Padilla, Colleagues Call on Secretary Rubio to Immediately Restore Refugee Resettlement Services

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, Jan. 29 urged U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to immediately restore vital services for refugees already resettled in the United States. The letter comes after the State Department abruptly halted services for refugees last week, despite the fact that resettlement agencies are vital in helping refugees settle into their new homes and contribute to the U.S. economy and to their communities.

“This unprecedented order threatens to deprive refugees already in the United States of the vital assistance known as Reception and Placement or R&P services, which help them during their first three months in the United States as they rebuild their lives here,” wrote the lawmakers.

“We also call on you to do everything in your power to swiftly resume refugee processing and admissions—and restore this life-saving humanitarian program that advances U.S. security, foreign policy work, and diplomatic interests,” continued the lawmakers.

Since the start of Fiscal Year 2025, more than 32,000 refugees have arrived through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program or USRAP, thousands of whom remain eligible for R&P services. These refugees were forced to flee their home countries to escape war or persecution and were deemed eligible to resettle in the United States after undergoing thorough vetting. These services also provide temporary assistance to the approximately 10,000 Afghan nationals who are in the United States on Special Immigrant Visas or SIV, which they received after risking their lives to assist U.S. troops and U.S. government efforts in Afghanistan. These SIVs also remain eligible for such benefits.

The stop work orders undermine legal obligations that the State Department has entered into through its contracts with U.S.-based and intergovernmental organizations, increasing newly arrived refugees’ vulnerability to homelessness and food insecurity at a time when they still have no lifeline for support. The R&P program covers basic needs like rent, food, and clothes in the first few months after arrival, providing core services for refugees who often resettle with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Suspending R&P services causes undue, unnecessary suffering and hardship, while breaking a promise the United States made to refugees and Afghan allies after approving them for resettlement in America.

Details: Full text of the letter is available here