RAICES, one of Texas’ largest immigrant legal-aid groups, has laid off more than 60 staffers after the White House halted funding for refugee resettlement and mothballed other programs, according to the San Antonio Report.
RAICES — or Refugee and Immigration Center for Education and Legal Services — is based in San Antonio but works on 10,000 cases annually throughout the Lone Star State, according to its website.
The organization last week notified 61 of its workers that their employment would terminate at the end of the month, according to a filing with the Texas Workforce Commission.
“The stop-work orders and funding obstruction at the hands of the callous Trump administration decimated the refugee resettlement programs operated by RAICES and other agencies nationwide,” RAICES Chief External Affairs Officer Faisal Al-Juburi told the Current in a prepared statement.
“As a result, RAICES notified over 60 employees that their last day of employment is February 28. Impacted employees will receive full severance packages, which are in accordance with our Collective Bargaining Agreement for union positions, and have recall rights for up to 4.5 years if the federal government reverses course.” The pause on the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) went into effect indefinitely amid a flurry of executive orders during President Trump’s first few days in office.
Another pause issued last week halts pending applications submitted by immigrants allowed in the country under three additional Biden-era programs benefiting migrants from Latin America and Ukraine, as reported by CBS News.
Programs affected during that round of halts on refugee assistance from the administration include Uniting for Ukraine, benefiting those fleeing the war-torn country. Another known as CHNV is a parole initiative for refugees from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The third program allows for immigrants from certain Central and South American countries with U.S. relatives to come to the U.S. to wait for a family-based green card.
That round of attacks on refugee assistance programs was unveiled with a Valentine’s Day memo from Andrew Davidson, acting deputy director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), citing fraud concerns.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration also issued a stop-work order that cut off funding for organizations that provide pro-bono representation for unaccompanied migrant children. However, as of press time Friday afternoon, that order has already been reversed and funding has resumed.
Altogether, the flurry of anti-immigrant orders effects a wide swath of the services previously offered by organizations such as RAICES.
According to RAICES’ website, the organization offers “free and low-cost support in a number of areas, including asylum applications, removal defense, DACA renewals, status changes, and more.” RAICES also is involved in legal battles against the current administration relating to the detainment of immigrants at Guantanamo Bay and blocking asylum seekers at the border by reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” program developed during the first Trump White House. Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed
Related Stories
ICE used gas, armored vehicle to arrest immigrant in San Antonio
San Antonio ISD students organize walkout to protest threat of ICE raids in schools
San Antonio ICE office dispatches up to 30 vehicles Sunday as agency confirms ‘enhanced’ operations
San Antonio school districts cancel after-school activities as area braces for winter weather
This article appears in Feb 19-25, 2025.