Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota is eliminating 27 staff positions, citing the Trump administration’s suspension of refugee admissions and stoppage of federal funds for resettlement agencies to aid new arrivals.
Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota announces staff cuts
The decision was prompted by Trump orders halting flow of refugees, federal funding until further notice.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 17, 2025 at 7:11PM
“With no new arrivals [and] no funding for resettlement services, we are in the unfortunate position of reducing staffing to align with the financial situation,” the nonprofit organization informed staff in a letter sent out Friday by Alexis Oberdorfer, senior vice president of services.
The move comes amid hard times for refugee resettlement organizations around the country after President Donald Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office, Jan. 20, suspending the 45-year-old U.S. Refugee Admissions Program until a determination can be made that further entry of refugees aligns with the national interest.
Days later, a spokesperson for LSSMN said in an email that 37 refugees it was planning to resettle had their flights canceled and another three refugees with flights booked in February were also likely to have their trips called off.
The Trump administration also issued a “stop work” order to refugee resettlement agencies at the end of his first week in office and froze millions in federal funds that those agencies rely on to cover rent, transportation, food and other necessities for refugees’ first three months in the United States. LSSMN said it was trying to cobble together private funds to address refugees’ immediate needs and had helped resettle 387 refugees between Oct. 1 and Jan. 30.
Friday’s letter said the majority of the position eliminations will be effective Feb. 18 and that staff have been provided information about other opportunities to stay with LSSMN in other service areas if possible.
Advocates point out that refugees are heavily vetted overseas before arriving in the country legally and tend to become self-sufficient and start contributing to the economy quickly. In his executive order, however, Trump lumped in refugees with the millions of migrants who crossed the border unlawfully in recent years and stated that the U.S. lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of both groups into its communities in a manner that protects safety and security, ensures appropriate assimilation and does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans.
LSSMN says it is one of the state’s largest nonprofit social service organizations and does extensive work beyond refugee resettlement, with an overall staff of 2,400.
The federal government requested the review be paused 30 days to allow newly confirmed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi “to become more familiar with this matter.”
