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Michigan refugees left in limbo under resettlement suspension

Samaritas, a faith-based organization providing refugee resettlement services in Michigan, is aggressively fundraising to make up millions of dollars in federal contracts frozen under a stop-work order from the US President’s Office. Photo courtesy of Samaritas.

by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan)

Faith-based groups across Michigan are scrambling to assist more than 1,000 new refugees who had entered the state before President Donald Trump halted US resettlement programs and funding to feed, clothe and house new arrivals.

“What this does is, it creates homelessness,” said Kelli Dobner of Samaritas, the Michigan affiliate of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service that resettles many of Michigan refugees.

“It creates hunger, because these families don’t have access to the services that were a part of the condition of them coming here in the first place.”

In his executive order suspending programs designed to help refugees find work, learn English and get settled into new communities, Trump argued that the US “lacks the ability” to absorb refugees “in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans” and protects their security and safety.

Dobner, Samaritas’ chief growth officer, estimates the nonprofit would lose $5 million to $8 million in federal funding should the recent changes hold. The organization is now aggressively fundraising to try and meet the needs of refugees already on Michigan soil — including the 100 people who arrived in January 2025 before the new rules took effect.

They’re not alone: several other refugee resettlement organizations in Michigan have issued similar calls for community support in lieu of federal funding, including Bethany Christian Services, Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County and Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton.

Michigan took in 3,495 refugees in fiscal year 2024, according to state data, and has historically been one of the top 10 resettlement destinations in the US. Another 1,186 refugees arrived in Michigan between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 — before the program was suspended.

Still more touched down in Michigan in January ahead of Trump Jan. 20 order��suspending future refugee admissions��and a stop-work directive preventing nonprofit resettlement groups from incurring new costs.

Faith-based organizations have for years run refugee resettlement programs in Michigan, helping people flee war-torn countries or dire straits in what Samaritas calls “an expression of the love of Christ.”

But in their push to limit immigration and slash federal spending, Trump allies have increasingly questioned government funding for those groups, including health grants for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, the national organization that helps support Samaritas.

Elon Musk last month called the health grants as “illegal payments” that his Department of Government Efficiency is working to shut down. State Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Milford, went further, suggesting on social media that��“communist organizations” with “fake religious names” profit from taxpayer money for “every single invader they take in.”

Trump left open the possibility of restarting refugee resettlement programs after a 90-day review. Several national groups��filed a lawsuit��this week claiming the president doesn’t have authority to unilaterally suspend operations.

Those tasked with helping new refugees adjust to American life say assistance can’t wait for those who are already here.

In a recent fundraising email, Joe Garcia, chief executive officer of Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton, wrote that the 117 refugees in the organization care “were forced to flee their countries with little more than the clothes on their back.”

“During this 90-day pause, refugees already in the US will struggle to keep housing, find jobs, feed their families, and adapt to life in a new country,” he said.

How the process works

Unlike asylum seekers, who petition the government for protection after entering the country, refugees apply for entry to the US from abroad and are vetted through a process that typically takes years.

Before they’re cleared for entry, refugees must demonstrate that they have been persecuted or are at risk of persecution in their country of origin based on their race, religion, nationality, political views or membership in a particular social group.

Vice President JD Vance, in recent comments on CBS “Face the Nation,” maintained that not all refugees approved for entry into the US have been properly vetted.

“We know that there are cases of people who allegedly were properly vetted and then were literally planning terrorist attacks in our country,” Vance claimed, later adding, “I don’t want my children to share a neighborhood with people who are not properly vetted.”

Other critics of refugee resettlement have pointed to violent acts committed by foreigners living in the US, including a recent incident in Orion Township where an Afghan national was��charged with stabbing his caseworker.

Most research indicates immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native residents, regardless of their legal status, including a 2019 study by the��Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University.

A��February study��by the libertarian Cato Institute also found that people who are in the country illegally have lower conviction rates for homicide than native-born residents.

In a statement, officials from Bethany Christian Services said they appreciate the Trump administration commitment to public safety but said the vetting process for refugees “is already rigorous” and offers protection to families fleeing violence or disaster.

