Pursuing a university degree once seemed like a distant dream for Ibrahim, Elham, Alek, Abed, Mamer, Mohammed, Adau, and Freedom. Just over a year ago, they received life-changing news: they had been selected for the Habesha Project scholarship and would soon travel to Mexico to begin a new chapter. After receiving support throughout their journey—including […]
Author: USCRI
Indignities, Discrimination, and Dehumanization in the Pursuit of Safety
Indignities, Discrimination, and Dehumanization in the Pursuit of Safety History has always privileged some migration. Migration for Europeans, by Christopher Columbus to the Native-inhabited Americas or by modern-day corporations to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is accepted and valued. Yet, the reverse is not. Quite the opposite, Black migration to Europe or the […]
USCRI Partner Agency Retreat: Strengthening Strategy, Solidarity, and Shared Purpose
On July 30–31, USCRI convened a two-day Partner Agency Retreat with 23 of the oldest and most trusted refugee resettlement organizations in the United States. This internal gathering offered space to coordinate strategy, deepen collaboration, and reaffirm our collective commitment to protecting the rights of refugees and immigrants. Day 1 opened with introductions and a […]
Centering Survivors: The Key to Preventing Human Trafficking and Holding Perpetrators Accountable
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), human trafficking is becoming more violent, more profitable, and more global. According to the UNODC, more than 200,000 individuals were identified in trafficking situations from 2020 to 2023 alone. This figure is widely understood to be a minimum estimate, as trafficking is a chronically […]
USCRI Calls for Immediate Action as Refugees Face Man-Made Starvation Crisis in Kenya
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) is profoundly concerned by the worsening humanitarian crisis in Kenya’s refugee camps, where growing starvation is now compounded by violence following clashes between protestors and police. Dire conditions in the camps have been exacerbated by drastic reductions in international support, mainly through significant cuts to U.S. humanitarian […]
No Safe Pathway: Migrant Deaths by Drowning
“Anyone can drown; no one should.” This is the slogan for World Drowning Prevention Day, prominently featured on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) campaign page for 2025. Despite this inclusive message, there is no mention of the thousands of migrants who drown each year in pursuit of refuge or opportunity. The WHO’s first-ever global report […]
‘Political Death’: What is Citizenship Stripping?
Citizenship stripping refers to the practice of revoking an individual’s nationality, effectively severing their legal bond with the state. As states bear the responsibility of safeguarding their citizens’ fundamental human rights, the loss of citizenship can leave individuals exposed to severe rights violations. While the practice fell into disrepute after the atrocities of the Holocaust, […]
Why TPS Matters: Voices from Burma (Myanmar) in the United States
Four years have passed since the military seized power in Myanmar in a violent coup that shattered the lives of millions of people. Since then, Myanmar has descended into a deep humanitarian crisis marked by mass killings, arbitrary detentions, displacement, and severe restrictions on freedom and access to basic rights. In the face of these […]
How Humanitarian Funding Impacts Refugees
Humanitarian funding is financial support for the purpose of sustaining lives and alleviating suffering. Humanitarian funding is viewed as serving short-term, emergency purposes. But funding humanitarian aid has lasting impacts by ensuring that the world’s most vulnerable can access healthcare, food, and shelter to regain self-sufficiency. Humanitarian funding can be provided by governments, organizations, and […]
The 1951 Refugee Convention: Displacement Caused by Climate Change
For a backgrounder on the refugee definition, see “Defining ‘Refugees’—An Exclusionary Legacy.” The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, amended by the 1967 Protocol (together, the “Refugee Convention”) defines a “refugee” as any person who “owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social […]
