A Lewiston nonprofit has helped 35 refugees resettle so far this year, with another 35 yet to come.

And once in the U.S., they didn’t go far.

“Almost all of the people we helped settled in Lewiston,” said Rilwan Osman, executive director of Maine Immigrant & Refugee Services or MEIRS. “We have some who migrated and went to another state, but most of them are here.”

The 70 total refugees allotted to Maine this year — all white South Africans known as Afrikaners — are 20 more than originally expected.

But it still represents a giant reduction from the 950 refugees initially allocated to Maine for 2025, and even from the 490 refugees who were actually allowed to come here after President Donald Trump took office in January 2025 and froze foreign aid.

Last year, Trump also lowered the number of refugees allowed into the country to a historic low cap of 7,500 as part of his policy to reduce refugee resettlement while favoring white South Africans. This was brought down from the 125,000 cap set by the Biden administration in 2024.

President Trump announced last month that the U.S. will admit an additional 10,000 white South African refugees to the United States in the next year, increasing its low cap but still blocking people from other countries from entering the program.

MEIRS, the state’s only federally approved resettlement agency, has helped 300-400 refugees since 2021, including more than 200 in the 2024-25 fiscal year. The organization plays no part in deciding who is allowed to resettle, and once refugees are here, they are free to move about the country as they wish.

Osman said he will probably know within in the next few weeks how many refugees Maine will get in the next cycle, but he expects it will be fewer than 70.

Osman said the goal of the organization is to welcome refugees who step foot in Maine in whatever way they can. Once the refugees arrive at Portland International Jetport, the organization is responsible with finding them housing, either temporarily in a hotel or long term.

The attention then turns to getting them jobs and support, specifically food and health care assistance.

“When these people come here, we are their eyes,” Osman said. “They don’t know anyone else here, and we make sure they get all the information they need.

“We want to make sure they’re self-sufficient, and the only way we can do that is if we connect them with resources, with employment, so they can support themself and their families, whether they’re back home or here.”

Adam Adam, case manager for MEIRS’ Program of Initial Resettlement, and his team are the first to meet the refugees. It’s important that they make these individuals feel welcome, he said.

“The looks these individuals give coming off that plane range from confusion to fear,” Adam said. “It’s our responsibility to start their new lives off knowing they are somewhere safe and willing to help.”

About 90% of the refugees who come to the PIR program become self-sufficient, with steady employment, and their own housing and transportation. Most of the time, they are able to adapt quickly. “Each success story really sticks with me,” Adam said.

The work is “fulfilling,” he said.

“It’s amazing to see someone coming with zero expectations, see them rebuild their lives, see them get their first home, their first job,” Adam said. “This helps build their self-confidence, knowing they can do things by themselves. They’re mostly doing everything themselves, we’re just helping them to get to where they should be. That’s truly special.”