The January wind stung Luismar Liendo and Edwin Perez the moment they stepped from the plane into Eau Claire, Wis. They had landed in a place colder than they had ever known, a biting contrast to the swelter of their native Venezuela.
The married couple, political dissidents, had been granted refugee status by the United States, and pictured this new land as a welcoming haven.
But soon after Mr. Perez, 27, and Ms. Liendo, 31, arrived, the door to which they had entered America slammed shut. They were among the last refugees to arrive in Wisconsin and indeed in all of America. President Donald Trump, on his first day in office, suspended the Refugee Admissions Program, which admits those facing persecution abroad.
Then Mr. Trump made another move, cutting off federal funds for nonprofit groups helping refugees — money that went to rent, food and other essentials.
World Relief, the evangelical Christian group assisting Mr. Perez and Ms. Liendo, had expected each refugee to receive federal support of $1,325 for the first 90 days. Now, there was nothing.
“We were afraid,” Mr. Perez said. “It was a difficult moment, for sure.”
These refugees arrived in the United States with legal status after careful vetting. But they are caught in a moment in American history when the welcome mat for immigrants, legal or not, is threadbare.
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The post The Last Refugees Let Into the U.S. Wonder if Their New Country Wants Them appeared first on New York Times.
