The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN’s migration agency, has laid off thousands of employees as it struggles with severe funding cuts following the suspension of US foreign aid.
The agency is now facing accusations from current and former staff of aligning too closely with Washington and providing cover for mass deportations.
Like many humanitarian organizations, IOM has been in turmoil since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, implementing an anti-migrant agenda and freezing most US foreign aid.
“These funding cuts directly impact IOM’s ability to support some of the world’s most vulnerable people,” an IOM spokesperson told AFP, warning they would lead to “more suffering, increased migration, and greater insecurity.”
At the end of last year, IOM employed approximately 22,000 people, but thousands have already lost their jobs due to the budget crisis. The agency has also been criticized for allowing its Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) program to be used to legitimize Trump’s deportation policies under a UN framework.
On February 1, IOM announced it was expanding efforts across Latin America and the Caribbean to “help migrants return home, reintegrate, and rebuild their lives.” It resumed AVR programs in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama—countries that, along with Costa Rica, have agreed to accept deported migrants from the US.
Describing the initiative as “a lifeline for stranded migrants,” IOM emphasized its role in providing “urgent support” to those who “need help to return home safely and with dignity.”
“Without this vital support, conditions for those affected would be far worse,” the spokesperson insisted.
However, one of the thousands of employees recently laid off expressed concerns about the agency’s direction.
“It feels like there’s an effort to align ourselves with the administration,” she told AFP on condition of anonymity. “That’s very concerning.”
A former staff member echoed this sentiment, saying, “It really looks bad for IOM’s reputation.”
IOM’s financial crisis stems from the possibility that all US funding—approximately 40% of its total budget—could be indefinitely suspended.
“We have to make tough decisions about staffing because we simply can’t pay employees when we’re not receiving funding,” IOM chief Amy Pope told AFP.
The biggest impact so far has been on the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which Trump’s administration has suspended entirely. His predecessor, Joe Biden, had embraced the program, resettling over 100,000 refugees in the US last year.
Trump’s reversal forced IOM to issue termination notices to 3,000 employees last month, with further layoffs likely.
“It was a complete shock,” one dismissed staff member said.
Another former employee described widespread dismay at the speed of the job cuts, particularly at IOM’s Geneva headquarters, where mass layoffs are expected.
An internal memo from IOM’s Global Staff Association Committee, seen by AFP, revealed that management recently instructed directors to reduce departmental costs by a fixed percentage.
According to one former employee, rumors within headquarters suggest that roughly a third of the 550 staff there could soon be let go. “Managers are under huge pressure to meet quotas,” the source said.
“People are terrified… It feels like they have laser beams pointed at their heads.”
Staff and union representatives have lodged complaints, warning that abrupt layoffs will have devastating effects on both employees and the millions of migrants the agency serves.
Adding to the controversy, a recent Devex report alleged that IOM had scrubbed its website of content related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), seemingly to avoid conflict with Trump’s policies.
IOM did not directly address the allegation but told AFP it had “recently relaunched its global website following a year-long review, refining content to align with evolving contexts and in accordance with United Nations humanitarian principles.”
For some employees, the report struck a nerve.
“It really hurt,” said one laid-off staff member.
“We can align with certain priorities of this administration,” she added. “But we shouldn’t lose our identity in the process.”