Time is Running Out for US Refugees: Faith Leaders Urge Governors to Meet Christmas Deadline

Refugee advocates are racing to meet a Christmas deadline set by the Trump administration.

At stake: what communities they will be able to resettle refugees in next year.

This week, faith leaders connected with the Evangelical Immigration Table and the Christian humanitarian agency World Relief reached out to 15 governors, asking them to give the green light to refugee resettlement in their states.

The move comes in the wake of a new executive order from President Trump which mandates that state and local jurisdictions provide advance written consent by Dec. 25 if they want to welcome refugees. 

The White House issued the order on Sept. 26, giving just 90 days for state and local government leaders to comply.

More than 2,600 evangelical leaders have collectively signed on to the letters to the governors, citing each state's history of welcoming refugees as well as their contribution to the state economy.

The letters also reference the State Department's vetting process for refugees and its success. Since the US refugee resettlement program began in 1980 no refugee has been charged in connection with an act of terrorism.

So far, 14 governors and a handful of local communities have provided written consent to welcome refugees.

At the same time, a court fight is playing out that could undermine the president's executive order.

Three refugee resettlement agencies are suing the Trump administration over the order in a federal court in Maryland. A judge there could rule in January on a motion to block it.

In October the Trump administration slashed the number of refugees the US will admit in 2020 to 18,000. It's the lowest number since the US began the program in 1980.