TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey has informed federal officials that the state will once again oversee the process of resettling refugees.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy announced the move Thursday.
His Republican predecessor, Chris Christie, had ceded the state’s role to the federal government in 2016, and the nonprofit International Rescue Committee has been running all aspects of resettlement in New Jersey since then.
The governor said the state Department of Human Services has been working with the federal government and the IRC to return the functions to the state for the 2020 fiscal year that began July 1.
Murphy also signed an executive order Thursday to create a state Office of New Americans. Its goal is to advance immigrant and refugee integration initiatives in New Jersey.
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