Skip to main content

Refugees and resettlement groups brace for a second Trump presidency | The Excerpt


On Saturday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: Paste BN National Correspondent Chris Kenning discusses how refugees and advocates are preparing for a second term for President-elect Donald Trump. Protests are expected this weekend ahead of Trump's Monday inauguration. Crews make progress on Los Angeles-area fires. Plus, California fires are growing larger and more destructive in general. Paste BN TV Reporter Erin Jensen tells us about her public search for Mr. Right. Nominate yourself or someone you know to win a dream date with her.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it.  This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Podcasts:  True crime, in-depth interviews and more Paste BN podcasts right here

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Saturday, January 18th, 2025. This is The Excerpt.

Today, what's next for refugees under a second Trump term? Plus, protests are expected this weekend ahead of Monday's inauguration, and we hear from one of our reporters and her search for Mr. Right.

Refugees and resettlement groups are bracing for a second Donald Trump presidency. I spoke with Paste BN national correspondent Chris Kenning about their uncertain future.

Chris, thank you for hopping on today.

Chris Kenning:

Thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

So let's just start with this, Chris. What's the expectation for the US refugee program under Donald Trump? What has he said about this? And we had four years of Trump, previously. What did we see under Trump last time?

Chris Kenning:

Across the country, refugee communities and resettlement agencies are really bracing for the possibility that Trump's going to halt or curtail the refugee program.

He's portrayed it as vulnerable to security concerns. And last year during the campaign, he had vowed that on day one he was going to enact travel bans, suspend refugee admissions and stop resettlement.

Now, how that campaign promises translate into policy is yet to be made clear, but it definitely echoes his first term. When Trump sought to block travel from immigrants from some Muslim majority nations, and he did temporarily halt admissions. And wound up slashing the annual admittance caps to really historic lows, which hobbled the resettlement network across the country.

Biden wound up restoring the program and in 2024, resettled more than 100,000 refugees, which was a 30-year-high. So all that is at risk is what advocates are saying.

Taylor Wilson:

Yeah. Well, as for advocates, what have they been doing in recent weeks, Chris, as they prepare for a second Trump term? What are you hearing from them?

Chris Kenning:

They're waiting to see what happens. No one's quite sure what or when might occur. Some have been trying to finalize already approved resettlements as folks come in. Some are gearing up to try to court volunteers or reach out for more donations if they're going to need them, if funding is cut.

And advocates that are also working to distinguish how refugee resettlement differs from other immigration issues. These are well-vetted immigrants who arrive legally and some of the most vetted of any that come. Back home, they're facing persecution or a humanitarian crisis. And that's a big contrast to people who seek asylum after they show up at the border, or people who cross the border without permission.

Refugees before they're approved, they have to apply overseas and they go through security checks by law enforcement and US Intelligence and medical screening and interviews, and that takes years.

Taylor Wilson:

Chris, you spoke with someone who works with refugees who said that when the US steps back, other countries will use it as an excuse to close their borders to refugees. Can you talk through that point a little bit?

Chris Kenning:

Yeah, the United States is the world's largest resettlement destination right now. Since the 1980 Refugee Act that helped create the program, more than 3 million refugees have been resettled in the US. Fiscal year 2023, they came from countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, places that are facing conflict and crises.

But that also comes, as globally, some of those crises have pushed up the number of refugees to nearly 44 million. Yet at the same time you see rising anti-refugee sentiment in countries, including in Europe. There's been people objecting to some of the costs and different things. Advocates worry that if the US pulls back, that could really give other countries an excuse to close their borders as well.

Taylor Wilson:

Are there concerns about costs, Chris, when we're talking about bringing in huge numbers of refugees in this way? What do the numbers say about how refugees contribute versus what they cost?

Chris Kenning:

During the Biden administration, after the program was really cut down, he increased the funding quite a bit. And the costs come in terms of the vetting and the processing. But also once refugees who are approved arrived in this country, there's a network of resettlement agencies and affiliates that help them with, find housing, get healthcare, find jobs in the initial phases while they get on their feet.

