HIGH POINT, N.C. — A local agency that helps refugees settle in the Triad has mixed feelings about President Trump’s revised travel ban.
“It’s a step in the right direction when you compare it to the first order,” said Jennifer Foy, Executive Director of World Relief High Point. “But in all, a ban is unnecessary and could seriously hurt refugees.”
The President signed a revised executive order on Monday. According to White House officials, the order aims to protect the U.S. from foreign terrorists who could enter the country.
“The hard thing is that we are 100 percent for security, but also 100 percent for refugees,” Foy explained. “So if there are things that need to be done to make things more secure, we will support that 100 percent. But we also don’t feel like this is the right answer for that.”
A revision to the order takes out the indefinite ban on Syrian refugees. This is the portion of the order that World Relief High Point applauds.
“There are a lot of Syrian refugees. We know that. And this provides an opportunity for them to continue to come and have some hope,” Foy said.
After the first ban in January, World Relief High Point was forced to lay off five employees because they learned they would be accepting fewer refugees.
Originally, World Relief planned to resettle about 675 refugees between High Point and Winston-Salem this year.
That number was cut down to 300 after the original ban was put into place. According to World Relief, the total will not change under the revised ban.
The executive order begins on March 16th. From that point, no refugees will be allowed into the U.S. for 120 days while the President reviews safety protocols.
Read more at Triad Refugee Resettlement Agency Responds To Revised Travel Ban.
