BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Sixty-one workers at the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services Inc. (RAICES) were issued layoff notices last week, according to a Texas Workforce Commission filing.
RAICES, a Texas nonprofit organization, issued the layoff notices to employees at its San Antonio location on Feb. 12.
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The organization was founded in 1986 and provides legal help for migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers.
Faisal Al-Juburi, the chief external affairs officer at RAICES, sent KSAT a statement about the layoffs on Thursday morning.
“The stop-work orders and funding obstruction at the hands of the callous Trump administration decimated the refugee resettlement programs operated by RAICES and other agencies nationwide. As a result, RAICES notified over 60 employees that their last day of employment is February 28. Impacted employees will receive full severance packages, which are in accordance with our Collective Bargaining Agreement for union positions, and have recall rights for up to 4.5 years if the federal government reverses course,” the statement reads.
Al-Juburi said the layoffs stem from the suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions program, a directive by the State Department on Jan. 24 in response to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump.
Al-Juburi also cited the freeze and subsequent rescinding of federal grant payments by the Office of Management and Budget in the statement.
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