MIAMI: Refugees had been arriving in the United States at levels unseen in nearly three decades, assisted by nonprofits and ordinary people across the political spectrum.
More than 160,000 Americans across every state signed up to resettle newcomers through the Welcome Corps, a public-private effort launched two years ago. More than 800,000 new arrivals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Ukraine and Afghanistan were also welcomed with help from financial supporters through a legal tool known as humanitarian parole.
That screeched to a halt after President Donald Trump’s inauguration and his administration’s immediate 90-day suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Program — a move that stranded thousands of vetted refugees, cut nonprofits’ staffing and left sponsors uneasy about the future of fledgling programs they felt had enriched their own lives.
Rivly Breus is among those feeling anxious. Working from a pastel peach house in South Florida, the crisis counselor has backed the resettlement of more than 30 people from Haiti, Ukraine and Cuba. She wanted to show them how to “thrive,” she said, rather than “being in survival mode all the time.”
“It’s also left us in limbo because we’re not able to answer some of the questions that our sponsees have,” Breus said. “We’re not able to give them the encouragement that we usually do, or the hope.”
NEW APPROACHES
New sponsorship pathways increased US resettlement capacity in recent years.
Humanitarian parole had been applied for seven decades toward migrants unable to use standard routes. The Biden administration expanded it for Ukrainians and with another program known as CHNV allowing up to 30,000 monthly entrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The intention was to dissuade illegal border crossings by providing two-year work authorizations, though they weren’t a path to citizenship.
Migrants needed to clear security checks and have US-based financial supporters. The nonprofit Welcome.US launched a platform to safely connect parolees and sponsors.
The State Department allowed private sponsors to ease refugees’ transition through the Welcome Corps beginning in January 2023. Groups of five or more sponsors had to secure at least $2,425 per refugee and commit to planning transportation, housing, education and employment. They could match with pre-approved applicants or name a specific refugee.
“Private sponsorship means we’re not asking a government or the taxpayer to fund this,” Ed Shapiro, a leading Welcome Corps funder, said in an email. “We’re saying, ‘Let us do this for our citizens, religious organizations, businesses and universities who want (or in some cases, need) to do this.’”
More than 9,000 sponsors have welcomed over 4,500 refugees since the program’s first arrivals in June 2023. Private philanthropists and GoFundMe.org established a fund to overcome financial barriers.
The idea was that sponsor circles could provide instant social capital and aid assimilation in a more meaningful way than government case workers.
“It was an initiative that I think was really energizing for folks,” said Marissa Tirona, president of Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees. “(For) everyday folks, neighbors, communities to establish more welcoming localities across the United States.”
Proponents pitched sponsorship as an intimate form of service that enabled ordinary people to supplement the resettlement agencies’ work and take an active role in reshaping their communities.
However, the Department of Homeland Security now says its predecessors abused humanitarian parole. When asked about Welcome Corps, a State Department spokesperson said Secretary of State Marco Rubio is ensuring all foreign assistance programs are “efficient and consistent” with the “America First”
“Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?” Rubio said in a statement.
A ‘STEPPING STONE’ IN MIAMI
Breus keeps busy helping.
When she’s not meeting patients or filling out grant applications in the afternoons for the antipoverty nonprofit, the Erzule Paul Foundation, where she runs operations, Breus said she enjoys taking new arrivals on outings around Miami like this winter’s photo session with a mall Santa. Her mother helps. They jumped at the opportunity to be a “stepping stone,” according to Breus.
She said ten foundation employees formed a “sponsor circle” and created an online profile that prospective migrants could browse. They indicated how many people they could sponsor and what resources they could offer. Together, the sponsors help with transportation, interpretation, job applications and school enrollment.
“Just the basics to help get them off their feet,” Breus said.
The experience was rewarding enough that Breus used Welcome.US to help Ukrainians resettle, but she says it has been pretty “shaky” lately. She’s been attending webinars so she can best advise her “sponsees,” some of whom are exploring moves to other countries.
Among them is Flor, who studied psychology in Haiti and works part time as an overnight stocker while taking English language classes. Flor asked to be identified only by her nickname because she fears deportation.
Flor had hoped her 5-year-old daughter, still in Haiti, might join her with Breus’ help.
“This week, with the news, I don’t even have the courage when I’m talking to her to look at her because I feel like I’m failing her,” she said Jan. 23 through a Creole-language interpreter.
FROM UTAH TO PENNSYLVANIA, SPONSORS SCRAMBLE
After frantically trying to expedite applications, sponsors are now sitting with growing uncertainty.
Provoked by the urgency of their refugees’ circumstances, some participants are lobbying lawmakers to uphold initiatives they say have broad appeal and praying they meet the unexplained “case-by-case” basis on which arrivals are now allowed.
Clydie Wakefield, 72, flew to D.C. this month, hoping her representatives’ offices might help. The retired teacher, who described herself as “conservative leaning but open,” began sponsoring an Afghan family after virtually tutoring their sister in English.
Wakefield said she’s not a “mover and shaker.” She just wanted to follow her Mormon faith’s calling to “give comfort to those in need of comfort.” She’d spent the holiday season finding housing and making final arrangements. Bedding and other necessities bought by her church community sit in a storage unit.
The woman and her siblings were maybe one month away from flying over when Wakefield said the executive order hit.
“It was really discouraging. But she just keeps hoping,” Wakefield said. “And I’m inspired by her. I’m going to continue to hope.”
Chuck Pugh, 78, said he felt “increasing pressure” to get an Afghan arrival’s parents, three sisters and two brothers from Pakistan to the Philadelphia area.
A political independent, Pugh said he gathered a bipartisan Welcome Corps group last July, including a Trump supporter. The family underwent an hours-long interview at the US embassy in Islamabad, he said, and reported for medical checks in November. He raised all the money required to cover post-arrival expenses for the seven-person family.
They redoubled their efforts this January because he felt they were “so very close.” Pugh said he can’t afford to give up — though he expects the family will be stuck for the near future.
“If we can be at the airport to welcome this family, that would really be one of the greatest days of my life,” Pugh said.
Sponsors, refugees in Pakistan and other countries feel stuck after US halt to resettlement programs
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Sponsors, refugees in Pakistan and other countries feel stuck after US halt to resettlement programs

