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Immigration-related executive orders issued by both President Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Braun have prompted at least one Indiana organization to adjust its day-to-day operations, as the state’s refugee resettlement groups wait to see the impacts of those directives.
Braun’s Jan. 28 order compels law enforcement agencies to follow any immigration directives issued by the federal government.
He ordered all law enforcement agencies to fully cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to report any evidence of illegal immigration, which is already required under Indiana law.
On Jan. 20 after being sworn in, Trump announced refugee resettlement programs would be suspended.
In response to the state and federal orders, Indianapolis-based Exodus Refugee Immigration Inc. has locked its doors and moved all client appointments, English classes and cultural orientation classes to off-site or virtual locations.
“We remain open and committed to serving our clients and will also be protecting them from being illegally or unjustly detained by ICE or by anyone cooperating with ICE,” Exodus posted on social media. “Our clients shouldn’t be afraid to walk down the street, to take their children to school, or to go the bus stop. They shouldn’t be afraid just to exist—and neither should anyone else.”
The post further stated that Braun’s executive order, “perpetuates the baseless idea that most immigrants are criminals, even though numerous studies show that immigrants actually commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans. This is dangerous. It’s racist. And it’s wrong.”
Last week, Exodus requested donations and support as funding had been halted as a result of an executive order Trump signed shortly after his inauguration.
The president’s executive order instructs the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State to advise within 90 days whether the refugee resettlement program funding should be resumed.
Reuters reported the U.S. State Department suspended funding to groups that assist refugees with housing, job placement and other needs as part of a broad pause on aid, based on a memo reviewed by the news agency.
According to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Indiana has four organizations that aid refugees.
The Catholic Charities of Indianapolis and Catholic Charities of Fort Wayne and South Bend are the other organizations in the state that aid refugees.
The Catholic Charities of Indianapolis had not immediately responded to Indiana Lawyer as of Monday’s publication deadline.
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Inc. Marketing Manager Nicole Kurut said right now they are just waiting to see what happens after the 90 day period.
She said that new resettlement cases are on pause, but that all of their programming is continuing for individuals already located in the U.S.
“Who knows what will happen in the future at the federal level and how that will impact the local agencies, but as of right now, we are still continuing with all of our programming, from helping with health appointments to job readiness, ESL, homework help for children of refugees,” Kurut said.
She said in fiscal year 2023-24, the organization resettled about 255 refugees through its Fort Wayne and South Bend offices.
Catholic Charities USA President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson released a statement urging the Trump administration to rethink its decision to freeze federal aid to nonprofit organizations
“Last year, 92 percent of the services provided by the 168 independent Catholic Charities agencies around the country covered basic needs — access to food, housing, health care and other necessities — for families and individuals struggling to get by. These vital services include food pantries for those who can’t afford groceries, childcare programs for low-income families, meal deliveries for homebound seniors, job training resources for veterans, temporary and permanent housing, mental health services and much more,” Robinson said in a press release, adding that the millions of Americans who rely on this life-giving support will suffer due to the unprecedented effort to freeze federal aid supporting these programs.
Exodus Director of Legal Services Rachel Van Tyle told Indiana Lawyer last week that Trump’s executive order largely affects clients who are still within their first three months here in the Hoosier state. Some of them arrived the week before Trump took office.
“Those individuals are not yet self-sufficient,” Van Tyle said at the time.
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