NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Inside a waiting room at the Catholic Diocese of Nashville, you'll find refugees who have fled from their home countries, hoping to find a new life. For decades, the Catholic Church has helped ease the transition for thousands of families, approved to be here by the U.S. State Department.
"Assessing and vetting people fleeing from some of the most horrific conditions around the world, and then granting them legal authorization to come into the United States," said Rick Musacchio, Executive Director of the Tennessee Catholic Conference.
Beyond support services and short-term housing, the diocese even offers English language classes. "They have a long track record of being fully self-sufficient and self-sustaining within about 6 months of arrival," said Musacchio.
The diocese's two divisions that work with refugee resettlement were preparing for the arrival of more than 2,000 refugees to Tennessee by September 2025, when their program came to an abrupt halt last month. "One of the first actions of the incoming administration was to suspend all work on the refugee resettlement program," said Musacchio.
That meant all of their federal funding froze immediately. Families en route to Tennessee were ordered to stay put. "Put a hard stop on everything," said Musacchio. "Some of them were left, stranded, mid-travel when their travel documents were put on hold."
Already, the Catholic Church has made the difficult decision to lay off eight of their Nashville-based employees involved in this work, and there could be more impacting their 70 employees working on these cases. Especially if President Donald Trump doesn't reinstate those federal funds. " One of the most frustrating things about this is we don’t know how long the suspension might last," he said.
NICE, the Nashville International Center for Empowerment, has also reported layoffs as they struggle with funding.
Musacchio says, right now, they're focusing on supporting the refugees they've already settled in Tennessee. But even those support services may end without major donations from the community. "It’s such a disappointment for the people involved," he said.
Nuanced positions
Musacchio says, while deeply disappointed in President Trump's funding freeze, the church does favor strengthening enforcement at American borders. "You know the Catholic Church in the U.S. has, for many years, called for comprehensive immigration reform that starts with the recognition of a strong border," said Musacchio.
That being said, they also believe the government should make the process easier for those fleeing violence or who are already meaningful members of American communities. "Would encourage the United States to have a humane, just immigration policy, that handles orderly legal migration in a humane way," he said.
In the meantime, much like the people they serve, all the Catholic Church can do is wait and see how policies may change.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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-Lelan Statom
