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Tarrant County Public Health’s Refugee Clinic suspended its services Friday as refugee services organizations across Texas have been rocked by layoffs and lawsuits over changes to the nation’s federal funding for resettlement. Kennedy Sam, spokesperson for Tarrant County Public Health, confirmed the closure to the Report March 14.“We will accommodate as many patients as possible at our six immunization clinics,” Sam said, encouraging those affected to contact the department for assistance in rescheduling their appointments. “The department plans to inform its community medical partners to expect an increase in patient numbers.” The county later announced the suspension on its website, stating that “we understand the inconvenience and we are committed to providing high-quality services.” Immunizations required for immigration are evaluated and administered through Tarrant County Public Health’s immunization clinics, according to its website. Rescheduling appointments

For more information or assistance in rescheduling a refugee clinic appointment to one of the six immunization clinics, call 817-248-6299.The clinic worked in cooperation with the national resettlement group U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants to provide incoming displaced persons from around the world with screenings for general health, nutrition and tuberculosis, according to a county webpage. The federal government continues to freeze some funding for the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants while officials conduct “a program integrity review” process that began Feb. 3, according to a March 12 court filing by Andrew Gradison, acting assistant secretary for children and families for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The committee has faced scrutiny from Republican leaders in Congress who have questioned how the organization spends hundreds of millions in federal funds on refugee resettlement and services for migrant children. With the clinic suspending its services to refugees, it will be up to Tarrant County Public Health’s six other clinics — among others — to offer specific medical care required for refugees, said Mark Clayton Hand, assistant professor of political science at the University of Texas at Arlington. Some services refugee-focused clinics could offer, which other clinics might struggle to replicate, Hand says, involve expertise in “how to serve this multilingual, new-to-the-U.S. group of legal immigrants and give them information (for) other programs and nonprofits that can provide other kinds of support as refugees transition to life in America.” “What the county could do, and may already be doing is, is distribute staff from that clinic to other clinics, so they can train other clinics in how to meet the needs of newly arrived refugees,” Hand said. Sam of the county public health department did not respond to further questions about whether the suspension of services was related to federal funding issues or whether the suspension would lead to county staffing changes. The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants also did not return a request for comment about the closure and its impact on medical services for refugees. What is the definition of a refugee, and how many are in Texas? 

Refugees are people located outside of the U.S. who are of “special humanitarian concern” and “demonstrated that they were persecuted or fear persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group,” according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. An individual seeking refugee status must submit their case, proving they meet the definition of a refugee, to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to be registered, according to World Relief. Those offered resettlement in the U.S. go through a series of interviews and checks conducted by the federal government. Applicants with any connection to human rights violations or terrorist groups are automatically excluded from consideration. Over 5,000 refugees made Texas their home in 2023, leading the nation in refugee resettlement, according to a November 2024 report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Clinic closure follows federal funding pause, Catholic Charities lawsuitA Trump administration executive order pausing funding to refugee resettlement organizations took effect in January. A federal judge temporarily blocked the effort on Jan. 25. The Trump administration rescinded the order on Jan. 29 after an outcry against the move, which would have paused most federal grants and loans. But some organizations are still unable to access federal funds. In March, Catholic Charities Fort Worth, which operates the statewide Texas Office for Refugees, sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to unfreeze what now amounts to $42 million in federal grant funding allocated to its refugee resettlement program. Gradison said Catholic Charities was also selected for a “program integrity review,” which remains ongoing as of March 14. In a March 7 filing, the government said it flagged organizations for an integrity review based on whether the organizations “billed for activities that were outside the scope” of its grants and whether the grants were structured to pay for activities that exceeded the requirements of the Refugee Act of 1980.Now, Catholic Charities Fort Worth could lay off 169 employees Friday amid the federal funding pause. The nonprofit filed a notice on March 10 with the Texas Workforce Commission’s Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification, also known as WARN. The federal government requires employers to give 60 calendar days’ advance notice of a mass layoff to affected employees and government entities.Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.