A San Diego migrant shelter is closing its doors and laying off more than 100 employees because of funding and policy changes under the Trump administration.
The Jewish Family Service of San Diego, which has operated a regional migrant shelter for over six years, announced it will close its facility and lay off 115 employees due to “changes in federal funding and policy.”
“Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) is working to meet the evolving needs of the community in response to recent and anticipated federal policy changes,” the organization previously said.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) said they have not received new asylum-seeking families or individuals since the CBP One phone app went down on Jan. 20.
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The app, which ultimately allowed immigrants to be paroled into the U.S., was created during the first Trump administration to assist with scheduling cargo inspections.
It expanded in 2023 to allow migrants to make an appointment at a port of entry to be allowed in, initially due to an exception from the Title 42 public health order. Since May, they had the potential to be paroled into the U.S. as part of the Biden administration’s expansion of “lawful pathways.”
As of the end of December, more than 936,500 individuals had made appointments to be paroled through the app, according to Customs and Border Protection.
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“With migrants no longer able to use the CBP One application, the San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN) Migrant Shelter Services, operated by JFS, has not received new asylum-seeking families and individuals released from short term federal custody into our care. Due to these changes in federal funding and policy, the SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services will be paused until there is better understanding of future community needs,” the statement continued.
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The organization added that they were “focusing its immigration efforts on providing pro bono legal services and community support resources.”
“We’ve been preparing for these changes in federal policies and enforcement,” said CEO Michael Hopkins. “While there are no longer individuals or families seeking asylum released from short-term federal immigration custody to our Shelter Services, we are seeing increased needs for immigration legal assistance and other social service supports to vulnerable San Diegans. We’re also continuing to collaborate with our community partners to explore new ways to offer assistance.”
The organization received $22,077,365 in taxpayer-funded FEMA money in Fiscal Year 2024 despite claiming they received no funds, according to grant records on the FEMA website.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Jewish Family Service of San Diego and FEMA but did not immediately receive a statement.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]
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