Refugee families from around the world who had been approved to arrive in Alabama have had their relocations cancelled.

As legal battles continue over whether President Donald Trump can end the U.S. refugee program that dates back to WWII, resettlement agencies across Alabama are closing their programs.

In Mobile, the non-profit Dwell helps refugees find housing, jobs and schools within months of arrival and continues to help with English language and other assimilation support afterwards. They said they fear they may have to close their organization if funding cuts continue.

“To close our doors and to turn our backs on people who are suffering around the world would be a departure from who we are as a country,” said Molly Broders, refugee support services supervisor for Dwell.

In Huntsville, Global Ties Alabama was expecting three refugee families in the days following Trump’s order ending the program on January 24.

“You’ve been told you’re coming in January and February and, all of a sudden, you cannot come. And I don’t know what kind of persecution they’ve gone through, so I feel devastated about that,” said Executive Director Jacqui Shipe. “Some of them have gone through vetting multiple years before they get approved to come here.”

With the recent cuts, Dwell lost $255,000 in federal funds for fiscal year 2025 and is waiting to learn more in March about whether they will lose another 60% of their federal funding.

Global Ties Alabama lost $200,000 in federal funds the group was expecting to resettle refugees this year. Now she says they will help the families who recently arrived through April and then will close the program unless something changes. She expects she will lay off 11 employees, she said.

Refugees are people who face persecution or violence in their home countries. They are heavily vetted before being approved to enter the U.S., which has historically allowed a very small fraction of the world’s refugees permission to enter.

In January, Trump put a halt to the resettlement of refugees in the United States through an executive order and paused the federal funds that were allotted to state resettlement agencies.

Last week a federal judge in Seattle blocked Trump’s effort to end the program. Since then, President Trump has taken a new approach to stopping refugee resettlements by ending State Department contracts for refugee resettlement. The battle continues to unfold in the courts.

About 72% of Americans support allowing refugees into the country, according to a 2022 study by the Pew Research Center.

In his previous term, President Trump set a record low for refugees in the U.S., capping the number at 15,000 a year. While Trump banned all refugees at the start of his second term in office, he issued an executive order on February 7 making an exception for white people from South Africa.

In contrast, in 2024, President Biden allowed a record number of refugees to enter the country, 125,000. Alabama admitted about 800 refugees last year, said Liz Kurtz, Alabama state refugee coordinator. She manages the statewide program that coordinates the local resettlement agencies.

“You’ve got the local resettlement agencies who are trying to find creative ways of making sure people don’t come in for a crash landing,” said Kurtz. “But it might mean that they’re spending funding that was earmarked for the next year. So this time next year, I don’t know what our programming is going to look like.”

Alabama has one of the lowest numbers of refugee resettlements and is relatively new to doing this work. Most of the resettlement agencies have only been in existence for a few years, said Kurtz. For decades, Catholic Social Services, in Mobile, a group that no longer operates, was the only organization doing resettlement services in the state.

In Birmingham, Inspiritus does resettlement work. It’s a small offshoot of a group based in Atlanta, which laid off two employees after recent funding cuts. Another group in Birmingham is called Birmingham Cross Cultural Connections.

Global Ties in Huntsville has existed for 60 years and hosts international delegations for the U.S. State Department and recently shifted into resettlement work by hiring a full staff last year. In 2024, the group resettled 174 people from 49 families.

Shipe, the director, said community members approached her group in 2021 about helping as the U.S. was pulling out of Afghanistan, creating a crisis for allies left behind.

One former CIA and military officer said he wanted to help a particular man and his family of 15 children.

“He described him as a hero who helped to save military lives, American military lives. And he said, ‘I’d like to sponsor him and his family. Will you support me?’ And we immediately said yes.”

That family arrived in 2022.

Global Ties found them a four-bedroom house. The Afghan man said it felt like a castle, since his family of 17 had lived in a two-bedroom home before, said Shipe.

She said the Madison community has stepped in to help by bringing food and furniture. Volunteers take refugees to doctor’s appointments. Local restaurants and other businesses have sought out her clients.

“We know from conversations with employers that employers have had a tough time finding employees,” said Shipe. “And when they meet, interview, and hire our refugees, many of them are so appreciative that they’ve been able to fill those gaps.”

For now, no new refugees are coming to the state and the state’s recently begun resettlement agencies may close shop.

Jeri Stroade, executive director of Dwell, said even if legal action changes the landscape, it may be too late.

“We have serious questions and concerns about whether the damage has already been done regardless of the outcome of any lawsuits,” she said.

Her group has federal grants to continue to assist the roughly 350 refugees they’ve brought to Mobile in recent years. Those grants allow them to support their clients for five years after they arrive with services like childcare, English classes and employment help, such as writing resumes and connecting clients with employers. They also do after school tutoring, soccer and help clients apply for Medicaid and other benefits. The list of services they perform is set by the federal government. These funds make up about 60% of their budget, and they expect they may be cut in March.

“We live in a country where we have the bulk of the world’s resources and wealth and our country has a lot to offer, but our population is also dwindling and our labor force is (too),” said Broders at Dwell.

“The way that they got here basically means that they have resilience in their DNA,” she said, which translates to the workplace or school.

Kurtz, the statewide coordinator, said for now, there’s lots of uncertainty about the programs. The federal partners she would normally ask questions can’t answer them, and it is not clear what will happen with the withdrawn funds after the court battles. She said she feels cutting the programs means a loss for the state.

“Is Alabama a welcoming place or not?” she asked. “These are not undocumented people. These are the most documented people. ”