What federal agencies and nonprofit partners run Somali refugee resettlement programs in the US in 2025?
Executive summary
Federal refugee resettlement in 2025 is centered on the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which historically is run by the State Department in cooperation with DHS and HHS (archived State Dept. description) [1]. An Executive Order in January 2025 indefinitely suspended USRAP operations and halted Welcome Corps private sponsorships, leaving federal agencies listed as responsible but with program activity paused and legal challenges ongoing [2] [3] [4].
1. Who legally runs U.S. refugee resettlement: the federal tripod
The official architecture of U.S. refugee resettlement is a three‑way federal partnership: the Department of State manages the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), working “in cooperation with” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which together handle referrals, vetting, admissions and post‑arrival services under normal operations [1]. This description is drawn from the State Department’s archived USRAP materials that summarize how admissions and federal resettlement assistance have been structured [1].
2. Nonprofit resettlement partners before the suspension
Before the January 2025 suspension, several large nonprofit resettlement agencies were core partners that received federal funding and carried out on‑the‑ground placement and services — the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and similar agencies traditionally coordinated with USRAP to welcome refugees. The IRC’s 2025 resettlement guide notes that resettlement activities were being provided by such agencies, and that the program was indefinitely suspended in January 2025, which affected their operations [3]. Specific nonprofit names beyond IRC are not listed in the provided documents; archived State Department material notes that certified non‑governmental organizations and Welcome Corps sponsors can make referrals, but does not enumerate every agency in the current reporting [1].
3. What changed in January 2025: an administrative halt
An Executive Order signed in January 2025 directed an indefinite suspension of the USRAP and revoked the prior administration’s rebuilding order; it also allowed the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security to permit case‑by‑case exceptions and ordered reviews of local involvement in placement decisions [2]. The IRC and UNHCR communications report that the administration ordered resettlement agencies to halt activities supporting resettled refugees and that USRAP and Welcome Corps referrals were included in the suspension [3] [4]. UNHCR publicly advised refugees that the U.S. suspension applied to all nationalities and that it was awaiting State Department guidance [4].
4. Practical effects on Somali resettlement partners and communities
Because the suspension applied across USRAP, Somali refugees awaiting resettlement were directly affected: reporting ties the policy to pauses in flights and processing of vetted refugees, and academic and news analyses emphasize that historically large Somali communities in places like Minnesota were built through prior refugee resettlement flows [5] [6]. The available sources document disruption — including canceled flights and paused admissions — but do not provide a comprehensive list of which specific local Somali‑serving nonprofits were stopped from operating by the order [5] [3].
5. The role of welcome sponsorship and UN/referral partners
Before the suspension, private sponsorship through the Welcome Corps and UNHCR referrals were part of the pipeline: U.S. citizens could sponsor groups via Welcome Corps and UNHCR referred people of particular concern to USRAP [1]. UNHCR’s public notices reflect that the January 27, 2025 suspension included Welcome Corps and that UNHCR was awaiting U.S. guidance while warning refugees not to trust unofficial offers to expedite cases [4].
6. Legal and political contestation shaping who can operate
Multiple organizations sued over funding and suspension actions, and at least one federal court issued a temporary block against elements of the suspension, indicating that operational control and funding streams were in legal dispute during 2025 [5]. The White House order itself preserved narrow discretionary admissions by State and DHS on “case‑by‑case” grounds, meaning the federal agencies named retain formal authority even while broad program functions were paused [2].
7. What the available sources do not enumerate
Available sources do not list a definitive 2025 roster of every nonprofit resettlement agency still operating on Somali cases after the suspension; they do not provide a state‑by‑state breakdown of nonprofit partners currently active post‑suspension, nor do they name which specific agencies received immediate stop orders beyond general references to “resettlement agencies” [3] [4]. For specific local organizations (e.g., Somali Community Resettlement Services in Minnesota), state and local directories exist, but the provided reporting does not confirm whether they were federally contracted or how the suspension affected each program [7].
8. Bottom line and how to follow developments
Formally, USRAP is run by State with DHS and HHS cooperation and nonprofit partners carry out local resettlement work [1]. The January 2025 Executive Order suspended those activities and halted Welcome Corps sponsorships while preserving narrow, case‑by‑case admission authority for State and DHS and triggering legal challenges and UNHCR advisories [2] [3] [4]. To identify which nonprofits are still active with Somali cases, consult up‑to‑date State Department guidance, court filings in the related litigation, and the websites of major resettlement agencies such as the IRC, none of which are comprehensively enumerated in the current reporting [3] [1].