Luke Glaze has been thinking about a phone call he had last month with Meriam, a Sudanese refugee resettled in Woodburn. Glaze, the executive director of Salem for Refugees, called to let her know his agency had just signed on to resettle her husband. She’d been waiting six years to see him. “She began to weep and then shout in celebration,” Glaze wrote in a letter sent to the nonprofit’s supporters Wednesday morning. Her reunification with her husband is one of dozens now on hold locally after President Donald Trump issued an executive order Monday pausing all refugee admissions to the U.S. on Jan. 27. “The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees,” the order said.  It allows for individual exemptions on a case-by-case basis only with approval from the U.S. Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security. Glaze said he’s still trying to get clarification from the federal agency that manages resettlement on next steps, but the order says no refugees may enter the U.S. for 90 days — even those who had plane tickets booked and everything else approved. Salem for Refugees had 37 refugees already booked for travel in February whose cases are now on hold. Travel is usually booked about two weeks out, so it’s likely more families would have arrived in late February, Glaze said. “These types of disruptions can be incredibly damaging. Families often begin to sell their personal belongings, quit jobs and say their goodbyes starting about two weeks prior to departure,” he said in an email. The nonprofit was originally a ministry of the Salem Alliance Church, which formed a group in 2016 to help welcome new refugees. At the time, resettlement agencies out of Portland had started looking to Salem because the cost of living was lower. The group transformed into its own nonprofit and in 2021 became an accredited resettlement agency as an affiliate of World Relief and hired Glaze as executive director. It’s since grown rapidly as the Biden administration expanded refugee resettlement and a wave of Afghan refugees began flowing to the U.S. in the fall of 2021. Last year, Salem for Refugees resettled 400 refugees in Salem and Corvallis. Since October, they’ve resettled 140 refugees, and were approved to bring up to 415 to the Salem area this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. “Refugee resettlement has long been a bipartisan success story, bringing economic, social, and cultural benefits to the U.S. while maintaining a strong record of national security. Yet, this policy shift creates uncertainty for those awaiting safety and reunification with loved ones,” Glaze wrote in his letter. A prolonged pause or decrease in refugee admissions could jeopardize some of Salem for Refugees’ funding. Federal money is tied to the number of refugees the agency resettles, though it also receives private donations and state money, Glaze said. If the pause extends beyond the initial three months, he said Salem for Refugees will need to reevaluate its services. “Our intent will be to have the smallest impact on our staff, many of whom have lived refugee experience, speak multiple languages and have years of experience. We are currently working with legislative partners during the current session to advocate for increased state funding for refugees to help offset the impacts of this potential pause,” he said. The executive order calls for a federal review of U.S. refugee resettlement programs, and suggests future refugee admissions may rely on state and local jurisdictions accepting refugee resettlement in their regions. Oregon’s Department of Human Services is reviewing the changes, spokesman Jake Sunderland said. The agency “remains committed to helping Oregonians achieve well-being and independence, including those who travel here in search of a better life.” He did not have an estimate for how many pending refugee arrivals the order would impact statewide. Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Federal pause on refugee admissions leaves some in Salem area waiting to see relatives appeared first on Salem Reporter.