- More than 160,000 Americans across every state signed up to resettle newcomers through a public-private effort launched two years ago
- The effort screeched to a halt after the Donald Trump administration’s immediate 90-day suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Program
Pakistan’s cement exports jump 29 percent but domestic demand remains weak

- Cement industry has struggled due to economic headwinds, high construction costs in Pakistan
- APCMA has asked the government to announce industry-friendly measures in the upcoming budget
KARACHI: Pakistan’s cement exports rose nearly 29 percent to 7.4 million tons in the first ten months of the current fiscal year, but overall despatches remained flat due to sluggish domestic demand, industry data showed on Saturday.
Total cement despatches, domestic and exports combined, reached 37.336 million tons during the July 2024 to April 2025 period, just 0.32 percent lower than the same stretch last year, according to the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA).
Domestic sales, however, dropped 5.55 percent to 29.978 million tons, while exports surged 28.77 percent from 5.714 million tons to 7.359 million tons.
“A healthy rise in exports this year is a good omen,” an APCMA statement said. “However, the industry’s resurgence was limited due to low domestic demand, leaving about one third of the industry capacity idle.”
April 2025 data showed total cement despatches increased by 13.24 percent year-on-year to 3.342 million tons, driven by a 34.56 percent jump in exports and a modest 7.64 percent rise in local sales.
The APCMA statement urged the government to announce industry-friendly measures in the upcoming budget to boost domestic construction activity and enhance the global competitiveness of Pakistani cement.
Pakistan’s cement industry has struggled in recent years with subdued domestic consumption due to economic headwinds and high construction costs, forcing manufacturers to increasingly rely on exports.
India blocks Pakistani celebrities on social media

- Last month, India banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for spreading ‘provocative’ content
- Fawad Khan, Babar Azam, and Arshad Nadeem among celebrities whose accounts have been blocked
NEW DELHI: New Delhi widened measures against Islamabad on Saturday, blocking access to the social media accounts of Pakistani actors and cricketers, as well as extending trade blocks and stopping postal services.
India blames Pakistan of backing the deadliest attack in years on civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, in which 26 men were killed.
Islamabad has rejected the charge, and both countries have since exchanged gunfire across their contested de facto border in Kashmir.
Pakistan’s military said it carried out a “training launch” of a surface-to-surface missile weapons system on Saturday, further heightening tensions.
On Saturday, India’s communications ministry issued a statement saying it had “decided to suspend the exchange of all categories of inbound mail and parcels from Pakistan through air and surface routes.”
The arch-rivals had already expelled each other’s citizens and closed the main border crossing, and barred aircraft from each other’s airspace.
Indian media on Saturday, citing a Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) order, said that Pakistani-flagged ships are barred from any Indian port — and Indian ships are banned from Pakistan.
The move, however, is seen as largely symbolic, as regular diplomatic flare-ups between the neighbors over decades have prevented close economic ties.
But cultural ties remain far stronger. The nations were only divided by the 1947 colonial creation at the violent end of British rule, partitioning the sub-continent into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan.
On social media, India banned on April 28 more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading “provocative” content, including Pakistani news outlets.
On Saturday, further restrictions blocked access in India to the Instagram account of Pakistan’s ex-prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan.
Bollywood movie regulars Fawad Khan and Atif Aslam were also off limits, as well as a wide range of cricketers — including star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and retired players Shahid Afridi and Wasim Akram.
Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem’s Instagram account was also no longer accessible to Indian users, reflecting the broad scope of the clampdown beyond just cricket.
Users in India attempting to access these accounts are shown a message indicating that they are unavailable due to compliance with a legal request.
Pakistan envoy urges Trump administration to help resolve Kashmir amid tensions with India

