Northwest humanitarian efforts are disrupted by unrest in Washington, D.C.
Greeting refugees from 27 different countries and assisting them in navigating their new neighborhoods in Portland, Vancouver, and Tacoma, Lutheran Community Services Northwest assisted in the resettlement of approximately 1,400 immigrants last year.
The State Department contracted with the aid organization to carry out the operation. To assist people in settling into their new homes, enrolling their children in school, and seeking medical attention, LCSNW received funds from the federal government.
Now that the Trump administration has revoked the State Department’s contract with LCSNW and effectively stopped the flow of refugees entering the nation, that effort is on pause forever.
No fresh refugees are arriving. No new people have arrived. According to LCSNW spokeswoman Matt Misterek, “We’re not greeting folks at PDX because they’re not coming in anymore.”
Humanitarian operations worldwide, including relief initiatives run by groups and contractors in Portland and around the Northwest, are being hampered by the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and foreign aid.
According to Misterek, all groups that assist those in need are currently feeling torn between tweets, executive orders, and temporary injunctions.
The Trump administration is taking action to stop foreign aid that has been approved by Congress. It has issued orders to U.S. employees. Funding for the Agency for International Development’s activities was halted and it was placed on leave. The government intends to eliminate all but 290 of the agency’s 10,000 staff, according to a report published Thursday in the New York Times.
Similar reductions are occurring in a number of federal programs, particularly those that assist new immigrants to the United States or operate abroad. Federal financial grants for nonprofit legal services organizations in Oregon that assist lawful permanent residents in obtaining U.S. citizenship were abruptly and permanently stopped.
Despite the reduction in federal funding, LCSNW and other regional NGOs are continuing their operations and have other financing streams that do not rely on government contracts. However, they are dealing with severe disruption.
The Portland-based Mercy Corps, which employs 5,600 people globally and provides humanitarian aid to individuals in more than 40 countries, receives the majority of its funding from USAID, the federal agency for international development. It helps individuals deal with conflict, natural disasters, and poverty.
According to Mercy Corps’ most recent annual report, USAID gave the Portland-based organization close to $250 million, or roughly 38% of its overall income.
Regarding the effects of the funding freeze, Mercy Corps chose not to comment this week. The company would not even disclose the number of employees at its headquarters in Portland.
Leah Petit, a Portland-based international development veteran, said, “They must be scared because you don’t want to get blacklisted and there’s so much intimidation right now.”
Petit’s employment contract with USAID was terminated late last month. In order to treat patients, test for infection, and provide care, food, and education for orphans, she had been trying to assist nations in Africa and Southeast Asia in creating mechanisms to administer HIV services.
Petit mostly worked from home in Portland, rising early to participate in video conferences with individuals across the globe. She would go overseas a few times a year to meet with folks and talk about their work.
Then, last month, an email from the company’s Washington, D.C., headquarters informed Petit that she and roughly 900 other contractors had been fired indefinitely and issued a stop-work order.
Petit admitted that losing her job hurts, but she is worried about what will happen to the people she has been helping both domestically and abroad. HIV infections will remain undiagnosed and untreated, she warned, and children would be left without treatment.
According to Petit, abruptly stopping help will harm ties the United States has built up over the years with other nations.
“China is more than happy to step in as we are losing allies,” she remarked.
Without giving any details, President Donald Trump has charged USAID of facilitating massive fraud. Regarding the plans of the government, his lieutenants have given conflicting information.
While Secretary of State Marco Rubio believes USAID would continue to operate, billionaire Elon Musk, a major Trump advisor, has stated that the administration will shut it down, raising the possibility that it may fall under his jurisdiction.
The majority of LCSNW’s activities in the Portland region are focused on providing services to immigrants and refugees. Over the previous five years, Misterek said, it had resettled roughly 2,100 refugees in the area.
Although government contracts account for over half of LCSNW’s earnings, the nonprofit also has five other programs that provide community services in the Northwest and are supported by various funding sources.
According to Misterek, LCSNW is stable even in the absence of federal assistance for refugee resettlement. According to him, the NGO survived previous budget cuts in 2017, at the beginning of the previous Trump administration, and it anticipates a change in political opinion over time.
We’ve been through this before, eight years ago, and we’ve persisted, so it will undoubtedly be difficult, Misterek said. At our core, we are optimists. We think that people are sympathetic to refugees and that this trend will eventually end.
–Mike Rogoway discusses the state economy and technology in Oregon. His email address is [email protected].
