Chicago nonprofits losing resources to help refugees after Trump suspends resettlement program

CHICAGO (WLS) -- As President Donald Trump cracks down on undocumented workers in the U.S., refugees who were already cleared to enter the country remain in a holding pattern.

The Trump administration is canceling plans for those who have been waiting to come to the U.S., and those who just arrived are losing help they were expecting to get.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

World Relief Chicagoland and local refugee organizations were expecting about 140 refugees to arrive in Chicago this month until Trump stopped the U.S. government-approved arrivals from coming. After spending years in refugee camps, some were hoping to reunite with family members.

"We've already had to have very difficult conversations with family members regarding why they are not now coming," said World Relief Chicagoland Director of Immigrant Services Peter Zigterman.

Not only did Trump temporarily halt refugees from arriving in the U.S., but his administration is also suspended the 90-day Resettlement and Placement Program. With the help of federal funding, nonprofits help refugees resettle in the U.S during their first three months.

"The goal of that support that has been cut is to help refugees learn English, find a job and move to self-sufficiency," said Yael Schacher with Refugees National in Washington, D.C.

SEE ALSO | ICE makes arrests in Chicago, suburbs as part of nationwide immigration raids

World Relief Chicagoland says close to 190 refugees have arrived in Chicago in the past three months. While the organization is losing the money to help them resettle, Zigterman says he and his staff will find a way to continue.

"We made a commitment and have an ethical obligation to those families to ensure that they are served and cared for. And it leaves us in a position where we're now scrambling to figure out exactly how we can do that," Zigterman said.

A refugee is someone who flees their home country because of a founded fear of persecution. They are not undocumented immigrants. They come to the United States legally. Refugees are handpicked by the U.S. government and can spend years in refugee camps while they endure a lengthy vetting process.

"Not only are refugees vetted, but these benefits that they get are relatively small, crucial, but small, and within a few years, they're basically huge contributors to our economy," Schacher said.

The Trump administration plans to review the refugee program after 90 days. Refugee groups hope to use that time to change the narrative and convince Trump that refugees are assets to the economy.