The Trump administration has allocated $47 million to assist more than 100,000 refugees in Texas adjust to life in the United States.
The aid organization in charge of Texas refugee programs sued the Trump administration earlier this month, claiming the federal government of unlawfully blocking millions of dollars intended to assist people fleeing Ukraine, Afghanistan, Cuba, and other countries.
Anjum Malik, founder and director of the Global Impact Initiative, an Austin-based refugee relief organization that was forced to cease part of its activities due to the government block, said Thursday that the funds release will be beneficial in the near term.
The future of immigrant assistance services in Texas and around the country, however, is uncertain due to the Trump administration’s larger attempts to cut off federal money.
“The funding has been released, but the future is very uncertain because nobody knows what’s going to happen,” added the woman.
The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. earlier this month, accused the Trump administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of obstructing money to assist “those fleeing persecution in their home countries.”
Because of the government block, aid organizations in Houston and throughout the state were forced to cease programs that provided short-term medical care, temporary financial assistance, English language lessons, and job placement services.
According to the complaint, 24 of the 29 assistance organizations that offer services under the Texas program had to cut their workforce, resulting in the layoff or furlough of more than 750 persons. As a result, assistance organizations’ capacity to serve decreased by 64%. According to the lawsuit, over 10,000 persons were unable to get critical financial assistance during the freeze, resulting in the expulsion of some refugees in Texas.
The complaint was brought on behalf of Catholic Charities of Fort Worth, which manages the Texas Office of Refugees for the state. Catholic Charities had requested financing 14 times and received no response, according to the complaint.
When President Donald Trump took office in January, he immediately suspended State Department programs that enable millions of refugees to live in America. The decision led hundreds of humanitarian organizations around the country to suspend programs that assist refugees in adjusting to life in America.
Separately, the federal government gives hundreds of millions of dollars to assist organizations that help legal immigrants in America learn English, get employment, and get health insurance.
When the Trump administration assumed control of Washington in late January, it halted the majority of government grants and loans. It swiftly withdrew the decree in response to legal challenges. That was expected to prompt a restoration of financing for Texas’ resettlement programs, but the money did not start coming again until Thursday.
Since 2021, Catholic Charities has become the de facto Texas agency for the state. Texas pulled out of the federal refugee resettlement program in 2016. At the time, Governor Greg Abbott expressed worry that the refugees may constitute a security problem.