The last week and a half has been a rollercoaster for refugees, and the organizations that work with them. First there was President Trump’s executive order on immigration. It immediately suspended entry into the U.S. of people from seven countries, all majority Muslim, for 90 days. The ban also suspended entry of all new refugees for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely. Then, last Friday, a federal District Court judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order blocking key elements of the order. Some refugees and other immigrants resumed traveling. The Trump Administration appealed. The federal court of appeals for the western U.S. is set to hear arguments this afternoon.
How are organizations that resettle refugees coping with the uncertainty? What are the implications for refugees if the immigration order is upheld? Ruben Chandrasekar, executive director of the Baltimore and Silver Spring offices of the International Rescue Committee, joins us.
