JANUARY 20, 2025
Trump’s Inaugural Address, Why the President has So Much Power, and What it Means for the Great State of Alaska.
Attempts to destroy the U.S. Refugee Program violate Congressional intent, usurp Congressional authority, and upset the balance of power established by the Refugee Act of 1980.
It’s time for Congress to reclaim their role in refugee admissions.
Just look at Alaska. States—like Alaska—will face the consequences of Congressional abdication.A primary function of the Refugee Act was to create predictability in refugee resettlement to support the work of states, like Alaska.
A 1979 Government Accountability Office report on the Refugee Act eerily reflects the risks facing resettlement today:
“Funding uncertainties and the consequent “starting and stopping” of programs have meant that in some states, experienced staff were lost and never replaced, and some social services like employment counseling and placement were never resumed.”
Over the past four years, Alaska’s resettlement program has grown dramatically. The State Refugee Coordinator reported, “We went from one refugee health screening clinic to five refugee health screening clinics, you know. We went from one school district to three school districts.” Just last year, federal funding for resettlement in Alaska tripled.
However, the work of Alaska’s clinicians, teachers, and caseworkers—as well as the lives of Alaska’s refugees—are at risk. Just as the GAO described, executive volatility places those programs under extreme financial and operational strain.
Last year, Alaska resettled 155 refugees. During the last year of the Trump Administration, Alaska resettled only 16—almost a ten-fold decrease.
When resettlement numbers drop dramatically, so does resettlement funding. Local resettlement agencies are forced to lay off staff, close programs, or shut down altogether—and Alaska can’t afford to lose a single program. There is only one resettlement agency in The Last Frontier: Catholic Social Services in Anchorage.
Read the full article here.
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