President Donald Trump’s executive order to stop the flow of refugees into the country has some social service agencies worried in Rhode Island.
The order calls for a moratorium on accepting refugees for several months and restricts immigration from certain Middle Eastern countries. Dorcas International head Kathleen Cloutier says she doesn’t understand the need for what she calls a overreaching regulation.
“I think we do have a good vetting system. Our immigration services has really clamped down on background checks for folks coming.”
Cloutier says her agency is working with refugees in Rhode Island who are trying to get families members out of war torn countries. Their future is uncertain. Cloutier says more than 100 refugees have arrived in Rhode Island since October and she was expecting more.
“We have quite a few refugees who have family members, relatives here that are sponsoring them when they get there. And so basically it’s this worry and concern in terms of what happens to these folks.”
Those are people families left behind in war torn countries like Syria.
Trump says refugees from certain countries like Syria pose too great a danger.