ST. LOUIS — Citing new Trump administration policies that have halted immigration and refugee programs, the International Institute of St. Louis announced temporary furloughs affecting more than 60% of its statewide staff.
The furloughs began Saturday, with no ending date known.
In a statement, the institute said, “Without assurances that the federal government will release the money to our organization that has been promised by acts of Congress, we must make this unfortunate, immediate and drastic action.â€
The institute welcomes immigrants and refugees to the region and serves 7,500 immigrants from 75 countries, helping them find homes and jobs, offering business micro-loans and tax preparation help, giving classes in English, computer instruction, providing health care and offering courses on becoming United States citizens.
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“This is an incredibly hard decision that was made in the interest of keeping our promise of continuing service to our refugee and immigrant neighbors,†the institute said in the statement.
The institute will remain open “and will continue to serve clients in accordance with our obligations — moral and contractual,†the statement said.
Included in the furloughs are the people involved in producing the Festival of Nations event, which annually brings 100,000 people to Tower Grove Park for a two-day celebration of the food, music, dance and culture of more than 75 countries.
Planning for the Festival of Nations has already been affected by the move. According to Director of Communications Krissy Durant, the review of artist applications and vendor applications are both being delayed.
According to a history published on its website, The International Institute was founded in 1919 to help refugees, especially women, who were fleeing countries that had been devastated by World War I. It was one of nearly 60 such organizations that opened around the same time, working with the Young Women’s Christian Association.
