Refugee Agencies in the US Told to Downsize

Refugee agencies in the US have been told by the State Department that the number of their offices across the nation authorized to resettle immigrants will be reduced in 2018, as the number of immigrant refugees allowed to enter the country is cut by President Donald Trump.

The announcement came at a Washington meeting with officials from the State Department and representatives from as many as nine of the biggest immigrant refugee agencies in the US, on 1 December, according to several agency executives. Advocates say the move will likely result in the closure of dozens of resettlement offices across the country, potentially preventing many immigrant refugees from being able to access services that assist them with integrating into American society.

Some state immigrant refugee coordinators say that they have also been informed about the closures. Nine non-profit organizations handle the resettlement of immigrant refugees in the US, with funding for at least part of their work coming from the federal government. They work with hundreds of offices throughout different states to assist new immigrants with the applications of documents, like Social Security cards, as well as enrolling their children at schools, and arranging appointments with health practitioners.

The State Department told the agencies that offices likely to handle below 100 refugees in the 2018 fiscal year will no longer be authorized to resettle new refugees, effectively shutting many of them down. Advocates say the decision undermines Trump’s goal of quicker refugee assimilation into American society.