ArtRage Gallery hosts discussion on refugee resettlement, anti-Immigration policies
Syracuse’s ArtRage Gallery hosted a discussion Wednesday evening to provide advice regarding refugee resettlement. The discussion included a presentation from InterFaithWorks about the impact of Trump’s anti-immigration policies on the city. Ike Wood | Staff Photographer
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Syracuse’s ArtRage Gallery hosted a discussion on refugee resettlement Wednesday, featuring a presentation from InterFaith Works about how the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies are impacting the city. The event also explored ways the community can support local resettlement efforts.
Local refugee resettlement organizations, such as InterFaith Works’ Center for New Americans, have lost federal funding due to the refugee resettlement freeze imposed by the Trump administration. The center focuses on integrating refugee and immigrant families into communities, assisting their transition by providing English classes and mental health services.
Genevieve Marshall, the associate director of Health & Integration Services at InterFaith Works, said it was clear that, under President Biden, efforts to increase immigration were prevalent before slowing in January due to Trump’s second term policies.
“Our world has not been the same since January the 20th,” Marshall said. “They (the Trump administration) said, ‘Not only are we pausing admissions into the U.S. and not welcoming new individuals. We’re going to take it one step further. We want you to stop and suspend all services that you are offering to clients, even the folks that just got here.’”
The panel was part of a collaboration with ArtRage’s current exhibition, A Place to Call Home, which explores Syracuse’s housing crisis through a series of photographs.
InterFaith Works joins a long list of refugee settlement organizations across the nation that has suffered financial strain as a result of the Trump administration, leading to the elimination of numerous programs across the country.
For InterFaith Works, 10 of its 16 programs that help refugees earn citizenship and provide health and wellness benefits are at risk of elimination or severely impacted by the policies. The organization also had to lay off several employees due to the new budget cuts, a trend that Marshall said is becoming increasingly common for refugee resettlement organizations.
A self-identified immigrant who moved to Syracuse over a decade ago and requested to remain anonymous said access to transportation is one of the biggest challenges refugees face when settling into a new area. Providing reliable transportation from essentials – like grocery stores, schools, job interviews and community engagement opportunities – is key for their successful transition to the United States, he said.
With the various cuts to InterFaith Works’ budget, he said it was important for community members to volunteer for causes like the refugee transportation program and help the organization continue to function.
“From what I heard today, someone is there for you,” he said. “Really, I came from a lot worse than what I heard tonight, so I have no fear now.”
Ike Wood | Staff Photographer
Local refugee resettlement organizations, such as InterFaithWorks’ Center for New Americans, have lost much of their funding due to a federal pause imposed by the Trump administration through executive orders and policies.
Many of these cuts are currently being challenged in federal court. The lawsuit tackling suspensions of refugee resettlement programs and funding freezes was filed by the International Refugee Association Project after refugee rights organizations like the Church World Service and Lutheran Community Services Northwest announced they’d be unable to provide refugees with critical care under new policies.
Kimberly McCoy, ArtRage’s community engagement organizer who helped organize the event, said the initial purpose of the gathering was to discuss housing design and affordability for refugees, but evolved into a broader conversation about the challenges the organization now faces. She expressed hope that the Trump administration’s policies will be revoked in court.
“That (refugee resettlement) is such an important part of our city, and we need to continue to be a welcoming city that supports everyone who lives here,” McCoy said. “This is going to have a huge impact on our community, even for the people that are already here.”
Onondaga County, the second-largest refugee settlement community in New York, has been home to nearly 6,000 refugees since 2020, according to the state of New York. Judi Kurtz, a Syracuse resident, said supporting refugee organizations was essential to helping the many members of her community who have suffered from the new policies.
Kurtz said she is working to remain forward thinking during troubling times is important, and expressed positivity despite widespread doubt for the future of programs like InterFaith Works’ Center for New Americans.
“Hopefully, as these things go through the legal process, things will get back to what we need, but if not, the community is there to support anyway,” Kurtz said. “Syracuse is a wonderful place, and we will remain that way despite what happens with our government.”
The anonymous source echoed Kurtz, noting that civic participation from his neighbors has given him confidence in reaching the “light at the end of the tunnel.”
Marshall emphasized the importance of being mindful of the language used in discussions about current funding struggles, assuring the refugee community that regardless of federal policy, local activists will continue to show up for them.
“We have to look our clients in the face, we have made the commitment to them,” Marshall said. “So we’re not going to abandon them, and whether we call it something else or not, we’re still going to be providing services.”
