A social service agency that handles all refugees moving to Alaska says a disabled Somalia woman and two Ukraine families were scheduled to arrive in the state in February, but their trips have been canceled in response to President Donald Trump’s moratorium on refugees.
Lisa Aquino, executive director of Catholic Social Services in Anchorage, says the Somalia and Ukraine individuals are not among nearly 900 refugees to be allowed into the U.S. this week despite the suspension of the nation’s refugees program.
Catholic Social Services’ state refugee coordinator Jessica Kovarik says the Ukraine families account for eight individuals, including a pregnant woman. All three refugee groups have families in Anchorage.
The organization averages 130 refugees each year, with 78 refugees slated to relocate to Alaska this year.