{"id":882,"date":"2026-09-28T18:39:35","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T22:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/?p=882"},"modified":"2026-09-29T15:30:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T19:30:52","slug":"too-expensive-to-keep-you-here-two-new-rulings-threaten-the-work-of-refugee-resettlement-agencies-in-nyc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/too-expensive-to-keep-you-here-two-new-rulings-threaten-the-work-of-refugee-resettlement-agencies-in-nyc\/","title":{"rendered":"Too Expensive to Keep You Here: Two New Rulings Threaten the Work of Refugee Resettlement Agencies in NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"

On September 14, 2026, New York City joined the City of Chicago, the City and County of San Francisco, and three others in a lawsuit<\/a> against the Trump Administration\u2019s new public charge rule<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The U.S. public charge rule allows the Department of State to deny visa applicants deemed \u201ctoo reliant\u201d<\/a> on public benefits. DOS says the rule is part of government efforts to prioritise immigrant self-sufficiency.<\/p>\n

While \u201cpublic charge\u201d has long been part of U.S. immigration law, who falls under this category is up to the presidential administration<\/a>. In his first term, President Donald Trump expanded the discretionary capacity of individual immigration officers, suggesting anyone who used public benefits or qualified for them based on income could be deemed a public charge. The Biden Administration then ruled to standardise the principle as someone who relied on government aid as their major source of income.<\/p>\n

On July 17, the Trump administration undid it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Too Expensive to Live Here<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For the recently arrived, becoming self-sufficient takes time\u2014 and money.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Chac\u00f3n, a case manager providing job placement services at Catholic Charities, knows it firsthand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to find out on my own; what do I do? Is my title valid here? Looks like it doesn\u2019t; Is there a way to validate it? Oh, you can\u2019t\u201d.<\/p>\n

Now she helps newcomers navigate these questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot everyone knows that they can do it [\u2026] and secondly, not everyone can access these services\u201d. Professional accreditation is one example: \u201cWe\u2019re talking about a process that could cost you five to six hundred; only to validate a bachelor\u2019s\u201d, Chac\u00f3n says.<\/p>\n

But, as Chac\u00f3n says, many cannot afford to support their livelihoods, much less validate their degree. \u201cThey can\u2019t just survive on their salary [\u2026] a household earning a minimum wage in New York City, which is seventeen dollars an hour, to pay rent food, and everything else is simply not possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chac\u00f3n estimates that \u201cninety-eight, to not say a hundred, per cent of our clients receive public benefits\u201d. Yet, many have been increasingly deterred from getting them. Indeed, researchers estimate loss of coverage will have a\u00a0disproportionately higher<\/a>\u00a0impact among eligible noncitizens.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany are scared,\u201d she says. \u201cOur legal team mentioned that while the law says they are not subject to public charges, anything can happen, and it can change tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Too Expensive to Support You Here<\/strong><\/p>\n

The agencies providing Refugee Resettlement Services are bearing the weight of budget cuts.<\/p>\n

As recently as September 25, the Trump Administration proposed a \u2018Pocket Rescision\u2019 of $810 million<\/a> targeting funds that directly support refugee and immigrant services<\/a>. The breakdown: $567 million for the Refugee and Entrant Assistance account, which funds Office of Refugee Resettlement programs under HHS; and $10 million from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Citizenship and Integration grant program\u00a0that provides ESL services.<\/p>\n

For resettlement organisations, the cuts are mounting on years of financial stress. As Chac\u00f3n puts it, \u201cThe little funds we still have are provided by the state. We were a team of between 100 and 80 people; today we are 15.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Too Expensive to Care?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For newcomers, refugee resettlement organisations are a vital source of support.<\/p>\n

Father Fabi\u00e1n Arias, a volunteer at New Sanctuary Coalition and Saint Peter\u2019s Church, where budget cuts have reduced legal-clinic services, continues to build community.<\/p>\n

Increasingly, he fears, the \u201cTrump administration has targeted sanctuaries\u201d. Arias not only worries about providing basic services, but also about a sense of security.<\/p>\n

To him, these rulings are preventing \u201cthe community from feeling that it is a safe space, that ICE will not enter there\u201d.<\/p>\n

Though his eyes water, he still jokes about the importance of accepting help: \u201cI\u2019m sorry for whoever thinks of themselves as Superman, who thinks they don\u2019t need to be taken care of\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On September 14, 2026, New York City joined the City of Chicago, the City and County of San Francisco, and three others in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration\u2019s new public charge rule. The U.S. public charge rule allows the Department of State to deny visa applicants deemed \u201ctoo reliant\u201d on public benefits. DOS says<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7986,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7986"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=882"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":892,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882\/revisions\/892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}