CEDA Condemns Proposed State Department Reorganization of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM)
Mandate would shift from humanitarian protection to migrant removals
Washington, D.C. – CEDA is deeply concerned by the proposed State Department reorganization, detailed in a May 29 Congressional notification. The plan would gut the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration’s (PRM) humanitarian protection mandate and replace it with functions aligned with immigration enforcement and deterrence.
Among the more alarming changes is the proposed establishment of a new “Office of Remigration.” The term “remigration” is employed by far-right European movements as a euphemism for the mass deportation of migrants and their descendants. Its introduction into official U.S. policy documents is profoundly disturbing.
“The U.S. government is proposing to institutionalize a xenophobic concept,” said Francisca Vigaud-Walsh, Director of Strategy and Advocacy at CEDA. “This is not just a bureaucratic shuffle, it’s an assault on the core of U.S. humanitarian policy and it violates both the spirit and the letter of U.S. humanitarian commitments.”
The notification also indicated that Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account funds will be used to actively facilitate the “voluntary” return of migrants to their country of origin. Such returns cannot be considered truly “voluntary” in the absence of legal protection alternatives.
Additionally, the proposed reorganization would eliminate PRM’s regional assistance offices, dissolving the last core of technical humanitarian expertise within the State Department. The plan shifts responsibility for administering humanitarian aid, including International Disaster Assistance (IDA), MRA, and the proposed International Humanitarian Assistance (IHA) account, to regional bureaus that lack the required subject-matter expertise. This action will jeopardize oversight, programming quality, and lifesaving assistance to those who need it most.
“Congress must act now to halt this reorganization,” Vigaud-Walsh said. “U.S. global humanitarian leadership has been undermined. PRM was established to protect people fleeing armed conflict and violence. This plan would turn it into a tool for the Administration to support removals without regard for due process or basic humanitarian principles. That is unacceptable.”
CEDA Press Contact:
isabel@weareceda.org
###
About CEDA:
The Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas fosters regional collaboration to enhance the rights, well-being, and dignity of people across the region. Through research, advocacy, and coalition-building, CEDA works to advance humane and effective policies that support migrants and strengthen cross-border relationships.