The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) is an international non-governmental organization that has advocated for the human rights of refugees and immigrants for 110 years. USCRI is gravely concerned about the 20,000 refugees from the refugee camps in the Tigray region of Ethiopia who are missing. There is strong evidence that some of […]
Author: USCRI
USCRI Statement on President’s Executive Orders on Refugee Resettlement and Immigration
by Eskinder Negash USCRI is greatly encouraged by newly elected President’s actions to restore the country’s robust refugee resettlement program and other paths to immigration . The President has pledged to raise the annual refugee admissions ceiling from its historic low of 15,000 to 125,000 beginning next fiscal year. He has signed Executive Orders this […]
Building Bridges Through Art – U.S. Committee for Refugees & Immigrants
A new USCRI art class is building community connections and nurturing creativity. The eight student artists range in age from 13 to 70 years old and come from all over the globe, including Syria, Turkey, Congo, and Burundi. Emma Caterinicchio volunteered to lead the class. Emma is a local musician and works as a grants […]
Policy & Legislative Recommendations to Improve Protection and Assistance for Foreign National Victims
As we welcome a new presidential administration in the United States, we too welcome the opportunity for increasing our knowledge, action and responsiveness on human trafficking, particularly for the protection and assistance of victims. In the United States, the scope of both domestic and foreign-national human trafficking is significant. Although the exact figures are unknown, […]
Out of the Cold: Forced Marriage Trafficking Victims Need to Be Included in U.S. Definition
The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA) was passed into law in October 2000 by Congress and President Clinton. At the time, it was praised as a bipartisan solution to address human trafficking as a distinct crime. Prior to 2000, human trafficking crimes were prosecuted using several different federal and state statutes that […]
USCRI Statement on the Inauguration
by Eskinder Negash The solemn pageantry of America’s presidential inaugurations celebrates our long history of democratic transitions following elections. Despite the events of January 6th, the will of the people through a free and fair election has been honored, and we will once again witness the peaceful transfer of power. Democracy is not an […]
Safe Processing and Transport of Arriving Unaccompanied Children in a Public Health Emergency
Overview At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order to limit entry at the U.S. southern border. The CDC invoked a comprehensive quarantine power based in an expansive reading of Title 42 of U.S. Code[1]—added in the 1940s—to override protections that Congress explicitly required, such […]
Unaccompanied Children, UC Care Providers, and Planning for the End of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Since the outset of the pandemic, care providers have worked diligently to maintain the health and safety of the unaccompanied children (UCs) in their care. COVID-19 hit congregate-care facilities especially hard, which meant that staff had to adjust to changing practices around exposures and maintaining safety, emerging best-practices based on new information, new protocols, and […]
The Crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Origins of the Crisis Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ephemeral Periods of Peace While the most recent humanitarian crisis was sparked by escalated conflict starting in 1994, the roots of the modern conflict and accompanying humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (hereinafter “DRC”) are rooted in the country’s tumultuous history and its […]
Celebrating a First Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving has been a challenging time for many Americans. The staggering loss of human life due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the damage inflicted to our economy—all occurring within an especially divisive election year—have made this year’s collective expression of giving thanks all the more important. USCRI expressed its gratitude to the people we […]
