Impact of DOGE cuts on migrants, refugees

The funding cuts initiated by the current administration, launched by the new and powerful Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have indiscriminately affected many vital programs, especially those that impact migrants and refugees.

There is no one who would not want efficiency in government, especially when it comes to tolerating fraud and waste. However, as a former director of the U.S. Bishops’ resettlement program from 1985 to 1992, I can state that cuts are endangering the lives and welfare of some migrants and refugees.

For example, the abrupt halt to the United States’ refugee resettlement program happened in the midst of many bona fide and vetted refugees awaiting entrance into the country.

Refugees who qualify for this program must first be vetted by staff from the United Nations and then by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials. The United States employs rigorous regulations and thorough background checks to ensure it resettles individuals in need of protection, rather than persons who pose a threat to national security.

Many refugees themselves are fleeing security threats, and those approved for entrance into the U.S. are now languishing overseas in difficult circumstances.

The recent approval of 59 South African Afrikaners as refugees is highly questionable, as they do not meet the definition of refugees, who must show a threat of persecution, bodily harm or even death, which adheres to refugee qualification requirements.

Tragically, millions of bona fide refugees who are deserving are not being considered for refugee resettlement to the U.S., as the administration has virtually shut down the program, except for a recent judicial order allowing 10,000 approved refugees to enter if the government follows the ruling.

Domestic impacts of funding halts have also been severe.

Nonprofit resettlement agencies have lost funding for services already rendered, forcing the Migration and Refugee Services office of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to lay off hundreds of staff both at headquarters and in dioceses.

The USCCB had to sue the federal government for millions for services already rendered under contract.

Vice President JD Vance criticized the U.S. bishops when he said, “And I think that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognize that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line?”

In fact, the U.S. Bishops do not use federal money to help the undocumented, and do contribute to the refugee resettlement program. The incorrect statement was never publicly acknowledged or withdrawn. As a result, the USCCB was forced to stop the church’s refugee resettlement work, with no plans to resume.

Hopefully, this vital program will be restored during the current or next administration.

The refugees involved come from various countries, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Myanmar, among others. Many have been waiting for as long as five years to come to the United States, and many were affiliated with the United States in various ways. For example, in Afghanistan and Iraq, these people were employed by the U.S. forces.

The USCCB is committed to identifying new methods to support refugees and unaccompanied minor children, whose programs have also faced reductions.

Additionally, further programmatic cuts in the United States immigration system will impact family reunification, naturalization and most low-end worker visas. It appears that visas for some high-tech workers and the proposed “gold card” for individuals who have invested $5 million or more are exempt from these reductions.

There is, however, some good news.

Legislation has been introduced to help religious workers obtain permanent status by remedying delays and expanding the usefulness of the program. This disruption occurred because the U.S. Department of State erroneously placed the allocation of green cards in this visa category among other immigrants.

The United States has always led the way in the world in resettling refugees through a generous resettlement program. Just last year, the U.S. resettled over 100,000 refugees; this year, only about 160 refugees have been resettled, other than the controversial 59 Afrikaners from South Africa.

The loss of the refugee program is another example of how the United States has relinquished its first place among nations in humanitarian assistance.

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