WBEZ Chicago: Living and working in America, Part IV: The new reality for refugees and asylum seekers

By Cianna Greaves | Jul 31, 2025, 2:29pm CDT

Maria fled Syria for the United States more than 10 years ago as the conflict between the Assad regime and opposition forces ravaged that country. After living in different places, she would eventually settle in Chicago.

While her request for asylum languished in the courts for the last seven years, she carried on the work of creating a new life, forming a community, and working as an immigration advocate.

‘We are supposed to be a beacon for democracy,’ said Heena Musabji, Legal Director at CAIR-Chicago, on the new reality for refugees and asylum seekers under the Trump administration.
— Heena Musabji, CAIR-Chicago Legal Director

Maria, whose real name we have concealed for her safety, recently found out her request for asylum has been denied.

Like so many other refugees and asylum seekers in the United States who have fled war, she now finds herself in a state of limbo, unable to return to her own country out of fear of persecution, and uncertain of a future here in the U.S.

In January of this year, President Trump suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program indefinitely, stating that the country lacked the ability to absorb large amounts of refugees without compromising the accessibility of resources and the safety of Americans.

Reset talks with Maria and the advocates who continue the work of representing, resettling, and supporting refugees and other displaced people under a cloud of uncertainty created by the current administration.

GUESTS: 

Maya Oyarbide-Sanchez, Refugee One wellness director

Heena Musabji, legal director at CAIR-Chicago

Maria, an asylum seeker from Syria, case pending for over seven years

Maketh Mabior, a former refugee from Sudan who came to the United States as part of a refugee resettlement effort in 2001

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