TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Feb 4, 2025

The Tennessee Office for Refugees, a department of Catholic Charities, anticipated serving more than 2,000 newly-arriving refugees between September 2024 and September 2025. One of President Donald Trump's Jan. 20 executive orders froze all refugee resettlement and support, leaving the refugees and the nonprofits that work with them in limbo. Tennessee Lookout reports that a subsequent Jan. 24 “stop work” letter was sent to resettlement agencies across the country to halt “reception and placement” services, which impacts more than 140 refugees who already were in Tennessee. Rick Musacchio, executive director of the Tennessee Catholic Conference, told News Channel 5 that the organization is focusing on supporting the refugees they already have settled, but even those services may end without major financial support from the community.