DURHAM (RNS) — At a quickly convened Zoom meeting in late November, members of Judea Reform Congregation summoned volunteers to form a team that would sponsor a refugee family before a January deadline.
That deadline is Jan. 20, Inauguration Day, when Donald Trump returns to the White House, after which the U.S. policy of admitting refugees is expected to be cut back, if not entirely eliminated.
Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, this congregation in Durham, North Carolina, has stepped up its efforts to resettle refugees and humanitarian parolees. So far, the congregation has sponsored nine families, or 44 individuals from a handful of countries. It now wants to sponsor two more families before it might be too late.
“Based on his promises, Trump will immediately suspend the U.S. refugee admissions program,” explained Marian Abernathy, a lay leader at the 600-member synagogue who has led the refugee resettlement efforts. “Anyone who is not already here and through customs will be turned back. Time is of the essence.”
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