There are objections to that among some, but a federal study found that over a 15-year period that refugees contributed $123 billion more than the cost in government expenditures.

Some people want to give states the right to reject resettlements, and there's a bill in Congress that was filed last year that would do just that. So we'll be watching that as well.

Taylor Wilson:

Chris, I want to hear some of the perspective from the refugees themselves. I know you spoke with a few for this piece. What are their concerns and are folks hopeful about this Trump term when it comes to the refugee program?

Chris Kenning:

There's a lot of concern that it would halt or delay long-awaited resettlements or reunifications.

One woman I spoke to is named Kashidi Sangura. She lives in Arkansas now, but she's fled violence in the DRC, years ago, and spent many years in a Tanzanian refugee camp. But during the fighting that she fled, she lost and was separated from two of her sons. And she's long been tortured by their disappearance.

And it was only after she was resettled in Arkansas that she learned that they were alive, in their early 20s, has been working to reunite with them through the program. But they haven't been booked to travel and she's really worried that things might change once the new administration takes shape.

Now, like I said, it's not clear what's going to happen or when. And refugees may not figure as large of an issue as Trump tries to enact mass deportations, which is another thing he's promised.

Taylor Wilson:

All right.

Chris Kenning is a national correspondent with Paste BN. I appreciate your work as always, Chris. Thanks for hopping on and discussing.

Chris Kenning:

Thanks so much.

Taylor Wilson:

It's the final weekend before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration and protests are expected. The largest, the People's March, is an outgrowth of the 2017 Women's March, which drew millions of protesters upset over Hillary Clinton's loss and Trump's record of misogynistic comments and accusations of sexual abuse.

Numbers are expected to be lower this time around, though it'll start in three different locations at 10:00 today in Washington. Each location has a different interest focus, immigration, abortion, and birth control and climate change. The three marches will then convene at the Lincoln Memorial for a rally.

On Monday, the day of the inauguration and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Reverend Al Sharpton's civil rights advocacy group, National Action Network, will hold a march honoring Dr. King.

Also on Monday, the A.N.S.W.E.R., or Act Now to Stop War and End Racism coalition, is calling for people to rally in about 80 cities nationwide to quote, "Defeat Trump's extreme right-wing agenda."

Conservatives will also be holding an event in Washington this weekend. A Trump victory rally is planned for 3:00 PM tomorrow at Capital One arena.

And although not tied to the inauguration, the annual anti-abortion rights March for Life will occur on Friday, January 24th in Washington.

As for Monday's inauguration, the ceremony has been moved indoors due to extreme cold. It's the first time that's happened since the second inauguration of Ronald Reagan in 1985.

Slower winds and cooler temperatures yesterday provided some reprieve for crews battling the Los Angeles area wildfires as search teams looked for dozens of missing people and thousands of evacuees waited to reenter their homes. Local officials have told most evacuees to stay away until hazardous materials and search and rescue teams have sifted through the ash and rubble.

Though dangerous fire weather conditions have eased, officials warned of other potential risks that impacted neighborhoods, including toxic waste and hazardous electricity and gas lines. And high winds are expected to return next week.

California wildfires, like the Palisades and Eaton fires, are growing larger and more destructive in general. Since 2014, the 10-year average number of acres burned by wildfires each year in California roughly doubled according to the State's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

And not including the latest fires, the department reports that since 2017, all of the state's nine largest fires have burned. You can read more about some of the factors behind these trends with the link in today's show notes.

Paste BN TV reporter Erin Jensen is conducting a search across the country for an extraordinary valentine. I spoke with Erin to learn more about her search for Mr. Right.

Erin, thank you so much for joining me today on The Excerpt.

Erin Jensen:

Oh my gosh, thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here.

Taylor Wilson:

Well, so excited to have you. This is such a unique idea for a project. My team and I have been talking about this all week. How did you come up with this idea and what exactly are you doing?

Erin Jensen:

Well, anyone listening who has seen Sleepless in Seattle will be like, "I know exactly how she came up with that idea."

