Panel: Refugee Resettlement Program Burdens States, Leaves Little Recourse
Published:
Wed, Mar 21st 2018 @ 6:23 pm EDT
The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) hosted a panel discussion this week focusing on the Refugee Resettlement Program and its impact on states and localities. Participants said that even if states withdraw from the program, the federal government pays private organizations to settle refugees in those states, generating the same costs for state taxpayers. The panel concluded refugee resettlement laws require thorough reform, especially since only a miniscule percentage of the refugees the United Nations wants to resettle face threats requiring their immediate removal.
CIS Fellow Don Barnett discussed his recent report, which provides a history of the states' interactions with the refugee program and recommendations for better defining the state role. He said there is no meaningful consultation between the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and states targeted for resettlement. And states that withdraw from the program find the program continues in the state with the potential to operate on a larger scale than before withdrawal and with no state input.
https://www.numbersusa.org/news/panel-refugee-resettlement-program-burdens-states-leaves-little-recourse
