In wake of the Trump administration’s suspension on new refugees entering the country and stop-work orders for federal funding, Madison’s Open Doors for Refugees (ODFR) programs are having to pivot their traditional service structures and, in some cases, drastically cut staff and day-to-day operations.
Founded in 2016, ODFR is a volunteer organization that helps refugees with housing, transportation, English language learning, community integration and more. The program partners with Madison social services agencies such as Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) and Jewish Social Services (JSS), both of which have worked with refugees since the 1970s.
“I am hopeful that court cases will challenge or reverse the current ban so there will be some refugee resettlement,” ODFR Executive Director Jason Mack said. “But I am not planning on it ever getting back to the levels that it was.”
No new refugees, no new funding
Individual donors and grants completely fund ODFR and mostly fund CMC. But for JSS, ODFR’s closest partner in helping refugees through their first 90 days in Madison, federal funding was the bulk of their support.
“We’re having to tell refugees who came after Jan. 24 [that] even though you heard from community members who came before that we can provide, say, funding for your rent, we don’t have the same resources anymore,’” JSS Executive Director Kai Mishlove told The Daily Cardinal.
JSS, which works under the national refugee resettlement agency Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, signed its federal funding contracts for staffing and programming months in advance. Having resettled 52 refugees between the beginning of their fiscal year in October and Trump’s stop-work orders, the organization is now not being reimbursed for the thousands of dollars they already spent as per their contracts.
“It’s a very, very fluid and crisis-filled situation that causes a lot of anxiety,” Mishlove said. “It’s a breach of contract that really puts our agency at risk.”
In response to the funding freeze, JSS has had to lay off the majority of their staff, leaving a longer waiting period for their services as the remaining staff members work with higher caseloads. The organization has also reported receiving multiple threats to their safety and reported having their location published online by white supremacist groups who accuse them of “aiding in the blackening and browning of America.”
Afghan refugees speak out
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, Afghans have comprised a large percentage of the total refugee population in Madison. But when ODFR board member Abdullah Ameen and his family fled to Madison in 2014, he was one of few Afghans in the city.
“It was not easy to find people, people to talk to and share your concerns with who would understand your language and your culture,” Ameen said.
Ameen came to the United States on a special immigration visa after he was threatened for working with USAID. Lutheran Social Services paid his family’s rent while he searched for full-time work, landing an NGO job a few months in and taking up UW-Madison cartography classes at night.
“Newcomers start their lives from zero and are not part of the society for a long time,” Ameen said. “Now as a volunteer leader for the community, I try to help with everything I can, from driver’s tests to job interviews.”
Ameen said Afghan community members are widely suffering due to the current travel ban, separated from families waiting for their cases to proceed as Afghanistan’s political situation remains volatile. One such example is JSS Refugee Resettlement Director Zabihullah Sahibzada, who said his brothers are being tortured for information about his whereabouts while his daughters are banned from education above sixth grade.
“I have to speak to my family every night and every morning, video call and tell them things will get better,” Sahibzada said. “I don’t see any hope. My girls don’t see any hope. My oldest daughter is 16, and it’s been three years that she’s not going to school.”
Despites his fears, Sahibzada said the support he received from JSS and the Madison community when he arrived was “unforgettable” and is continuing to help JSS provide resettlement services to around 450 people. He said now is a time for people to come together and stand with refugees who are already here.
“It is the responsibility of communities here to provide refugees cultural orientation, tell them the ‘do’s and don’ts’ and show them ways to make their lives better,” Sahibzada said. “It is a humanitarian act, supporting these people who are in danger around the world.”
Organizations work to address settled refugees’ needs
Despite uncertainty about the future, ODFR and its affiliate organizations remain committed to helping refugees like Ameen any time between 90 days to five years after they first arrive. All organizations rely heavily on individual and community support for their services in the form of volunteers and donations of all kinds.
“We have a lot of people coming in and saying they want to help us,” Mack said. “So we’re continuing to look at opportunities to serve the refugees already here and put the volunteers into the field, such as with our new child care program.”
And CMC Associate Director Becca Shwartz told the Cardinal the center has launched a new mental health program for the immigrant and refugee community, seeking to provide language-accessible mental health support specifically designed for refugees and encourage their pursuit of mental health-related careers.
The initiative is also partnering with UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Center for Education Research to identify existing barriers to immigrant mental health services and their solutions.
“Where I don’t think the federal orders are affecting us is in the work that we’re doing to serve those in need,” Shwartz said. “We look forward to continuing our role with Open Doors and other partners to help immigrants in our community.”
Sreejita Patra is a senior staff writer and the former summer ad sales manager for The Daily Cardinal. She has written for breaking news, campus news and arts. She also covered the Oregon Village Board for the Oregon Observer.
