Trump cancels contracts with refugee groups one day after judge blocks suspension of resettlement program

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Donald Trump’s administration abruptly terminated contracts with refugee resettlement and assistance groups 24 hours after a judge ordered the government to restore a federal refugee program and funding to aid organizations. open image in gallery Protesters gather outside federal court after a judge blocked Donald Trump's effort to halt the nation's refugee admissions on February 25 On Wednesday, brief messages from State Department officials told refugee groups that their contracts were “terminated for the convenience of the U.S. Government pursuant to a directive” from Secretary of State Marco Rubio for “alignment with agency priorities and the national interest.” Other messages told aid groups that funding is “immediately terminated” because it “no longer effectuates agency priorities.” The cancellation of those contracts follows global chaos and humanitarian emergencies as Trump and Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency deliberately gut foreign assistance and face legal challenges over allegedly unconstitutional and illegal attempts to dissolve entire agencies. The termination notices arrived on Wednesday — one day after Judge Whitehead said he would issue a preliminary injunction to block Trump’s executive orders that temporarily suspended refugee entry and froze foreign aid. “Refugees are a blessing to our country, not a burden.” The Trump administration’s termination of refugee aid agreements “upends a proud bipartisan American tradition that has worked for decades — one built on partnership between government, local communities, and faith-based organizations like ours to ensure refugee families have the support they need to succeed,” said Vignarajah with Global Refuge.