Join the journey.
Become a KRM Partner today.

What the Latest Executive Order Means for Refugees

On October 24th, 2017, the administration released a new executive order impacting the US refugee resettlement program.

90-day ban on certain refugees

Refugee individuals from 11 countries and stateless Palestinians are temporarily banned for 90 days. These 11 countries include Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

KRM had been resettling refugees from Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, and Syria, among other countries. According to the administration, refugees may be admitted from these countries on a case-by-case basis.

follow-to-join program suspended indefinitely

All cases in the “follow-to-join” program have been suspended indefinitely. This program was for families who were separated from each other when they were fleeing for safety. They included individuals trying to reunite with their spouses or children.

“enhanced vetting”

Previously, refugees had to provide information going back five years for all places where they lived for more than 30 days. With the new executive order, refugees will be asked to provide information going back ten years. These additional screening requirements affect all refugees, such as those from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burma, and Bhutan.

resource: understand the order

Read this Frequently Asked Questions document from Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM). KRM is a local affiliate of EMM. You can track the multiple executive orders challenging the refugee program through this guide from HIAS.

Resource: use your voice

Use this advocacy tool from Church World Service (CWS) to contact your members of Congress. KRM is a local affiliate of CWS.

krm services

KRM will continue to welcome any refugees resettled in Kentucky and provide them the support they need to start their new lives. For our long-term clients, we will continue to operate vital programs for job placements, educational readiness, elder programming, mental and physical health support, immigration legal services, citizenship preparation, and more.

Earlier this year, Denis, age 11, reunited with his father, Kadiragamam, in Louisville through the “follow-to-join” program. The new executive order suspends the “follow to join” program indefinitely, keeping families like theirs apart.