The United Nations’ principal migration agency has ordered an immediate freeze to its United States resettlement program and is preparing the ground for thousands of possible job cuts following the Trump administration’s sweeping pause on U.S. foreign assistance, according to humanitarian sources.
As many as 5,000 employees at the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration, or IOM, are at risk of losing their jobs, according to three humanitarian sources familiar with the internal discussion at IOM. However, that figure is a worst-case scenario and the cuts could be smaller, particularly if the Trump administration decides to restore some funding. The affected workers primarily serve in the U.S. resettlement program, which is funded largely by the U.S.
The migration agency has already begun sending out emails to staffers working on the U.S. Refugees Admissions Program, calling on them to stop work immediately. So far, no workers have been laid off, but those in the U.S. refugee admissions program could potentially begin receiving letters informing them that their contracts will not be renewed, said one well-placed humanitarian source.
About the author
Colum Lynch
Colum Lynch is an award-winning reporter and Senior Global Reporter for Devex. He covers the intersection of development, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief at the United Nations and beyond. Prior to Devex, Colum reported on foreign policy and national security for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post. Colum was awarded the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital reporting for his blog Turtle Bay. He has also won an award for groundbreaking reporting on the U.N.’s failure to protect civilians in Darfur.
