The aid group running Texas refugee programs sued the Trump administration on Monday, accusing the federal government of illegally freezing more than $36 million meant to help more than 100,000 immigrants in the state adjust to life in America.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., accuses the Trump Administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of blocking funds to provide help to “those fleeing persecution in their home countries,” according to a news release announcing the legal action.
Aid groups in Houston and across the state have been paralyzed for weeks because expected federal money for such things as short-term medical coverage, temporary financial aid, English language classes and job placement services has been frozen since the Trump administration took office in January. The money primarily helps refugees in Texas from Ukraine, Afghanistan and Cuba, according to the lawsuit.
Twenty-four of the 29 aid groups that provide services under the Texas program have had to reduce staff, the lawsuit says. More than 750 people have been laid off or furloughed as a result of the federal actions, according to the suit. That has led to a 64 percent drop in the ability of the aid groups to help. More than 10,000 people have been unable to get vital financial support, the suit states, leading to the eviction of some refugees in Texas.
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Catholic Charities and its partners “have seen that the funding freeze has seriously eroded trust and confidence within the communities with whom they have engaged to encourage the welcoming of individuals and families who are lawfully-admitted to the United States under the Congressionally-approved authorities,” the petition reads. “The damage is lasting and irreparable.”
Anjum Malik, founder and director of the Global Impact Initiative, an Austin-based refugee aid group, said she has been forced to suspend services for hundreds of refugees and has been unable to get clear answers from officials overseeing the Texas program.
Malik said she had been told that Texas is the only state not receiving the funding.
“Why only Texas?” she asked. “”Is it because people at the highest levels have made the decision they want to get these people out of here?”
Officials with the Texas Office of Refugees and the federal Health and Human Services Agency did not respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Catholic Charities in Fort Worth, which oversees the Texas Office of Refugees for the state. Catholic Charities has asked 14 times for funding and gotten no reply, the lawsuit states.
When he took office in January, President Donald Trump put an immediate halt to State Department programs that allow millions of refugees to settle in America. The action forced hundreds of aid groups across America to shut down services that help the refugees adjust to life in America.
Separate from that, the federal government provides hundreds of millions of dollars to aid groups to help legal immigrants across America learn English, find jobs and secure health coverage.
The Trump administration put a freeze on most federal grants and loans in late January when it took control in Washington. It quickly rescinded the order after facing legal challenges. That was supposed to trigger a resumption in funding to Texas for the resettlement programs, but the money has yet to start flowing again.
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The Catholic Charities lawsuit is the latest in a growing list of court actions against the Trump administration. Last month, the U.S. Conference of Bishops sued the Trump administration over the same issues.
Catholic Charities has served as the de-facto Texas agency for the state since 2021. Texas withdrew from the federal refugee resettlement program in 2016. At the time, Gov. Greg Abbott said he was concerned the refugees could pose a security threat.
Abbott and Texas Republican leaders repeatedly have accused a variety of aid groups of helping immigrants enter the country illegally. Last year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued an El Paso-based Catholic group that provides shelter for migrants and has sought to revoke its designation as a nonprofit.
The group, Annunciation House, rejected the lawsuit as “illegal, immoral and anti-faith.”
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