I am obsessed with romantic comedies. I have watched them from a very young age. I've just always had this little fantasy of could we do Sleepless in Seattle here? I'm 37, I'm single, I've tried the apps. I try asking people, "Do you know anyone to set me up with?" And their response is, "I don't know anyone so wonderful for you." Or, "Everybody I know is married."

So I've just kind of hit this wall. And instead of saying, "Oh, I'm going to be stuck behind a wall." I think, "Okay, well, how do we get out of it? How can we think outside of the box, so to speak?"

So because Paste BN is so wonderful, my editor is so wonderful, she said, "We should do a nationwide search for your Valentine's Day date." And that's what we're doing.

So we are asking fantastic men, we know that you're out there, fantastic men to either apply or for people who know fantastic men. Maybe you're a sister, maybe you're a mom, maybe you just know a really great guy at the gym to nominate them. And then we will have a Valentine's date in New York City.

Taylor Wilson:

It's so exciting. I love this idea. So I just want to give you the chance, Erin, if you want to tell the listeners maybe there's some prospective dates out there. What would you like to tell them about yourself?

Erin Jensen:

Oh, how much time do we have? No. One of the best things about being a journalist is I get to ask the questions and I don't have to talk about myself for long.

But I just want people to know that I'm super fun. I'm a whole person. I've done a lot of work on myself. This isn't any sort of act of desperation. I think I can be my best self without being someone's better half.

But I just am serious about this. I'm hopeful, I'm optimistic that I can meet some really great gentlemen throughout this process. So I just want them to know I'm serious about this and I'm excited. I'm optimistic.

Taylor Wilson:

Okay. So is there anything specific you're hoping for in a potential partner, whether it's goals, whether you want kids or not, shared interests? What are you looking for?

Erin Jensen:

Yes, I definitely want kids. And under the umbrella of shared interests, just please be someone who enjoys eating food. People would always joke like, "What do you want in a partner? I'm like, "I just want to be able to poke someone in the back and be like, do you want to go to brunch?" Rather than text six friends to find someone to go to brunch with.

I want someone to share adventures with. I want someone to text on a bad day. I do not have a geographical preference. If my soulmate is running a vineyard in Napa, I'm not going to say, "No, I can't move to Napa for you." People should also know that I'm open to geographical locations and I will move for love.

Taylor Wilson:

Cool. Well, I want to keep things positive. But we have seen with dating shows like The Bachelor and the surprisingly popular Golden Bachelor, public romances can often turn into public breakups. Erin, have you weighed concerns about this leading to a lack of privacy or any other issues?

Erin Jensen:

I think that's so hard. Right? I've watched a season or two of the Bachelor, Bachelorette and I would get so invested because they had me for two hours a week. And then if they break up, it's like, "Ah." It's hard. You feel for them. And also you're like, "That was a lot of time that I could have done something else."

But I think that it's unfortunate, but I'm sure we've all experienced a breakup. And I think people understand that life happens and I would hope that they would respect that. And you know, it's just life. So I'm hopeful that this works out, but I certainly understand that it could not.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. Well, Erin Jensen is a TV reporter for Paste BN. Erin, best of luck and we're all excited to see where this leads. Thanks for hopping on to chat.

Erin Jensen:

Thank you so much.

Taylor Wilson:

You can nominate yourself or someone else with a link in today's show notes. In addition to answering a few short questions, you'll also need to upload a photo. And yes, a short video. You can apply through January 27th.

Will 2025 be the year crypto becomes a dominant currency? President-elect Donald Trump might help make it so.

Laura Shin:

Trump has made a number of promises to the crypto community. He has called himself the first crypto president, and this is frankly, quite a turnaround from his first administration.

Taylor Wilson:

Crypto journalist, Laura Shin, joins The Excerpt tomorrow to tally up crypto's future. You can find that episode right here beginning at 5:00 AM on this feed.

And thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio, and if you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt.

I'm Taylor Wilson, and I'll be back Monday with more of The Excerpt from Paste BN.