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The Source: After Clashing With Feds, Texas Leaves Refugee Resettlement Program

Texas made good on threats last week to withdraw from the federal Refugee Resettlement Program after demands for increased security and a cap on the number of refugees resettled in the state were not met. The federal agency in charge of the program insists existing security measures are sufficient and that they don't have control over how many refugees come in.

The state's withdrawal from the program doesn't mean refugee resettlement in Texas will end. However, after four decades in the program, Texas' departure has non-profit refugee organizations throughout the state scrambling to ensure refugee services like housing, education, medical care and employment aren't disrupted.

Some 7,802 refugees have been resettled in Texas during the 2016 federal fiscal year, and the U.S. State Department previously proposed increasing that number by 25 percent in 2017.

Guests: 

Jonathan Ryan, executive director of the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES)

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies

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