MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending the country’s refugee program could affect at least 39 refugees who were scheduled to arrive in Minnesota in coming weeks.
Various organizations in Minnesota were planning to resettle refugees from Burma, Burundi, the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Thailand within the next month, Minnesota Public Radio reported (https://bit.ly/2k6cJkz ).
Trump’s order signed last week places a 120-day ban on refugees entering the U.S. and an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria.
Jane Graupman, executive director of the International Institute of Minnesota, said the 15 refugees her group is working to resettle were scheduled to arrive this week and have already been through a two-year vetting process. She said homes have already been set up in Minnesota for them.
“They’ll most likely be sent back to the refugee camps where they were,” she said. “And unfortunately, when people leave camps they get rid of everything they have, so they’ll have nothing to go back to.”
Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis said it was expecting 24 refugees in the next month. Laurie Ohmann, a vice president with the organization, said she expects they will be in limbo for now.
Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he’s hearing from people with concerns about family members who were scheduled to come to the U.S. on asylum or with a green card.
“Even citizens have been calling me today asking if they should consider changing travel plans, and we’ve advised them against that,” said Hussein. “There’s a great deal of concern at this moment right now of individuals who identify themselves to be Muslims who feel they are targeted behind this latest presidential order.”
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Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, https://www.mprnews.org
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