11-03-2025
Trump admin. owes Mass. refugee resettlement groups millions
The Trump administration owes Massachusetts-based refugee resettlement organizations millions of dollars in payments.
Why it matters: Local nonprofit leaders say the federal government is trying to bleed them dry to end the nation's decades-old refugee resettlement program.
Catch up quick: A federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked efforts to suspend the refugee resettlement program last Tuesday, ruling that the president doesn't have the power to unilaterally end a program enshrined in federal law.
A day later, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants received a letter from the State Department's comptroller announcing its contracts were being terminated, per a copy provided to Axios.
Judge Jamal N. Whitehead in Seattle questioned the Trump administration's move last week, considering his order prevented the feds from suspending the program and related payments.
State of play: Refugee resettlement agencies, including subcontracted organizations in Massachusetts, have been blocked from receiving refugees since President Trump's inauguration, but they were owed money under these contracts.
Jeff Thielman, CEO of the International Institute of New England, estimates that the feds owe his organization $1.3 million so far, including funds for receiving and placing refugees and offering employment support.
Jewish Family Services of Western Massachusetts is owed roughly $900,000, says CEO James Greene.
That doesn't include funds issued to organizations serving refugees in the Framingham, Boston and other cities.
JFS pieced together fundraising from across Western Massachusetts to keep its operations running, but Greene noted that support won't keep the organization afloat for long.
Money from fundraising and reserves is keeping IINE going, but Thielman expressed similar concerns that it would need to downsize if the feds didn't pay what was owed.
How it works: Refugee resettlement agencies and the local nonprofits they partner with rely heavily on government funding.
The funds support refugees, who have been vetted before arriving in the U.S.
In Massachusetts, some funds help them cover move-in fees as they settle in and find work. The money also funds staff at the organizations, workforce training and other programs meant to help them integrate into American schools and jobs.
The program has also worked with Afghans who received visas after helping the U.S. military in Afghanistan, as well as a growing number of Ukrainians, Haitians, Venezuelans and other migrants who fled crises and obtained temporary protections.
What we're watching: Whitehead, the federal judge, ordered the Trump administration to produce a status report by Monday on how it's resuming refugee resettlement.
If the Trump administration fails to pay up, local refugee resettlement organizations may turn to the state legislature for help obtaining additional funds.
Massachusetts leaders are already raising concerns about the $16 billion in federal funding baked into Gov. Maura Healey's proposed fiscal 2026 budget — funding that may be subject to the whims of the Trump administration.
