Global Refuge, headquartered in Baltimore, forced to layoff about 400 employees after Trump directive

Headquartered in Baltimore, Global Refuge, one of the country's oldest and largest organizations serving refugees and immigrants, was forced to lay off nearly 400 people nationwide after the Trump administration placed a freeze on foreign aid, its CEO and president said.

The nonprofit has not received any federal money since December and was handed a stop work order on refugee resettlement, which has forced it to lay off more than half its workforce.  

The new administration also issued an executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which stops the resettlement of tens of thousands of refugees seeking safety in the United States, according to Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, the President and CEO of Global Refuge.

"We are struggling because, as a result of the president's executive order, and the stop work order, and on top of that, an unwillingness to pay their bills, organizations like Global Refuge, nonprofits across the country, are suffering," Vignarajah said.

You can learn more about Global Refuge here.

"Really essential services"

Global Refuge, which started in 1939, supports refugees and migrants entering the United States who need assistance. 

Despite trying, Vignarajah said the federal government has frozen refugee resettlement funding moving forward and hasn't reimbursed Global Refuge for services already rendered under their grant agreement. 

The grants help make sure their clients don't go homeless, have food on the table, can navigate public transportation and can enroll their children in public schools.

"These are really essential services we are talking about," Vignarajah said.

And because Global Refuge hasn't been reimbursed by the federal government, the organization has had to let go of hundreds of employees across the country.   

"We are on a reimbursement basis," Vignarajah said. "We followed the procedure we've followed for years. Unfortunately, though, we have submitted those repayments, which go not just to us, but to nonprofits all across the country. As a result of that, many organizations have had to let go of staff."