International Institute of Minnesota receives stop-work order

We think Side by Side could be a great fit for church groups and other households of faith, neighborhood or friend groups. We have quite a few new families looking to be matched in St. Paul and Roseville.”

Micaela Schuneman

WHAT DO THEY DO?

The International Institute of Minnesota helps new Americans achieve their full potential as they begin new lives. The Institute’s services include refugee resettlement, citizenship and immigration support, English classes, college preparation, and workforce and leadership development. Founded in 1919, the Institute has been a pillar of support for new Americans more than 100 years. It is one of four resettlement agencies in the state of Minnesota.

Audio

International Institute of Minnesota receives stop-work order_Margie O’Loughlin.mp3

On Inauguration Day, incoming President Donald Trump signed an executive order that cancelled all refugee arrivals to the United States for at least 90 days. According to Micaela Schuneman, Senior Director of Immigration and Refugee Services at the International Institute of Minnesota, that action was expected.
What was not expected was the order from the U.S. State Department written four days later, on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
All U.S. resettlement agencies, including the International Institute of Minnesota, received an unprecedented Stop-Work Order on that day. They were told they must suspend all efforts to support or assist recently arrived refugees immediately: not those trying to come into the country, but those already here.
Schuneman said, “This meant that refugees who arrived in Minnesota within the last 90 days – who had completed their vetting, been approved for resettlement, and received work authorization – could no longer receive the services they were told they could depend on to get started.”
She continued, “As part of resettlement efforts funded by the federal government, agencies like ours help new Americans with basic needs for their first 90 days. The federal government has broken a longstanding promise. The assistance takes the form of dollars and services to help pay rent, buy groceries, enroll kids in school, find jobs, and make connections to medical care.”

How does all this work?
The federal government has disbursed funds to resettlement agencies across the country to help new arrivals since President Carter signed the Refugee Act in 1980. This has been part of an agreed-upon plan for achieving self-sufficiency for new arrivals, but has come to be viewed in increasingly partisan ways over time.
According to Schuneman, “From Institute estimates based on the number of clients we had, we thought we would need $300,000 to make up the short fall of federal funds. Since Inauguration Day, we’ve received about $100,000 from community and foundation donations. We’re committed to trying to honor the promise made by the U.S. government to help the refugees already here.”

Stand with refugees
Schuneman said, “Much of the work of the Institute is reuniting families who have been separated, sometimes for many years – but not everybody fits that description either. In our current pool of new arrivals, we have a single mom from Somalia with three children under the age of five. They don’t have close family living here the way many refugees do, but Minneapolis was chosen for them by the U.S. government because of its large Somali population. They arrived on Jan. 15, expecting to have the three-month grace period.”
There are many ways to stand with refugees in this uncertain time, which can be found on the Institute website’s volunteer page.
One newly created volunteer program is called Side by Side. This co-sponsorship model combines the Institute’s long-time expertise as a resettlement agency with the warmth of community support.
In this program, groups of 5-8 people can apply to become co-sponsors of a refugee family. Groups commit to six months of walking “side by side” with their matched family: teaching essential skills as they transition to life in America, and encouraging them as they work toward self-sufficiency. Side by Side co-sponsorship groups receive training and support from the Institute’s staff members along the way.
Schuneman said, “We think Side by Side could be a great fit for church groups and other households of faith, neighborhood or friend groups. We have quite a few new families looking to be matched in St. Paul and Roseville.”

Annual fundraiser coming up
The Institute’s annual fundraiser called “New Americans New Beginnings” will be held on Wednesday, May 7 from 5-8:30 p.m. The Depot in Downtown Minneapolis is the host site, at 225 3rd Avenue South in the Minneapolis Renaissance Hotel. Tickets and table sponsorship forms can be found on the website at www.iimn.org under the tab “How to Help.”
One-time or ongoing contributions can also be made to the International Institute through their website.
Schuneman pointed out that despite the pause in federal funding for new Americans, there’s still a lot of good work going on. She said, “There have been no interruptions in classroom activities or work force training. We’re in a difficult moment right now, but clients and students keep showing up every day.
“If they can, we can too. We are all resilient.”