Some Missoula refugees left in limbo following Trump administration changes

Jane always planned on getting her U.S. citizenship under a protected path outlined by the federal government when she arrived in Missoula as a refugee in fall 2020.

But last fall, her process was halted. Jane's scheduled citizenship test was canceled because her home country was one of 39 listed in a travel ban by the Trump administration.

She said she has not been able to secure a new appointment for the test, one of the final steps required to become a U.S. citizen, as millions of refugees across the country have been left in limbo over their immigration status.

"It just leaves us in waiting for no end," Jane told the Missoulian in a recent interview. "Some people told us we maybe have to wait three years, when there is a new president. Some said they might change it by the midterm election, and some said we will not get our citizenship anymore."

The Missoulian is withholding Jane's name and home country to protect her identity as she moves through the immigration process.

Dozens of refugees living in Missoula are dealing with the same roadblocks: the government no longer processes their paperwork, no longer issues them green cards or has canceled their naturalization ceremonies because of their home country, according to nonprofit Soft Landing Missoula.

President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social in November he would "permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries" in response to a shooting from an Afghan immigrant who killed two U.S. service members in Washington, D.C.

The ban on naturalization ceremonies expanded from 19 initial countries to 39 nations by December, the Hill reported, noting that some refugees had passed their citizenship tests but had their naturalization ceremony canceled.

Mary Poole, the executive director of nonprofit Soft Landing, told the Missoulian more than 600 policy changes in the last year and a half has created a "catch-22" for many refugees.

"Refugees cannot access benefits, they cannot gain a more secure footing if they don't yet have a green card, but (the government) has also halted the processing of green cards," Poole said.

More than 300 immigrants work with Soft Landing to with child care needs, job applications, housing and more recently, questions about federal policy changes.

Poole called the last year the "most difficult work" Soft Landing has conducted.

For Jane, who now has a young daughter born in the U.S., waiting for citizenship means she cannot see her husband outside of the country, nor fully become a member of the Missoula community.

"I have so many friends here," Jane said. "The community here is so nice, but everything did change after the banned countries list. It is affecting our lives."

The citizenship process has continued for people from certain countries that are not on the banned list, Poole said. In Montana, nine naturalization ceremonies are scheduled for 2026.

Generally, refugees have a five-year track to obtain citizenship in the United States, starting by securing a green card that allows foreign nationals to live and work permanently in the country.

Jane, who is now approaching six years in Missoula, and other members of the refugee community continue to search for answers to the barriers in the process, including talking with local leaders at the City of Missoula.

Last month, Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis hosted a roundtable of immigrants and refugees. She told the Missoulian the goal of the talks was to see how local government can support refugees.

"They are facing the challenges of being in this regulatory immigration vortex," Davis said in a recent interview. "Folks have come here, especially through the refugee program that is federally sanctioned, with the assumption that there was a clear path toward citizenship."

Davis said the talks highlighted the fear some refugees have of heightened immigration enforcement in the U.S. She said some people are afraid of attending public events for fear of deportation.

In Minnesota, more than 100 refugees with no criminal background were detained by federal immigration agents and transported to Texas, NPR reported. A class action lawsuit later found the action unlawful.

Missoula law enforcement previously announced it does not enforce immigration law, and local police officers do not conceal their identify during most law enforcement operations, the Missoulian reported.

Davis said the city is limited in protecting refugees because of federal law and a state "sanctuary city" ban requiring the city to not impede immigration enforcement.

Instead, Davis said it was important for the city to listen to refugee stories and get a sense of how the uncertain process has caused stress to families, recalling a conversation with a young girl from Afghanistan.

"She's coming from a place that has been dominated by the Taliban, where she has particularly been targeted to not be educated," Davis said. "She has come to the United States, and has been thriving in education."

Davis said the city and other partners can also help refugees by helping with basic needs, like establishing a halal food drive at the Missoula Food Bank.

Poole said Missoula has always been a welcoming place for immigrants, but even with more volunteers and partnerships with various nonprofits, she noted the national landscape around immigration has caused more fear.

"People are sensitive that the rules have changed, and we are living in a very different place now, even in Missoula," Poole said.

Jane said she hopes her case can be resolved and she can secure her citizenship, allowing her to visit her husband and vote, a lifelong goal because her home country did not have elections.

She said the U.S. invited her and other refugees to Missoula under the pretense of citizenship.

"They did choose our case, and they looked into our background for five years before we came," Jane said. "They already know everything about us, so just be more nice to us. We are human. They really broke my heart."