Refugee rights groups must stop helping refugees already in the U.S.
The Trump administration on Friday abruptly cut services for refugees in the United States, including Afghans, according to a memo obtained by CNN, striking agencies that provide critical support to the new arrivals.
It was a drastic move that caused a scuffle as refugee advocates tried to interpret the order. The memo threatens to harm tens of thousands of refugees — including Afghans who helped the United States during the war — by apparently cutting off assistance, ranging from support from social workers to housing, that is provided to new arrivals during their first three months in the United States.
"We have refugees without shelter," a refugee advocate told CNN. "It's completely unprecedented." Nothing like this has ever happened."
President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week suspending the entry of refugees as part of a broader administration effort to limit entry into the United States based on public safety and national security. As a result, about 10,000 refugees who had booked trips after a lengthy and often arduous process have had their flights canceled.
But Friday's memo goes even further, according to multiple sources.
Resettlement agencies receive federal funding from the State Department. These funds are authorized and appropriated by Congress to help refugees arrive. The State Department has informed its partners that all work under these grants must cease, according to a memo obtained by CNN.
"Upon receipt of this notice of suspension, the Recipient will cease all work under the Grant(s) and will not incur any new costs after the effective date above. "The recipient must cancel as many unpaid obligations as possible," the memo says.
CNN has reached out to the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration for comment.
While Trump's executive order and subsequent flight cancellations have dealt a major blow to the refugee admissions program, Friday's memo appears to prevent agencies from providing funding and services to refugees already in the United States. Resettlement agencies help refugees settle once they are admitted to the United States, introducing them to services, helping them find jobs, and familiarizing them with a new community. In some cases, the assistance can be as simple as showing people the local bus route or teaching them how to use the financial system, or as significant as providing housing assistance.
Some of the most important supports are provided during the first three months, when refugees are eligible for many federally funded services.
People exempt from the flight cancellation, such as Afghans who have worked for the U.S. government and are on special visas, could be affected by the memorandum because it prevents them from receiving services provided by resettlement agencies.
"We understand the need to reassess and reorganize priorities, but Afghan programs must be excluded to avoid a humanitarian crisis." "This is a solvable problem and we are ready to work with the administration to solve it," said Shawn VanDiver, president of #AfghanEvac and a Navy veteran.
Without these funds, it is unclear what support options are available to them.
"The goal is self-sufficiency," an immigration lawyer told CNN. "It reduces people's access to services that help them become independent."
More than 30,000 refugees have arrived in the United States since the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1 and will receive benefits and services within three months.
"You arrived a week ago, under the wire, you met your case manager for three days. "And now you're not allowed to call for help," another source said. "This is all up in the air. If you're a newbie, what are you doing now?"
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