Refugee Resettlement in the Age of Trump with Medard Ngueita

Think Global, Do Justice

As we anticipate the inauguration of President-Elect Trump later this month, we take a moment to consider how some of his public comments and proposed policies will affect global neighbors that are fleeing violence and seeking refuge in the US. To guide us through this conversation, we have Medard Ngueita on the show. Medard is the Executive Director at World Relief Western Washington. He has a vast knowledge on refugee resettlement not only as a long time team member at World Relief, but also because he was once an asylum seeker himself. Medard talks with Brandon Stiver about the ramifications of the first Trump administration on refugee resettlement and how organizations are preparing for the prospective policies that will be enacted in the upcoming administration.

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Resources and Links from the show

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Follow Up Resources on President-Elect Trump's Proposed Immigration Policies

NPR Report - This report is a little dated and you can skip most of it, but the start of the segment includes clips of President-Elect Trump saying he plans to close refugee resettlement

Center for Migration Studies - The US Refugee Admissions Program: What's at Stake in the Election

KFF - Expected Immigration Policies Under a Second Trump Administration and Their Health and Economic Implications

Christian Post - "Why President-elect Trump should defend persecuted Christians" by Myal Greene and Ryan Brown

World Relief Press Release - World Relief Troubled by Rumors that Trump Administration Will Rescind Guidance Limiting Immigration Enforcement Activities in Churches and other “Sensitive Locations”

Conversation Notes

• 3:27 - The work of World Relief Western Washington and how they partner with the church to engage global crises
• 5:20 - Who is our neighbor that we are called to love?
• 7:35 - Medard’s own journey as a political asylum seeker from Chad
• 12:05 - The countries people are fleeing currently that are arriving in Western Washington
• 16:22 - Certain countries fly under the radar but are producing forcibly displaced people and most end up in neighboring countries refugee camps
• 19:40 - Comparing Medard’s arrival almost 20 years ago with what asylum seeking looks like now
• 23:50 - Reflecting on President Trump’s immigration and refugee policies that sought reduce the amount of asylum seekers entering the country from Latin America
• 29:10 - When President Obama left office, he set the refugee resettlement mark at 100,000 people, President Trump reduced it to 22,000
• 30:43 - The rub between international UN policies and nationalist sentiment within Western countries
• 46:30 - What churches can do to help refugees that are coming to the US in 2025
• 55:10 - The importance of a stance of humility and prayer in pursuing a life of justice