The Trump Administration has canceled U.S. refugee resettlement activities as of late January putting people in the US and abroad in serious danger. Learn more about the situation below and please take action immediately:
1) Contact your representatives and tell them you support refugee resettlement
2) Donate to refugee resettlement agencies that have had their funding halted to allow them to continue serving refugees who have already arrived in the US
3) Share this page with your family, friends, and colleagues and ask them to also act urgently
4) Check out our weekly updates below and sign up to receive these updates via email
Refugees are people fleeing persecution and seeking a safe country to call home. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so.
Refugees include people who provided services for the US military and who are now at risk because of their support for America. They are also people fleeing wars, like the war in Ukraine. War and ethnic, tribal, and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries.
Refugee resettlement has been an important part of U.S. foreign policy during both Republican and Democratic presidential administrations; the US has welcomed refugees since the congressional enactment of the Refugee Act in 1980 through a legal and highly organized system that demonstrates the commitment of the US to protection. Refugees are the most thoroughly vetted group of people entering the US and undergo rigorous security and health screenings. For many refugees, this process can take several years to complete.
Refugee resettlement is supported by many faith communities, and faith-based non-profits facilitate a large part of the refugee resettlement process through secular contracts with the federal government. Both religious organizations and large non-governmental organizations make up the 10 national refugee resettlement agencies, including: Bethany Christian Services, Church World Service, Episcopal migration Ministries, Ethiopian Community Development Council, Global Refuge, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, International Rescue Committee, US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, United State Conference of Catholic Bishops and World Relief. (ORR)
In 2023, a new model called Welcome Corps, was launched to facilitate private citizens and groups sponsoring people seeking refuge.
People resettling to the US through refugee resettlement receive 90 days of support through refugee resettlement agencies which includes case management, school enrollment for children, English language and cultural orientation classes, job placement, public health screening, connection to health care and support finding housing.
Refugees are our family, neighbors, friends, healthcare providers, business owners, and community leaders
Refugees strengthen the fabric of our communities by providing medical care, teaching children, caring for older people, and supporting understaffed services. Hospitals, residential homes, child-care centers, and domestic and professional cleaning services are often staffed by refugees. (source)
A recent study found that refugees and asylees contributed $124 billion to the American economy in a 15-year period, with contributions of $31.5 billion to the federal government, and $92.3 billion to state and local governments.
We are safer in our communities when we welcome refugees. Refugees commit crimes at lower rates than people born in the United States. (source)
Monday January 20: President Trump signed an executive order suspending the US Refugee Resettlement Program through resettlement agencies and Welcome Corps. This means that we will not welcome more refugees to the United States for the next 90 days, or longer if the program is not reinstated.
Tuesday January 21: The US State Department ordered all previously scheduled travel of refugees to be canceled affecting approximately 10,000 refugees with travel booked who were fully approved to travel to the US. This means that refugees who followed all the rules and waited a long time to get to the U.S. are left stranded, and in many cases their safety is in danger. This includes people who worked with the US military and alongside US NGOs in Afghanistan.
Friday January 24: The US State Department issued a “stop work order” for organizations that support resettled refugees who have already arrived in the US; this includes critical support such as housing and employment assistance, registering children for school, and connecting refugees to healthcare. This means refugees who were invited to the US, went through years of security and medical clearances, and traveled here in recent months, cannot access important services that help them become self-sufficient and contribute to our communities.
Step 1: Look up contact information for your representatives
Step 2: Tell them that refugee resettlement is important to you and your community. Ask for their support for both continuing to support refugees who we have already welcomed to the US and for the executive branch to reinstate the Refugee Resettlement program in the next 90 days. Need some help with your message? We have some tips.
Step 3: Share this page with your family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. We challenge you to think of 5 people in your life to send this page to.
Refugee resettlement agencies provide critical services to newly arrived refugees, including assistance with housing, connection to healthcare, school enrollment for children, and much more. This funding has been halted as of January 24. Ask resettlement agencies and members of your local community to guide you to refugee-serving community-based organizations that are key providers of support and resources to newcomer communities. See also this list of refugee resettlement agencies to donate.
Please share this page widely with your personal and professional networks. Consider pledging to recruit at least 5 others who will commit to contacting their local elected officials and support fundraising efforts for refugee resettlement agencies.
Please enter your email to receive weekly updates about our efforts to support refugee resettlement in the U.S. Brief updates will be sent each Monday.