Below is an Op-Ed Skeleton written for the Presidents' Alliance. The piece planned to be co-authored by another staff member describing recent refugee numbers. The Op-ed was directed the Maryland newspapers, The Baltimore Sun and Banner.
Maryland's Founding Promise is Under Attack:
Why the Lowest Refugee Goal in U.S. History is a Disaster Here
On October 30th, the Trump Administration announced the Presidential Determination for Refugee admissions for the 2026 Fiscal year at 7,500. This number is the lowest in the history of the U.S. refugee program established 45 years ago. This decision is made worse by the Trump administration’s pause on all refugee admissions and a revetting of those admitted during the Biden administration. This refugee number and policy decisions on refugees would not only be detrimental to the U.S. but also for Maryland and our rich history of Immigration resettlement. As a fellow Marylander, these changes are deeply unsettling and would cause significant damage to our state economically and socially.
For Maryland this policy decision would be economic suicide. Maryland has had a long history of supporting refugees coming into the United States, with a refugee population of 47,800 and an employment rate of 97.1%, refugees are vital contributors to our state’s economy. Refugee households bring in 2.6 billion worth of income and have a total spending power worth 1.9 billion.
The refugee cap is made all the worse by this administration’s arbitrary prioritization selections in refugees. In admitting predominately admitting white Afrikaners, tens of thousands of refugees from the world’s worst crisis areas in Ukraine, Sudan and Venezuela who have waited years for admission into the U.S. This policy puts refugees who have been vetted and accepted through the refugee program caught in limbo between federal, state and local level bureaucracy with no ability to relocate.
This presidential determination represents a broader effort by this administration to dismantle any-and-all refugee relocation services and effectively shut out hundreds of thousands fleeing from crisis and displacement. Since January, policies like the implementation of travel bans, withholding of government funds to non-profits and restrictions on food and health subsidies have disproportionately attacked refugees inside and outside of the US.
Unlike the discourse surrounding the Trump administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border, refugee resettlement has a strong support base in the U.S. Recent polling found that more than two-thirds of voters support the idea of refugee resettlement programs and was even higher at 88% among respondents who have met a refugee.
This public support is backed by basic economics. Research shows that refugees are a net benefit to the United States, generating $123.8 billion in financing to the U.S. government. Critically, these skilled newcomers fill urgent needs in sectors like healthcare, STEM and civil service. If this administration continues to slash legal pathways, the US economy would lose almost 900 billion in potential profit.
With the Presidents’ Alliance, we have already seen how policies aimed at refugees and displaced students have negatively impacted universities and areas around the country. Executive and judicial rulings on travel bans, Temporary Protected Status and Duration of Status (D/S) have gutted refugee numbers by 70%. These international and refugee students are a vital talent pipeline for professions in Science, Healthcare and Mathematics. We have only seen the short term impacts but the loss of these students on schools like UMD and Towson with thriving refugee and international students would be detrimental to vital labor forces.
For Maryland this policy decision would be economic suicide. Maryland has had a long history of supporting refugees coming into the United States, with a refugee population of 47,800 and an employment rate of 97.1%, refugees are vital contributors to our state’s economy. Refugee households bring in 2.6 billion worth of income and have a total spending power worth 1.9 billion.
Losing this influx of population and skills would be disastrous. Maryland faces major labor shortages in essential professions like healthcare, education and construction. In a state already struggling with domestic out-migrations, this refugee cap actively starves counties like Baltimore, Montgomery and Prince George’s, of the skilled workers needed to stabilize local economies and keep essential services running.
For Maryland, a country with a thriving immigrant and refugee population, this refugee admission cap would be devastating to our state’s diversity and neighborhoods. Demographically limiting refugees would hurt the culturally rich areas that make Maryland unique. The revetting of admitted refugees and the potential for expulsion for established groups who contribute economically and cultural to our communities would be devastating. Losing this influx in culture means fewer talent pipelines but also cultural ones as we lose what makes our state unique and a beacon for those in need.
I am urging all Maryland institutions, stakeholders and governments to uphold our state’s commitment to welcoming refugees by continuing to enroll and support those already in the U.S. and encouraging this administration to restore refugee admissions.
