"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses..." A board member's reflection on Refugee Resettlement policy changes

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me…."

As a country of immigrants, the United States has been a leader in the free world welcoming the tired, the poor and the refugee seeking safety. For decades the U.S. refugee resettlement program has assisted refugees in becoming part of the fabric of America, helping secure housing, enroll children in school and acquire legal documents for employment so they can positively contribute to America as millions of lawful immigrants before them.

The U.S. refugee resettlement program often engages faith-based organizations in this effort, and for 15 years, Commonwealth Catholic Charities (CCC), a Richmond-based nonprofit, has provided resettlement services in Virginia.

That transition to a productive life in America was imperiled when the new administration abruptly ended the program and stopped payment to organizations like CCC. Losing reimbursement for expenses incurred before the order essentially abandons the 378 refugees whom the U.S. brought to Virginia and sent to CCC with the assurance that they would be supported so they could become an asset, not a burden, to the commonwealth.

CCC is committed to its mission, but each day without funding is a challenge. The funding freeze forced CCC to furlough half of its resettlement staff. The generosity of volunteers and donors has helped fill the gap and ensure that each new arrival has access to food, housing and other necessities — for now. Every new day is one day closer to the money running out.

The U.S. refugee resettlement program has brought these refugees to Virginia, promising to enable entities like CCC to support them. Virginians should demand that our government uphold its obligations, pay its debts, and fulfill its promise to refugees.

Cliona Robb, chair of the CCC Richmond Advisory Committee.

Published in the Richmond Times Dispatch March 26, 2025