“The temporary suspension of refugee resettlement efforts will cause significant impact to vulnerable men, women, and children legally seeking safety and hope in our nation,” the statement said.

The Michigan impact

In Michigan, refugees hail from countries across the globe, including Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Other recent arrivals include those��fleeing war in Ukraine.

For refugees who are already in Michigan and other US states, their status allows them to live and work in the country legally while working towards permanent residency or citizenship, meaning they are not at risk of deportation unless they engage in criminal behavior, said Veronica Thronson, director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the Michigan State University College of Law.

Barring a court order or Trump changing course, the thousands of prospective refugees who were vetted and approved to come, but hadn’t left their home countries before the program was suspended, are “basically stuck,” she said.

That includes people who have worked for the US government previously, people hoping to reunite with their families stateside and others “who the government already determined are worthy of coming in,” Thronson said.

Samaritas’ immediate goal is to replace the funding hole left open by Trump stop-work order and continue providing refugee assistance, particularly for those still within the crucial 90-day resettlement period in need of housing, stable employment, legal services (such as help obtaining a Social Security number) and school enrollment, Dobner said.

“We’ve committed to welcoming people into our communities and seeing it through to the point of them reaching self-sufficiency,” she said.

It remains unclear what long-term effects the federal developments may have on state-level refugee programs, including the��Newcomer Rental Subsidy��available to refugees and other new arrivals to the US.

Trump specifically criticized that program during a 2024 speech in Grand Rapids, claiming Democratic officials are “stealing your money to give free housing to illegals and then asking you to put these people in your homes.”

State officials have pushed back on claims that the subsidy program benefits people living in the country illegally, noting that funding is only available to legal residents who meet federally-mandated eligibility requirements.

House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, told Bridge Michigan last spring that his primary concern is that people who are caught living in the country illegally could still benefit from the program if they have a pending application for asylum.

Unknowns remain

While newly-arrived refugees and resettlement agencies in Michigan await further guidance and seek alternatives to federal funds, several groups are taking action in federal court.

A lawsuit filed this week in the US District Court in Seattle by the International Refugee Assistance Project and other refugee organizations asked the court to declare Trump executive order suspending refugee resettlement illegal and restore all related federal funding.

Supporters of the suit argue that because refugee aid and funding was approved by Congress, the Trump administration can’t unilaterally stop it.

“Can the executive branch adjust the numbers? Yes, they can. But can they suspend it indefinitely? No, they can’t,” said Rev. Noel Andersen, national field director of the group Church World Service.

Long-term, some observers fear an economic hit to Michigan, where foreign-born residents wield significant impact. As of 2022, refugees and immigrants made up 8.4% of Michigan working age population, held $23.1 billion in spending power and paid a combined $8.1 billion in federal, state and local taxes, according to a��spring 2024 report from the American Immigration Council.

Encouraging immigration to Michigan has been cited as��a potential fix for the state population woes, with a Whitmer-backed council calling for incentives to attract more new arrivals — including developing a service to help employers and immigrants navigate the bureaucracy of immigration to come to Michigan.

A 2023 report commissioned by the Grand Rapids Chamber and American Immigration Council found that in Kent County alone, 38.2% of the county population growth between 2014 and 2019 was attributable to immigrants. Immigrant populations paid more than $408 million in taxes and contributed 9.1% of the county overall GDP in 2019.

Without new immigrants, Michigan businesses would suffer and consumer costs could rise as a result of a depleted workforce, said Andy Johnston of the Grand Rapids Chamber.

“New Americans don’t take tax dollars, they generate them. They don’t take jobs, they create them,” he said. “Refugees are coming here legally … we support securing our borders, but also expanding legal pathways for people who want to come here and contribute.”

This article is being republished through a syndication agreement with��Bridge Michigan. Bridge Michigan��is Michigan largest nonprofit news service and one of the nation leading and largest nonprofit civic news providers. Their coverage is nonpartisan, fact-based, and data-driven. Find them online at��.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.