Dear Friends,
From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU to everyone who attended or expressed their support at the
press conference
held in Wilmington last month regarding President Trump's Executive Order (
#13888
). The legality of this Order, which required state and local governments to formally opt out of refugee resettlement efforts, has been
challenged in court
by HIAS, LIRS, and Church World Services, resulting in a
preliminary injunction
issued this week by US District Judge Messitte.
What this injunction means:
- Implementation of this Executive Order, requesting opt-ins from state and local leaders, will HALT.
- The State Department's Notice of Funding Opportunity, which required resettlement agencies (like JFS) to submit consent letters with annual grant applications to serve resettled refugees, also CANNOT take effect.
- Resettlement will CONTINUE as before (for the time being), without expressed consent, in locations determined by the government based on connections, affordable housing, and job opportunities.
We are immensely grateful for the unwavering support we have received from our community, which reflected the widespread bipartisan support of refugee resettlement across the country; the consent letters from state and local officials
—
including Governor John Carney, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, and Mayor Mike Purzycki
—
have helped safeguard the refugee resettlement program, regardless of the final outcome of this lawsuit.
We will continue to share updates regarding this lawsuit and its implications for the important resettlement work we do in Delaware. In the meantime, please let us know if you have questions or concerns about this Executive Order, lawsuit, or anything else regarding RISE.
Thank you so much for your loyalty and support.
Warmly,
