AP file photo Retired reverend Carrol Jensen wears a hat mimicking the Statue of Liberty as Reverend Emilie Binja, a former refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo speaks during a rally outside the U.S District Court after a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump's effort to halt the nation's refugee admissions system, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 in Seattle.

Local refugee programs are feeling the impact of the U.S. government’s decision to end refugee resettlement agreements.

In late February, aid groups, including Church World Service and the Jewish refugee resettlement organization HIAS, received notifications that their “cooperative agreements” with the State Department had been canceled, according to the Associated Press. The refugee program, created by Congress in 1980, is a form of legal migration to the U.S. for people displaced by war, natural disaster or persecution — a process that often takes years and involves significant vetting, according to the AP. It is different from asylum, by which people newly arrived in the U.S. can seek permission to remain because they fear persecution in their home country.

Trump temporarily halted the program during his first term and then dramatically decreased the number of refugees who could enter the U.S. each year.

There are 600,000 people being processed to come to the U.S. as refugees around the world, according to the administration. Trump’s order and the administration’s subsequent withholding of funds stranded refugees who had already been approved to come to the U.S., forced the refugee aid groups to lay off staff, and cut off short-term assistance, such as rent, for those who had recently resettled here, the organizations said in the lawsuit challenging the actions.

The Warren Area Refugee Resettlement Network (WARRN) has led efforts to bring refugees into the Warren area over the past several years.

“The Warren Area Refugee Resettlement Network is saddened and hurt by the actions President Trump has imposed regarding refugee programs,” said Pastor Jeff Ewing, an advocate for the program. “WARRN has ensured refugee families receive the necessary resources to rebuild their lives, from housing assistance to employment services. We feel it’s important to keep the refugee crisis in people’s minds.”

A federal judge blocked the president’s efforts to suspend the refugee admissions program. U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle had determined on Tuesday that while the president has broad authority over who comes into the country, he cannot nullify the law passed by Congress establishing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. But agencies received notices saying cooperative agreements with the resettlement agencies were being terminated “for the convenience of the U.S. Government pursuant to a directive from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for alignment with Agency priorities and national interest.”