WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Obama Administration considers shifting existing financial resources to help address the ongoing humanitarian crisis at the southern border, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today urged the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security as well as the Attorney General not to redirect critical funding away from vulnerable refugee and asylum-seeking populations in states like Maine that are already struggling under limited resources and large court backlogs.

In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Silvia Mathews Burwell, Senator King requested that she provide him with additional information concerning the proposed reprogramming of funding within the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).

“I am concerned for the 3,000 refugees who have resettled in Maine in the past five years, as well as the large population of asylum-seekers. I understand that the humanitarian crisis at the southern border is forcing tough decisions, but I remain troubled by the extent to which ORR funding changes will negatively impact the lives of Maine refugees and by extension, Maine communities, municipalities, and the State,” Senator King wrote.

In another letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder, Senator King expressed concern for any possible plans to shift funding from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which could further delay court hearings and work authorization for asylum-seekers.

“Of particular concern to me are offices that have a “last in, first out” policy for interviewing applicants to make a decision on their cases before they become eligible for employment authorization. I have heard that recent applicants are waiting at least one or two years before their scheduled asylum interviews. I continue to hear from asylum applicants and community stakeholders in Maine regarding the burden this places on Maine asylum-seekers, service providers, and state and municipal governments. I am concerned that if resources are directed toward the crisis at the southern border, these wait times will only increase,” he wrote.

In both letters, Senator King pledged to work with his colleagues to move forward on the President’s request for additional funding to help address the crisis, writing, “I will do my part here in the Senate to act on the Administration’s supplemental request so that you have adequate funding to address the southern border crisis without taking funding away from other vulnerable populations.”

The complete text of both letters is below and can be read by clicking HERE and HERE.

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July 17, 2014

Dear Secretary Burwell:

The influx of unaccompanied alien children on our southern border of the United States is a humanitarian crisis that we must rise to meet. While this exodus of child refugees from Central America is at the forefront of our minds, we must remember that, for the first time since World War II, there are now more than fifty million displaced people globally. This is not just a humanitarian crisis; this is a human crisis. These are mothers, fathers, children who have fled unspeakable violence, war, and extreme poverty. 

The flight of these people is the fruit of many dark hostilities around the world which, unfortunately, have been pushing refugees and asylum-seekers from their homes to safer nations long before the crisis on our southern border. My state, Maine, is the new home for many of these people. As you know, refugees and asylees were often doctors, engineers, and lawyers in their home country and now must rely – for a transition period – on training and assistance from the government to begin their new lives. 

I write to seek further information regarding proposed reprograming of funding for the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). I am concerned for the 3,000 refugees who have resettled in Maine in the past five years, as well as the large population of asylum-seekers. I understand that the humanitarian crisis at the southern border is forcing tough decisions, but I remain troubled by the extent to which ORR funding changes will negatively impact the lives of Maine refugees and by extension, Maine communities, municipalities, and the State. While Congress must provide more funding for ORR, current funding should not be redirected away from vulnerable populations.

It is my understanding that reprogramming could have a severe impact by pulling money away from programs including Refugee Social Services, state discretionary grant funding, Refugee School Impact Grants, Funding for Services for Older Refugees, Refugee Health Promotion, and Survivors of Torture. This would be a major loss to Maine communities – including the possible closure of the City of Portland’s Refugee Services Program – and will force vulnerable and frequently traumatized populations to rely on public assistance while not receiving critical mental health, case management, and integration services. I trust you will oversee any reprogramming with careful consideration for both current and future refugees, and that any reprogramming absolutely necessary for ORR to fulfill its responsibilities will be restored with any forthcoming emergency supplemental appropriations. 

I would like to receive information that you can provide regarding how reprogramming within ORR will adversely affect Maine. In the meantime, I will do my part here in the Senate to act on the Administration’s supplemental request so that you have adequate funding to address the southern border crisis without taking funding away from other vulnerable populations. Thank you for your timely attention to this matter. Please have your staff contact Chris Rauscher in my office for follow up.

Sincerely,

July 17, 2014

Dear Attorney General Holder and Secretary Johnson:

The influx of unaccompanied alien children on the southern border of the United States is a humanitarian crisis that we must rise to meet. While this exodus of child refugees from Central America is at the forefront of our minds, we must remember that, for the first time since World War II, there are now more than fifty million displaced people globally. This is not just a humanitarian crisis; this is a human crisis. These are mothers, fathers, children who have fled unspeakable violence, war, and extreme poverty. 

The flight of these people is the fruit of many dark hostilities around the world which, unfortunately, have been pushing refugees and asylum-seekers from their homes to safer nations long before the crisis on our southern border. My state, Maine, is the new home for many of these people. As you know, refugees and asylees were often doctors, engineers, and lawyers in their home country and now must rely–for a transition period–on training and assistance from the government to begin their new lives. 

Unfortunately, many asylum-seekers must wait years before their cases are heard and they receive work authorization. This puts an enormous strain on both the asylum-seekers and the municipalities in which they live. I am concerned that the humanitarian crisis at the southern border may draw resources away from the current case backlog. While Congress must provide more funding for the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), current funding should not be redirected away from vulnerable populations.

Of particular concern to me are offices that have a “last in, first out” policy for interviewing applicants to make a decision on their cases before they become eligible for employment authorization. I have heard that recent applicants are waiting at least one or two years before their scheduled asylum interviews. I continue to hear from asylum applicants and community stakeholders in Maine regarding the burden this places on Maine asylum-seekers, service providers, and state and municipal governments. I am concerned that if resources are directed toward the crisis at the southern border, these wait times will only increase. 

Delay in providing asylum applicants with timely decisions on their cases, as well as delaying work authorization, places a large burden on the applicants, their families, and their communities in Maine. Therefore, I would like to receive information from your offices regarding how possible reprogramming within EOIR and USCIS will adversely affect current asylum-seekers.

I trust that you will oversee any reprogramming with careful consideration for both current and future refugees, and that any reprogramming absolutely necessary to fulfill your responsibilities will be restored with any forthcoming emergency supplemental appropriations. In the meantime, I will do my part here in the Senate to act on the Administration’s supplemental request so that you have adequate funding to address the southern border crisis without taking funding away from other vulnerable populations. Thank you and please have your staff contact Chris Rauscher in my office for follow up.

Sincerely,

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