State of Washington, et al., v. Trump., et al

Filing 102

DECLARATION of Richard Birkel in Support of State of Oregon's Motion to Intervene filed by Plaintiff State of Oregon re 94 MOTION to Intervene Attorney Scott J Kaplan added to party State of Oregon(pty:pla) (Kaplan, Scott)

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON

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AT SEATTLE

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STATE OF WASHINGTON, et al.,

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Plaintiffs,

Case No. C17-0141.1LR
DECLARATION OF RICHARD BIRKEL

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v.
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DONALD J. TRUMP, et al.,
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Defendants.
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I, RICHARD BIRKEL, declare:
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I have personal knowledge of the facts set forth in this declaration and I am

competent to testify about them.
2.

I am the Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Oregon ("Catholic

Charities"). I work at Catholic Charities' office in Portland, Oregon.
3.

Catholic Charities' mission is to partner with the most vulnerable, regardless of

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faith, to achieve lasting solutions to poverty and injustice. In fulfilling that mission, Catholic
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Charities has operated a strong Refugee Resettlement Program for more than 60 years,

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successfully resettling thousands of refugees in Oregon. This work is done in close partnership

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with hundreds of volunteers, faith communities, schools, and other generous organizations.

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4.

The pause to the refugee admissions program and travel suspension imposed by

President Trump's Executive Order of January 27, 2017, directly impacts our ability to fulfill our
1 - DECLARATION OF RICHARD BIRKEL

SP3/rh2/8040753

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
100 SW Market Street
Portland, OR 97201
[phone] / Fax: [phone]

1 mission, serve our clients, and partner with the community. Catholic Charities of Oregon is
2 specifically and immediately faced with the following impacts:
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5.

As a result of the suspension of the refugee admissions program for 120 days,

4 Catholic Charities would anticipate an immediate loss of approximately $200,000 in revenue
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provided by the Resettlement & Placement funding authorized by the U.S. Department of State.

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7 Furthermore, an additional $110,000 in funding provided by the Office of Refugee
8 Resettlement's Match Grant Program for employment and case management support would be
9 immediately at risk. This represents a total of approximately $310,000 in immediate lost revenue
10 through the 120 day period.
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6.

Furthermore, Refugee Case Services Project (RSCP) funding provided by the

12 Office of Refugee Resettlement may be impacted, dependent upon the volume of client cases
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throughout the period of the 120 days. With no new arrival, it could have a long-range impact of
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15 up to $126,000 in funding.
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The figures above assume a resumption of the program at the end of a 120-day

17 period. The effects of the suspension could last much longer, as it would take time for refugees
18 to be moved into the acceptance "pipeline."
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8.

As a result of the suspension of the refugee admissions program, Catholic

Charities will not fill any vacant positions in the program and is considering an immediate initial

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staff reduction from 16.9 full-time employees to 9.6 full-time employees, a net loss of 7.3 full22
23 time employees. Should the suspension of arriving clients be delayed by more than 120 days,
24 Catholic Charities would be forced to consider eliminating the remainder of staff, incrementally.
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With decreased arrivals and funding during the suspension, Catholic Charities

26 will consolidate its Salem and Portland operations for the near term. In 2016, Catholic Charities
2 - DECLARATION OF RICHARD BIRKEL

SP3 /rh 2/8040753 -v 1

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
100 SW Market Street
Portland, OR 97201
[phone] / Fax: [phone]

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invested resources to develop a resettlement office in Salem to provide placement, employment

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assistance, and case management to refugees located in Salem, due to increased Portland housing

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costs. Without a strong presence in Salem, existing clients are at risk of receiving scaled-back,

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localized support services.

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10.

With reduced staffing, the approximately 500 refugee clients who have been

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resettled in Oregon in the past eight months may be directly impacted by reduced support
services and case management.

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I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
EXECUTED on February 10„ 2017.

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RICHARD BIRKEL
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3 - DECLARATION OF RICHARD BIRKEL

SP3/rh2/8040753-v1

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
100 SW Market Street
Portland, OR 97201
[phone] / Fax: [phone]