- Pakistan envoy tells Fox News world must address root causes of India-Pakistan tensions
- He says President Trump can build a peacemaker legacy by resolving the Kashmir dispute
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s envoy to the United States has urged Washington to move beyond crisis management and support efforts to resolve the Kashmir dispute, saying President Donald Trump came build a legacy by addressing the issue following last month’s deadly attack in the region.
The April 22 gun attack at a tourist hotspot in Indian-administered Kashmir left 26 people dead, prompting New Delhi to blame Pakistan, though Islamabad denied the charge forcefully.
India expelled Pakistani nationals and diplomats in the wake of the incident, closed a major border crossing, suspended a decades-old river water sharing treaty and imposed trade and shipping restrictions. Pakistan took reciprocal steps but also sought a neutral and impartial international investigation. Islamabad also warned that any military action by India would elicit a major response despite its desire to avoid escalation.
In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh said the risk of such crises would persist unless the global community moved beyond “band-aid solutions” and tackled the root cause of tensions.
“What we would urge the US leadership is to not only afford de-escalatory support in this situation but also to look at the broader issue of the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
India and Pakistan have fought several wars over the disputed Himalayan region, which both countries claim in full but rule in part.
“This is one nuclear flash point. There’s nothing flashier than this in terms of the impact on a large chunk of humanity that any misadventure, any miscalculation, any war here can cause. So, it would be an important part, it could be an important part of President Trump’s legacy to attend to this situation,” Sheikh added.
The Pakistani envoy noted that in previous crises, the international community had often intervened only to pull back before tensions were fully defused.
“This time ... it would be reasonable and perhaps even timely ... to perhaps not afford a band-aid solution, but to address the broader problem, the major disease that is there, and try and have a durable solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” he said.
Sheikh emphasized what he described as the “disproportionate responsibility” of the United States, as a preeminent global power, to help maintain and establish international peace and security.
He warned that the current crisis should not be allowed to fade without meaningful diplomatic solution.
“There is an opportunity in this situation, which we believe should not be squandered by the international community,” he added.
Over 8,800 Pakistani pilgrims in Madinah with 3,300 more expected today — state media

- The first groups of Pakistani pilgrims are scheduled to depart for Makkah on May 7
- Pilgrims going directly to Makkah will visit Madinah after performing Hajj rituals
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Hajj mission in Saudi Arabia has received nearly 8,890 pilgrims in Madinah, state media reported on Saturday, adding that 3,300 more were expected to arrive by the end of the day.
Pakistan launched its Hajj flights on April 29. For the first 15 days of the operation, pilgrims will continue to arrive in Madinah. Afterward, incoming pilgrims will land in Jeddah and travel directly to Makkah.
“The Pakistan Hajj Mission has so far received approximately 8,890 intending Pakistani pilgrims in Madinah by Saturday, who arrived through 35 flights operated by various airlines from major cities of Pakistan to perform their religious obligation under the government scheme,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
“As many as 12 flights, carrying 3,300 more pilgrims, are scheduled to arrive in the holy City Madinah on Saturday,” it added.
Pilgrims from across the world are converging in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, which begins on the 8th of Dhu Al-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar.
The first groups of Pakistani pilgrims are scheduled to depart for Makkah on May 7 after completing their eight-day stay in Madinah. Departures will follow the sequence of their arrival in the city, according to the religious affairs ministry.
Under the single-route system, all Pakistani pilgrims arriving in Madinah will proceed to Makkah for Hajj before returning to Pakistan via Jeddah.
Pilgrims flying directly to Makkah will later visit Madinah before departing for home.
Upon reaching Makkah, pilgrims will perform their first obligatory Umrah, according to the ministry.
India bans imports from Pakistan amid tension over tourist killings

- New Delhi has issued a notification barring goods coming from or transiting through Pakistan
- Pakistani-flagged ships and Indian-flagged ships are barred from entering each other’s ports
NEW DELHI: India said on Saturday it had banned the import of goods coming from or transiting via Pakistan and barred Pakistani ships as tensions rise between the nuclear-armed neighbors in the wake of a deadly attack on tourists in the disputed Kashmir region.
India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a notification that the ban would take effect immediately.
“This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy,” it said.
Suspected militants killed at least 26 people in last week’s attack on a mountain tourist destination in the Pahalgam area of the Kashmir valley.
The Muslim-majority Himalayan region is claimed by both India and Pakistan, and has been the focus of several wars, an insurgency and diplomatic standoffs.
India has accused Pakistan of involvement in the attack, which Islamabad denies. Pakistan has said it has “credible intelligence” that India intends to launch military action.
Pakistan’s retaliatory measures have included halting all border trade, closing its airspace to Indian carriers and expelling Indian diplomats.
It has also warned that any attempt to prevent the flow of river water promised under a decades-old treaty would be considered an act of war.
On Saturday, India said Pakistani-flagged ships would not be allowed to visit any Indian port, and Indian flagged-ships would not visit any ports in Pakistan.
“This order is issued to ensure safety of Indian assets, cargo and connected infrastructure, in public interest and for interest of Indian shipping,” the Directorate General of Shipping said in an statement.
Trade between the two nations has dwindled over the last few years.