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Story shows what it means for refugee system to rebound 

Lutheran Services Carolinas outreach coordinator supervisor Sarah Lewis, center, teaches an English class for recently arrived refugees, Thursday, April 11, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. The American refugee program, which long served as a haven for people fleeing violence around the world, is rebounding from years of dwindling arrivals under former President Donald Trump. The Biden administration has worked to restaff refugee resettlement agencies and streamline the process of vetting and placing people in America. AP PHOTO / ERIK VERDUZCO

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Washington-based Homeland Security reporter Rebecca Santana had been seeing the climbing number of refugees entering the U.S., and sources in the refugee resettlement community told her that the government’s refugee program was finally recovering after cuts enacted during Donald Trump’s administration. Trounson wanted to see what those changes looked like in communities where refugees were resettling.  

Santana settled on South Carolina where the resettlement agency had grown in the last three years in a state that at times had been hostile to refugees. Santana and Erik Verduzco teamed up in Columbia to capture various moments as the refugees settled into their new life in America, such as an English class. The duo also saw a family from the Congo visit their new apartment for the first time. The story included background about what the U.S. had done to increase refugee processing and concerns about what Trump’s possible election in November would mean for the program. In addition to shooting video, Verduzco shot still photos to accompany the story. 

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