April 2025
Dear friends,
Honoring Our History & Our Communities
For the last two centuries, long before the creation of the United States Refugee Admission Program (USRAP) in 1980, Lancaster County has been a place of refuge for individuals and families fleeing persecution and violence. CWS Lancaster has been honored to stand in that tradition, providing hope & home to thousands of refugees and immigrants through our resettlement, housing, wellness, employment, legal services, advocacy, and community-building programming.
Just last year, you helped us welcome 528 new refugee neighbors from 29 different countries to peace and safety. You can read more about our collective work empowering refugees and championing rights and freedoms for all immigrants in our community in our Fiscal Year 2024 Impact Report.
Right now, however, our welcoming tradition is at risk. Individuals like Gabby, who was granted asylum, now have no options to keep their family safe. Afghan neighbors like Jawad are at risk of financial insecurity due to extreme funding cuts and program terminations. These are not just statistics — these are real people, real families, real lives.
Immediate Harm & Significant Impact
Since taking office, the Trump administration has signed a series of executive orders and program terminations that have brought fear and uncertainty to refugees and immigrants and resulted in significant cuts to CWS programs. In February, CWS Lancaster was forced to furlough approximately 75% of our local staff due to the termination of federal reimbursement funds for resettlement services provided even prior to any executive orders.
Despite this, our remaining staff went to work immediately, prioritizing areas of essential services to the most vulnerable among our clients. Since January,
- We welcomed 28 new refugee neighbors from El Salvador, Haiti, Eritrea, Sudan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Iran and partnered with local volunteers and faith groups to ensure these families continued to receive the services they deserve, despite the program suspension and funding freeze.
- Economic Empowerment staff enrolled 91 neighbors in job readiness programming and connected 23 new neighbors to sustainable employment, empowering individuals with dignity and the ability to provide for their families.
- 28 individuals have received intensive case management support for physical and mental health needs, ensuring these vulnerable individuals can heal and thrive in their new community.
- Immigrant Children’s Program (ICP) staff provided 47 in-person legal screenings to children residing in Office of Refugee Resettlement shelters and initiated representation for 23 unaccompanied children in removal proceedings.
Recently, CWS Lancaster has been able to bring 25 staff members back to work and we are now operating with a local staff of 52. We are overjoyed to welcome our colleagues back to the office, but we also grieve the loss of staff whose positions have been terminated due to national policies and loss of federal funding, some of whom have worked with CWS Lancaster for decades.
Stand In The Gap
While we have persevered through some difficult times over our almost 40-year history, we have never before witnessed such aggressive actions against our clients and our mission. The speed and severity of recent executive orders and program terminations is having a profound impact on our programs and our communities. The stakes are high and we need your support.
Since January 20, CWS Lancaster has raised $225,000 to sustain critical services and provide direct financial support for our most vulnerable clients. We need an additional $275,000 in emergency funding to ensure that:
- 88 refugee neighbors enrolled in our Matching Grant program can meet basic needs, secure work, and avoid housing and financial insecurity;
- Case Managers in our health and family wellness programs can provide support and direct client aid to 90 individuals facing mental and physical health challenges or working to achieve family goals;
- CWS Lancaster can fulfill legal obligations to the 200+ unaccompanied children we represent so that no child is forced to face immigration proceedings alone;
- Refugees and immigrants are aware of their legal rights and empowered to exercise them through consultations with our immigration legal counseling programs.
Your donation today can help bridge FUNDING gaps and ensure that OUR NEIGHBORS receive the care and protection they deserve.
The beauty of Lancaster as a welcoming place, where human dignity is honored and diversity of background is cherished, will not be destroyed by executive orders and funding terminations. We know that these actions do not reflect our values or who we are as a community. Although the government is no longer fulfilling its promises to families and allies seeking a safe place to call home, our community will always stand for welcome and with the displaced.
Valentina Ross
DIRECTOR
CWS Lancaster & South Central PA
Read more about policy decisions, pending litigation, and CWS actions from our CWS HQ office’s State of Play at https://cwsglobal.org/blog/daily-state-of-play-trumps-indefinite-refugee-ban-and-funding-halt/