, the agency can't plan its budget, sign contracts for the future or schedule programs. And the uncertainty affects its partners too, from employers who hire refugees to behavioral health providers to benefits specialists. "Now there's stress on that system," Gardner Mishlove said. She is trying to take a long view. The agency's national affiliate, HIAS, was founded after World War II to assist Holocaust survivors, and it has had to "pivot" several times. Like Lutheran Social Services, staff members are "morally committed" to continuing to serve refugees, she said. "We're all part of a shared community, and we're here to support them," Gardner Mishlove said. Donations and volunteers will be key to resettlement agencies' survival in the coming months. Paul Trebian, president and chief executive of the International Institute of Wisconsin, is confident the broader community will step up to fill gaps. "I've got peace about it. Our community here is very resilient," he said. The pause on resettlement and the stop-work order has overwhelmed and disheartened those who work in resettlement. They're strong believers that refugees benefit the U.S. economy and culture. "They're hard workers, and they just want to live in freedom, just like the rest of us," Badwan said. "We're a nation of immigrants. We're a melting pot. And right now it just doesn't feel that way." Sophie Carson is a general assignment reporter who reports on religion and faith, immigrants and refugees and more. Contact her at scarson@ or 920-323-5758.
