Fishback Targets Florida Refugee Services In Veterans Homelessness Pitch
TALLAHASSEE, Florida - James Fishback put refugee resettlement into Florida's 2026 governor race by saying he would shut down the state's refugee-services operation and redirect the money to homeless veterans.
The Republican candidate's campaign clip points to a real state program inside the Florida Department of Children and Families. The funding claim is more complicated: DCF says Refugee Services is 100% federally funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement, and federal rules restrict how those dollars may be used.
What Happened
Fishback, whom the Florida Division of Elections lists as an active Republican candidate for governor, filed for the 2026 race on Nov. 24, 2025. His campaign site says he is running to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis and frames his campaign around affordability, jobs, housing, family, and retirement dignity.
In the video, Fishback argued that Florida has a formal structure for refugee assistance but no comparable office for homeless veterans. "There is something called the Florida office of refugee resettlement, and every single one of us, as taxpayers, pays for that," Fishback said, according to the local transcript of his campaign video.
Fishback then tied the refugee-services program to veteran homelessness, saying Florida has "2700 homeless vets" who would be sleeping on the street. "As Governor, I will shut down that office of refugee nonsense and redirect every single dollar to our homeless vets because they served our country bravely and we will help them get back on their feet," he said.
The figure should be treated as Fishback's claim unless verified against HUD's state veteran homelessness tables. HUD's 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report page says the federal point-in-time data includes state-level estimates of homeless veterans, but the latest Florida row was not extractable from the official spreadsheet during this writing run.
What The Program Is
The official state program is not listed by DCF as a cabinet-level Florida "office." DCF calls it the Refugee Services Program and says it is federally funded by HHS ORR to help refugees reach "economic self-sufficiency and social adjustment within the shortest possible time after their arrival in the United States."
DCF says Refugee Services clients have legal immigration status. The agency lists refugees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, asylees, Afghan and Iraqi special immigrants, certified trafficking victims, and other federally eligible groups among the populations served.
DCF's overview says Florida's refugee program is the largest in the country and receives more than 5,000 refugees, asylees, and Cuban or Haitian entrants each year. The same state overview says only about 8% of Florida's refugee client population enters through the State Department's refugee Reception and Placement program, while a majority are Cuban entrants.
The Funding Question
Fishback's proposal turns on whether a governor could take federal refugee-services money and move it to veteran homelessness programs. The state and federal records reviewed for this article point to a much narrower path than the campaign line suggests.
Florida Statute 402.86 says DCF has authority to administer the refugee assistance program in accordance with 45 CFR parts 400 and 401. Federal regulation 45 CFR part 400 says that, for a state to receive refugee resettlement assistance, it must submit an ORR-approved plan that meets federal refugee-resettlement requirements.
The same federal rules define a state refugee plan as a written description of the state's refugee-resettlement program and a commitment that the state will administer or supervise the program "in accordance with Federal requirements in this part." ORR guidance also says states must annually submit a state plan or amendment, or certify that the last approved plan remains current.
ORR's FY2026 guidance for Refugee Support Services base formula funds says those funds must be used within the scope of ORR program regulations. That means a Florida governor could seek to change state participation, contracts, agency priorities, or budget proposals, but simply converting federal refugee grants into veterans homelessness funds would likely require federal approval, replacement state money, or legislative action.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
The Response
Fishback's argument fits a broader Republican primary message that puts American citizens, especially veterans, ahead of services for migrants and refugees. Supporters of that position often argue that government budgets should first address homelessness, medical care, and housing instability among people who served in the U.S. military.
The official refugee-services framework points the other way on the funding mechanics. DCF says the program serves people with legal immigration status, and federal rules say ORR funds are tied to refugee-resettlement purposes. Refugee-service supporters generally argue that the program follows federal law and helps eligible arrivals work, learn English, and become self-sufficient.
Veterans advocates have a separate policy claim that does not depend on refugee funding. HUD and the Department of Veterans Affairs use annual point-in-time counts to measure veteran homelessness, and federal, state, and local agencies use that data to steer housing and supportive services. Fishback's video did not identify a written plan for replacing ORR funds with state dollars or for expanding existing Florida veterans programs.
What People Are Saying
"There is something called the Florida office of refugee resettlement, and every single one of us, as taxpayers, pays for that," Fishback said in the campaign video transcript.
"There is no Florida office of homeless veteran resettlement," Fishback said, adding that Florida had "2700 homeless vets" sleeping on the street.
"As Governor, I will shut down that office of refugee nonsense and redirect every single dollar to our homeless vets," Fishback said.
DCF says its Refugee Services Program is "federally funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the Department of Health and Human Services" and is meant to help refugees achieve self-sufficiency after arrival.
Federal refugee regulations say a state plan is a commitment by the state to administer or supervise the program "in accordance with Federal requirements."
The Big Picture
The clip gives Fishback a clear immigration and veterans issue for the Republican governor race, but it also creates a testable policy question. If he keeps pressing the proposal, the next issue is whether he identifies which DCF contracts, ORR plan provisions, or state budget lines he would change.
For Florida voters, the stakes are practical rather than rhetorical. Fishback is asking them to compare refugee assistance with veteran homelessness, while the records show those programs may not draw from interchangeable pools of money. The next step is whether his campaign turns the promise into a plan that explains what a governor can do alone, what would require lawmakers, and what would require Washington.
