ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A recent executive order now has Americans asking how refugees in their communities will be affected.

Build Belonging, an event on Feb. 2 is hosted by Catholic Social Services with their Refugee and Immigration Services program. During the interactive event from 1-4 p.m., Alaskans can hear about the first-hand experience of a refugee in America and learn about the potential impacts of the executive order issued on Jan. 20.

Local organizations like the ACLU of Alaska, Alaska Literacy Program, and Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center will speak about their work with refugees in the Anchorage area, but the event won’t only center around speeches.

Attendees can try food from other cultures made by refugees, sign up for volunteering opportunities, or participate in activities designed to contact elected officials regarding legislation that could impact the refugee landscape.

Heba El-Hendi, the RAIS Program director, said the event is meant to cultivate community and belonging.

“This event is targeting how we, as individuals in the community, can support, what action items we can take, and what can we do to learn about the refugee experience,” El-Hendi said.

Addressing the executive order issued in January which halted the United States Refugee Admission Program, El-Hendi said it doesn’t mean there aren’t newcomers to the U.S. who need help. “Because the program has halted, doesn’t mean that our work has stopped.”

“In fact, we need more support and more community members coming and partaking in this collective together in supporting the communities that we have already here. ” El-Hendi said.

The Build Belonging event will be held in the auxiliary gym at the Alaska Airlines Center Feb. 2 from 1-4 p.m.

Information on the Catholic Social Services RAIS program here.

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Seven years ago, heavy tariffs levied by President Donald Trump against China triggered a trade war that crimped Alaska’s seafood exports and left fishermen with less money for their catches.

On Saturday, a second round of Trump tariffs is scheduled to take effect, and the impact on Alaska is expected to be even bigger than it was in his first term.

Trump’s new 10% tariff on China, Alaska’s biggest international trading partner, is accompanied by a 25% on imports from Canada, Alaska’s fourth-largest trading partner, and a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico.

All three countries are expected to launch retaliatory tariffs on imports from the United States, making a variety of products more expensive here.

“Alaskans should know that the Trump administration’s tariffs on Canadian goods will make life more expensive for them, and will be damaging to businesses on both sides of the border,” said a spokesperson for Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai on Friday.

“These tariffs will make Canadian goods more expensive in Alaska, as higher costs paid by American importers will be passed on to American consumers,” the spokesperson said, adding that the Yukon government is closely monitoring the situation.

In 2023, Canada imported $596 million in products from Alaska — mostly unrefined minerals and ore concentrates, but also a substantial amount of seafood.

Red Dog Mine in Northwest Alaska sends almost 30% of its zinc to a smelter in British Columbia. In the Southeast Alaska town of Skagway, the Yukon government is planning to spend more than $45 million on a new terminal designed to export ore extracted from Yukon mines.

The price of gasoline, heating fuel and natural gas could also be affected by the tariffs. Alaska’s Nikiski refinery occasionally imports Canadian oil for in-state use, and if Southcentral Alaska switches to imported natural gas, the nearest source is a terminal slated to open in British Columbia this summer.

Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage and co-chair of the state Senate’s committee on world trade, said on Friday that she intends to introduce a resolution formally opposing the tariffs.

The state of Alaska’s international trade office, devoted to increasing Alaska’s commerce with other nations, was unable to say what impacts Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration expects here.

China, Alaska’s biggest international trading partner, imported $1.2 billion in Alaska goods in 2023, with almost half that total consisting of seafood.

No state exports more seafood internationally than Alaska does, and when a Dunleavy-commissioned committee met early this year to craft a plan to reverse the seafood industry’s decline, stopping tariff increases was a major topic.

Jeremy Woodrow, director of the state-run Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, said on Friday that if the tariffs encourage Americans to buy more Alaska seafood, then it’s possible that Alaska could avoid an economic hit.

The value of the U.S. dollar, the value of foreign currencies, plus normal supply and demand also matter in how much fish gets exported where, he said. Tariffs are only part of the equation.

Seven years ago, they were a conclusive part.

“We lost China as a destination market because of those high tariffs,” he said, adding that the trade that exists today tends to involve fish being exported to China for processing, then re-exported to another country for a final destination.

This time around, he said, “I think a lot of us are looking at Trump’s tariffs, especially for Canada and China, as more of a bargaining chip, and that these aren’t a lasting tariff.”

Trump has said he wants Canada to do more to interdict the flow of illegal drugs coming to the United States. If Trump thinks Canada has done enough, he could lift the tariffs.

In the meantime, Woodrow said, ASMI will be working to encourage Americans to buy more Alaska seafood and will continue to grow the market for Alaska seafood in places like South America, which is unaffected — so far — by Trump’s tariff actions.

Originally published by the Alaska Beacon, an independent, nonpartisan news organization that covers Alaska state government.

Alaska held its first sanctioned flag football state championship in October, making it one of about a dozen states to claim the designation.

Already, the brighter spotlight is having a ripple effect on the student-athletes who compete in the sport.

A pair of players from the state champion North Pole team have been invited to compete in a high school flag football showcase associated with the NFL’s Pro Bowl Games.

Tiahna Guzman and Camryn Williams are in Orlando this weekend to compete against and alongside players from seven states including Florida, California and New York. The game is scheduled for 9 p.m. AKST on Sunday, and will be broadcast on ESPN during Postseason NFL Countdown.

For Guzman, the all-star game is yet another door that was opened to her from participating in flag football. A senior, she plans to play flag football at Bryant & Stratton College and attend the school’s campus in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.

“I think it was very important,” she said of the sanctioning. “That’s how my college reached out to me and that’s how they reached out to us for (this game), because we won state.”

Being the state champion in a sanctioned league landed North Pole (15-1) in eighth place in USA Today’s Top 25 rankings. That got them on radar of NFL Flag, the league’s official flag program. The 30 players in the game all hail from teams in the final Top 25.

“The sanctioning of it, really, it opens up a lot more opportunities like this,” North Pole coach Jamie Darby said.

Both players are excited and a bit nervous to compete with players from other states. As Guzman noted, “they’re most definitely getting more reps than us. They have more time in the summer too, and they’re probably getting a lot more games than we did.”

“I’m super excited to see all the talent these girls have,” Williams said. “I always see them playing on clips on Instagram and stuff like that. They’re super cool. Yeah, I can’t wait.”

While Williams isn’t planning to play collegiately, she is hoping to go into sports management, and part of the itinerary includes a presentation of women in sports.

“I’m super excited to network and make all those connections,” Williams said. “I also can’t wait to meet all those other girls as well as just being a part of the whole NFL-sponsored event.”

Darby said these types of opportunities will only multiply as the game continues to increase in popularity nationwide.

“I think we’ve perfectly scheduled our sanctioning with this blow-up across the nation to show that Alaska is involved,” she said. “It’s going to be a great opportunity for more girls to be able to go … to the next level, go to college. This year really put a good spotlight on Alaska.”

The itinerary also includes trips to Epcot and Topgolf although Guzman said she was uncertain of whether meeting NFL Pro Bowl athletes would be included.

The game at Camping World Stadium will be followed on Sunday by Pro Bowl Games festivities, including a tug-of-war, a relay race and a 7-on-7 flag football game.

Playing in a game that’s televised will bring an added level of pressure, but neither Alaska player seemed too worried.

“I think there’s gonna be a North Pole watch party for our team for any family and friends that want to join,” Williams said.

The game is part of a whirlwind last year for Guzman, who wouldn’t have dreamed that flag football would be such a big part of her future plans.

“I did not think I was going to college (to play) flag football,” she said. “This was all just in this last year. So random, but I’m super excited.”