Hello Friends,

In today’s newsletter, we have an update on the state of refugee resettlement, plus updates related to Afghan Temporary Protected Status, our NY State advocacy efforts, and our Foster Care Program for Migrant Children.

Refugee Resettlement

On the national level, refugee resettlement remains virtually closed. The Federal Administration has halted U.S. refugee admissions since January 20th and has given no indication if, or when resettlement activities will be restarted. A report by the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security that is to outline the conditions for the resumption of refugee resettlement was due on April 20th. It is not clear whether this report was delivered, and there is no public information about the report. The Administration admitted 59 Afrikaners as refugees this past month, prioritizing and expediting the application, vetting and admission process in under three months' time. CCFCS is not contracted to support the Afrikaner resettlement effort, and to our knowledge, no refugees from this group have been resettled in Rochester by other resettlement agencies. Unfortunately, 100,000 refugees who have waited years in refugee camps and had already been vetted and ready for travel when the refugee halt began, are barred from entry to the U.S.

Afghan Temporary Protected Status Termination

On May 12th, the Dept of Homeland Security announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans citing “notable improvements in the security and economic situation” in Afghanistan, despite assertions from human rights groups and lawmakers from both parties to the contrary. This termination notice potentially effects more than 9,000 Afghans currently under TPS across the U.S. and an estimated 80 Afghan clients at CCFCS.

Closure of CCFCS Migrant Foster Care Program

By the end of June 2025, CCFCS will bring its foster care program for unaccompanied migrant children to a close. CCFCS has operated this program providing long-term foster care since 2007 and served 110 children, most of whom had made the journey from Central or South America to the U.S. border where they were found to be unable to return to their home countries due to abandonment, abuse or neglect. These children were under the custody of the federal government (specifically the Office of Refugee Resettlement or ORR) which in turn contracted with agencies across the U.S. to provide care. Since our national contracting agency ended their contracts with ORR, we are consequently losing our own derivative authorization to maintain these children in our care. Our request to ORR to allow us to form an affiliation with another national organization so that we could continue to keep our children in their foster homes was denied by ORR. While we desperately explored all other options that would enable our migrant children to remain in our foster homes, we were not able to find a viable solution. This will result in 4 of our migrant children having to be transferred to other providers outside of New York State. This does not impact our other children in foster care who have already gone through the process of attaining refugee status and are in our Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) foster care program where operations remain unchanged.

Refugee Support in the NY State Budget

For the past 3 months CCFCS and other resettlement agencies across NY have been advocating for additional funding to the NY State refugee program that supports post resettlement self-sufficiency and integration activities for refugees living in our community. Despite our efforts and the strong support from our local legislative delegation, additional funding was not added in the recently passed NY Budget. However, our funding levels were also not reduced so we will at least be able to maintain capacity in our state-funded post-resettlement program.

Thanks to all who continue to support our work and advocate for the rights of refugees and other people on the move seeking protection, freedom, and a better life for their families. Please continue to speak out against misinformation and discrimination aimed at refugees and immigrants. If we can help provide resources or speakers to increase public awareness and promote this cause in your networks, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

www.fcscharities.org

Catholic Charities Family and Community Services

Administrative Offices:

79 North Clinton Ave, Rochester, NY 14604

Programs and Services:

1099 Jay Street, Bldg J, Rochester, NY 14611

87 North Clinton Ave, Rochester, NY 14604

Finger Lakes Regional Office:

2462 State Rt. 54A, Suite 209, Penn Yan, NY 14527

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79 N. Clinton Avenue
Rochester, NY | 14604 US

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