Earlier this year, NNIC leaders said they were unsure how the center would stay open. Federal delays left the organization without important funding, and many staff members were let go. With the money now in hand, the center can keep helping local refugee families.
But a new federal policy is now shaping what the center does next. The U.S. is limiting refugee admissions to 7,500 per year, and many of those spots are being set aside for white South Africans, mainly Afrikaners.
The center’s executive director, Carina Black, said her team was given a difficult choice.
“Basically the government told us that you either resettle South Africans or you shut down,” Black said. “And my team said, look, we are supporting so many clients who need our help, and we need to look at them as individuals.”
Black said the staff does not agree with the policy, but accepting the new arrivals allows the center to continue its mission: helping as many people as possible, including the refugees who already live in Reno.
The first Afrikaner families are expected to arrive in Reno in December.
