Georgia could see sharp drop in refugees with Trump plan

 
The Christian humanitarian agency [World Relief] is eliminating their positions and suspending its federally funded refugee resettlement program in the Peach State after 40 years of continual service here.

The move comes amid the Trump administration’s efforts to drastically shrink the number of refugees coming to the United States. On Thursday, the federal government announced it is cutting to 18,000 the number who will be given safe haven, down from 30,000 this fiscal year and 45,000 the year before that. The Obama administration set a goal of 110,000 for fiscal year 2017.

The Trump administration’s rollback is already being felt here. New American Pathways, another Atlanta-area resettlement agency that receives federal funding for each refugee it helps, has lost a fifth of its $5 million budget and shed six and a half positions since Trump took office.

International Rescue Committee’s Atlanta office has eliminated three case worker positions during that time. World Relief had cut 24 positions in its Stone Mountain office before it decided to suspend its resettlement program in Georgia, though it will continue offering legal services to immigrants there with a smaller staff.  The resettlement agencies spent an estimated $1.5 million on rent and utilities for refugees in Georgia last fiscal year, with much of that money flowing into Clarkston and Stone Mountain. Many refugees work in the state’s poultry processing, manufacturing, warehousing, tourism and hospitality industries.  Source: Paul Broun for Congress

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