Columbus refugee resettlement agency braces for possible federal constraints

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Amanuel Merdassa makes excellent eye contact when you speak with him.

Nearly an hour into an interview, he revealed eye contact was one of many things he helped fellow immigrants and refugees -- who often come from cultures where eye contact is disrespectful -- adjust to when they move to central Ohio. 

Merdassa is the director of youth programs for the Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services, a Columbus nonprofit that helps refugees and immigrants from more than 90 countries establish roots in central Ohio. ETSS offers a plethora of services for refugee immigrants of all ages, from job training to childcare to housing assistance.

In the video player above, see an earlier report on Columbus' Commission on Immigrants and Refugee Affairs.

ETSS said they helped more than 12,000 new Americans in 2023 alone, including 135 resettled individuals. In 2025, they are unsure how many – if any – they will be able to work with in their resettlement program. 

“We don't know what's going to happen after January,” ETSS CEO and founder Seleshi Asfaw Ayalew said. “ETSS still stands with its mission to support the refugee families, and we’re not going anywhere. I hope there is good local support that we have. The state is very progressive and understanding, the governor’s office – they understand the impact of refugee immigrants. But in general, our community is in fear. We don't know what's going to happen.”

Refugees are admitted to the U.S. through the Refugee Admissions Program, which is controlled by the executive branch. With guidance from Congress, the president determines how many refugees will be admitted to the U.S. each year, or the refugee ceiling. In its first year, 1980, more than 200,000 refugees were accepted. President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised sweeping immigration reform, saw the fewest refugees admitted.

To be accepted into the U.S., refugees must go through extensive security checks, ranging from medical screenings to multiple federal interviews. At least four federal agencies screen each refugee immigrant before they are accepted, and the final step of refugees arriving in the U.S. is assistance through local resettlement programs like ETSS.

Ayalew said Americans often confuse refugee immigrants with concerns of undocumented immigration, especially along the southern border.

“Everybody has to go through the legal system, of course, but many Americans confuse or misunderstand what refugee resettlement programs and other issues are,” Ayalew said. “There are so many misunderstandings, like ‘refugees are not taxpayers, refugees are not working hard, refugees are in one side of politics, supporting one party.’ That's not really true. Refugees are hardworking people, taxpayers and innovators.”

Other community resources have also been preparing for what they say may be an uncertain future for refugee and immigration services in the U.S. ETSS is prepared to lose some of its federal funding, and it anticipates relying more heavily on state and local resources. Among worries, Ayalew and Merdassa said they are grateful to the central Ohio community, who they say is helpful and supportive of their cause.

"Our plan is really to continue working with our local government, central Ohio generous funding supports that we have from corporations to foundations," Ayalew said. "Central Ohio is a very generous community. I've seen it for the last 27 years."

According to the Migration Policy Institute, 134 refugee resettlement offices working with the federal government closed under Trump's first administration. Ayalew said ETSS has grown considerably, providing it some comfort, but said if there are constraints put in place after the Jan. 20 inauguration, community members can help ETSS through donations and volunteering.