The Bowling Green-based International Center of Kentucky has resettled 74 refugees in Warren and surrounding counties since October.
During a quarterly meeting on Thursday, leaders with the refugee resettlement agency met with local and state officials to discuss the ongoing efforts to help families and individuals arriving on refugee or parole status. The resettlement agency has the capacity to resettle 318 refugees during the 2025 federal fiscal year that ends on September 30, 2025, the same figure the organization operated from last year.
International Center President Albert Mbanfu said changes in the federal administration could alter resettlement efforts by his organization in the future.
“Everything being equal we should have a very diverse group of people coming in this year but again that’s with a very big question mark,” Mbanfu said.
During the meeting, Becky Jordan, Director of the Kentucky Office for Refugees, offered more insight to how the statewide network might be impacted as a result of the transition in the new federal administration.
Jordan said while there is still a lot of unknown her office is bracing for drastic change.
“The presidential determination for 2025 is 125,000,” Jordan said. “But the network fully expects that when the new administration starts on January 20th there will be new executive orders submitted and we don't know. We are anticipating a reduction or a pause.”
According to the Jordan the office will work to resettle as many foreign nationals before the Trump administration will assume office in January.
"As someone who has done this work for 25 years, I believe the executive order pauses or go down to zero, so that is why there is an effort on the Department of State to resettle as many as we can before the 20th of January because there are going to be family, if they don't come before the 20th may not come at all for several years," Jordan added.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the federal refugee program when he takes office next year. During his first term as president, the Trump administration weakened the refugee resettlement network nationwide, with resettlement agencies forced to cut costs and close offices.
The Kentucky Office for Refugees is the state's designated office by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement. The organization oversees refugee resettlement programs across the commonwealth. The Bowling Green-based International Center of Kentucky represents the office based in southern Kentucky and provides resources to refugees and immigrants arriving in Warren County and surrounding counties through employment opportunities, English language classes, and immigration assistance.
Evelina Gevorgiyan, a case manager with the International Center, said since October the center has received children and adults from African, Asia and Latin America.
“In October we received 11 individuals, in November it was 37 individuals. Based on our capacity which is 350 for this year. We are looking at 29 or 30 individuals every month,” Gevorgiyan said. ““So it was 13 from Malaysia, 3 El-Salvador clients, 27 Afghanistan, 7 Syrian clients, and 24 Congolese. Out of 74, there were 41 children and 33 adults.”
The International Center expects to resettle roughly 350 refugees before the end of the current fiscal year on October 1st, 2025.
