By james art 
The conversation in Vermont with David Goodman is a podcated Vtdigger, who presents in -depth interviews with local and national issues with politicians, activists, artists, Changemakers and citizens who make change. Listen below and subscribe to Apple Podcasts, Google Podcastes or Spotify to hear more.
Numerous refugees living in Vermont have lost support for food, rent and other basic needs after freezing funding imposed by the Trump administration. Refugee support organizations have lost access to federal funds on Monday, only so that a judge can block the order on Tuesday and make the government cancel the order on Wednesday. The situation caused confusion and panic among newly arrived refugees, who are legal immigrants who often arrive here with nothing.
The Federal Refugee Program supports people who have escaped war, natural disasters or persecution. Refugees usually receive funds for acceptance and accommodation (R&P) for their first 90 days in the country. Recently arriving families in Vermont receive $ 1,650 in research and development funds that allow them to pay for initial housing, medicines, clothing and other basic needs.
Last week, the Trump administration stopped receiving refugees, stopped payments for research and development and stopped almost all foreign assistance.
Oxfam America President has condemned the suspension of foreign aid as a “cruel solution that has consequences for life or death for millions of people around the world.”
On Wednesday afternoon, facing a fierce reaction, the Trump administration canceled its order that it freezes trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans. But this did not restore funding for admission and accommodation, leaving 59 recently arrived families with few resources to survive. And by Wednesday afternoon, some refugee groups in Vermont have not yet been able to gain access to federal funds to support their common operations.
On Tuesday afternoon, we talked about what was happening with the refugees in Vermont with Molly Gray, the CEO of the Afghan Alliance Vermont, the Yasin Hashimi, the head of programs in the organization, and the Soniana Samarasinghe, the director of the Field Office of the US Committee office Refugees and immigrants (USCRI).
“What we have seen in the last week is a systematic abandonment of Afghan allies and refugees in general,” Gray said. More than 600 people from Afghanistan, many of whom have helped the United States in its diplomatic and military missions, settled in Vermont after the departure of US troops and the collapse of the US -backed government in 2021.
Samarasinghe said: “It is undeniable that our capacity is diminishing, but we are fighting to continue to support these efforts, to support at least our customers and we are confident that with the support of Vermonters on the spot here and we are beyond their grateful for their The generosity of the spirit every day, we can meet these challenges. “
Yasin Hashimi worked on a US Embassy project in Kabul before escaping Afghanistan and coming to the United States in 2023. His parents were approved to come to the United States but stuck in Pakistan because of the Trump Administration on the Programs for Programs Refugees. Hashimi has already hired an apartment around Burlington in anticipation of his arrival, but does not know when or whether they will arrive.
“Sometimes we have to be ready for the biggest situation,” he reasoned.
But he added, “We should not give up and we must continue to fight for things that are right.”