We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. World Relief, a resettlement agency, and the Evangelical Immigration Table coordinated the effort to send letters to 14 governors, including Abbott.Rebecca Lightsey, executive director of Austin-based American Gateways, called the decision “a whopping blow to people who need our help the most.” American Gateways provides legal assistance to immigrants in 23 Central Texas counties.Lightsey said Texas will lose about $17 million in federal money that is meant to support refugees who have resettled in the state.
The decision makes Texas the first state to decline refugee resettlement, allowed under a new rule created by the Trump administration.Abbott had faced pressure to remain in the program from leaders of the state’s largest cities, refugee advocates and evangelical Christians. Under a federal grant from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the Refugee Health Screening Clinic provides services to refugees relocating to the Austin/Travis County area. The U.S. The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website: This content is currently not available in your region.
State Democrats rebuked Abbott over the decision; a few Republicans praised him.In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Abbott said he “cannot consent to initial refugee resettlement” in 2020. Last fiscal year, it took in more refugees than any other state, according to federal data. Greg Abbott informed the U.S. State Department that Texas will not participate in the refugee resettlement program this fiscal year. Resettlement agencies are federally funded.Ali Noorani, executive director of the advocacy organization National Immigration Forum, said the decision will make it more difficult for employers to hire skilled workers in the state.
Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. Texas has long been among the country’s leaders in refugee resettlement.
That number dropped by roughly 3,000 people the following year. Texas' withdrawal from the resettlement program is the latest in its efforts to keep those fleeing war-torn Syria from entering the state. Services are also provided to asylees (individuals who are allowed to stay permanently in safety in the United States), Cubans who enter the US under the Cuban Adjustment Act, and Certified Victims of … Abbott had faced pressure to remain in the program … “At this time, the state and non-profit organizations have a responsibility to dedicate available resources to those who are already here, including refugees, migrants, and the homeless — indeed, all Texans.”Before his decision, church leaders urged Abbott to allow refugee resettlement.Nearly 350 evangelical Christians in Texas sent letters to Abbott, urging him to consent to resettling refugees.
Refugee Services of Texas welcomes refugees, asylees, survivors of trafficking and other displaced peoples, and supports them in integrating and thriving in their new communities. “We should be welcoming refugees to Texas instead of ending a program that saves lives.”Abbott also ended the state’s participation in the U.S. See our Gov. The deadline for states to decide whether to receive refugees is Jan. 21.Texas, which has historically resettled more refugees than any other state, has seen a sharp decline in the number of refugees resettled since 2016.In 2016, roughly 7,800 refugees resettled in the state, according to Church World Service.