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As Congress moves forward with immigration reform, we take a look at how this issue connects to culture, business and families in the Northwest.Our region is home to a unique blend of immigrants who work in all parts of our economy — from high-tech to agriculture. This population already has a deeply-rooted history here. And its ranks are expanding rapidly.Proposals for comprehensive immigration reform address border security, employment verification, guest-worker programs and pathway to citizenship for an estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the US.

Washington could welcome more refugees after feds lift limits on admissions

The Alhamdan family -- two parents and six children -- arrived recently in Seattle from Syria. They are joining a tiny community of 25 recent Syrian refugees.
KUOW Photo/Liz Jones
The Alhamdan family -- two parents and six children -- arrived in Seattle from Syria in 2015.

Washington state could welcome more refugees soon.

The U.S. State Department said it will lift restrictions on refugee admissions.

The agency said that's because of  a new spending bill passed by Congress, not because of the legal battle over President Trump's travel ban.

Washington's refugee coordinator Sarah Peterson said the state is already on track to meet its goal of resettling 3,800 refugees this year, and this change could help the state exceed that goal.

But Peterson said mixed messages from the federal government have been a big challenge for resettlement agencies.

“In preparation for declining numbers, all of the eight refugee resettlement agencies that are located in Washington state reported to me that they had to lay off resettlement staff," Peterson said.

"Refugee resettlement is very time intensive and unpredictable.

"Having to cut back on staff and then receive information that they’re actually going to resettle as many refugees as they had been in the past, means the staff may start to feel stressed and challenged. That can be very hard on non-profit organizations that work under very lean budgets and provide a lot of services.”

Earlier this year, the Trump Administration attempted to cut in half the number of refugees allowed to enter the U.S. from 110,000 to 50,000.

Nationally, refugee admissions have decreased by 66 percent since last October.

Year started with KUOW: 2006