“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 […]
Author: USCRI
‘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 […]
Local Soil, Global Flavors: Refugee Farmers Enrich Erie’s Harvest
Refugees in Erie are working hard on their summer gardens, containing local produce like tomatoes, peppers, and green beans, as well as some associated with cooking in various parts of the world, such as white eggplants used in Congolese cooking and mini eggplants used in Syrian cooking. USCRI Erie has worked with the Refugee Agriculture […]
TPS Terminations Threaten Stability and Safety for Honduran and Nicaraguan Communities
On July 7, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced its decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for both Honduras and Nicaragua. These terminations, both set to take effect on September 8, 2025, will put tens of thousands of Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals who sought safety in the United States at risk of […]
Rising Starvation, Fading Attention: The Hunger Crisis in East Africa
The world is experiencing a debilitating hunger and malnutrition crisis. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), 319 million people across 67 countries are suffering from acute hunger, with 1.9 million enduring catastrophic levels that verge on famine. This crisis is the most severe in regions already impacted by conflict, political instability, and economic collapse. […]
H.R. 1’s Impacts on Refugees and Forcibly Displaced Populations
Updated on July 23. On July 4, H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” was signed into law. The legislation is expected to displace 11.8 million people from health care coverage. Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—federal funding for food benefits—will impact more than 2 million children. The legislation also singles out […]
A Summer of Growth, Culture, and Connection: Ukrainian-American Cultural Exchange Camp Wraps Up in Cleveland
USCRI Cleveland, in partnership with Educational and Cultural Ukrainian American League (ECUAL), successfully concluded a four-week Cultural Exchange Summer Camp for Ukrainian refugee and parolee children. This unique program, officially registered through the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, created a nurturing and enriching environment for children navigating a new life in the United States. […]
