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Indianapolis-based Exodus Refugee Immigration Inc. has begun asking for private donations and support, following a flurry of immigration-related changes President Donald Trump made last week through a series of executive orders.
On Jan. 20 after being sworn in, Trump announced refugee resettlement programs would be suspended.
This means organizations like Exodus stopped receiving funding as of Monday.
The executive order instructs the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State to advise within 90 days whether the refugee resettlement should be resumed.
“We’re still trying to figure out what it means exactly,” Exodus Director of Legal Services Rachel Van Tyle said Monday.
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 its website, Exodus began in 1981 with the mission to serve the legal needs of immigrants and Cuban refugees, who had arrived as part of the Mariel boatlift in 1980.
Since that time, Exodus has helped thousands of refugees from more than 50 different countries establish new lives in Indiana.
In fiscal year 2024, Exodus welcomed 884 new refugees from 18 different countries.
Van Tyle added that the organization is preparing for what it looks like to be privately funded.
“Exodus is going to continue to serve our clients regardless of that, because that’s our mission. But we’re trying to figure out if we need to privately fund some of the work that previously we had been allocated dollars to help clients assimilate and get on their feet here,” Van Tyle said.
She said this largely affects their 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.
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.
Besides donating to Exodus, people can purchase yard signs and t-shirts to show their support.
Van Tyle said the community has shown a lot of support already.
“We’ve just seen good support. So far, people seem to really be understanding and supporting us,” Van Tyle said.
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