US refugee group funding suspended under Trump aid pause

26/1/2025 6:40

The U.S. State Department this week suspended funding to groups that assist refugees with housing, job placement and other needs as part of a broad pause on aid, a letter reviewed by Reuters shows.



The letter, dated Friday, said the agencies must stop all work related to the paused federal grants and "cancel as many outstanding obligations as possible.”

President Donald Trump halted the resettlement of refugees from overseas indefinitely as part of a broad immigration crackdown after taking office on Monday, calling for a review in three months to determine whether the program sufficiently benefits Americans. Trump also ordered a 90-day pause in foreign

development assistance, a move that could affect humanitarian efforts around the world, including in Afghanistan, where relief operations are already stretched thin.



The order freezing funding for U.S. refugee groups could make it harder for refugees already in the U.S. to keep their housing, find jobs and adapt to U.S. life, three people familiar with the move said. Groups were still reviewing the impact of the suspension, they said.