Why are Trump and Musk blocking the church’s work with refugees?
An administration that presents itself as the champion of beleaguered Christians is instead spreading lies about them.
Century illustration (Source images: Getty)
Not so long ago, helping refugees get settled was largely uncontroversial. Since World War II, the United States has distinguished between immigrants, who choose to leave their country, and refugees, who are forced to. In 1980, the Office of Refugee Resettlement was created by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support. The ORR outsources its direct service work to ten nonprofit agencies, seven of which are faith-based.
This all came to an abrupt halt this winter with President Trump’s flurry of aggressive executive orders. Along with closing the door to new refugees—that much was expected—the White House cut off funding to the ten resettlement agencies, preventing them from honoring their commitments to refugees who have already arrived. (Update: On February 25, a federal judge temporarily blocked this executive order.)
That assistance is essential but fairly modest: three months’ help with basic living expenses. The resettlement program bears few marks of government excess or liberal ideology. It’s a public-private partnership, not an elaborate federal bureaucracy. It does direct service, focused on basic human needs—not social engineering or systemic reform. Its function is not just humanitarian but also diplomatic. And it once enjoyed broad support among Christians of all stripes, who often volunteered through their churches to help out at the local level. Compassion for people forced into a tough situation used to be a matter of significant consensus.
