ARLINGTON, VA—Today, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants announced its new office that brings critical legal assistance to migrants in the San Diego-Tijuana region. USCRI staff will work on both sides of the US-Mexico border, in partnership with Mexico’s Habesha Project. USCRI’s office will focus on legal aid to help migrants in claims […]
Category: USCRI Des Moines
Moving Forward: Statement by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants on the Election
by Eskinder Negash President and CEO Today, with the election behind us and the votes tabulated, America is moving forward. Our vote is our most sacrosanct exercise of American democracy. It is the people’s voice. It is with our vote that we choose who will represent us for the next two years, the next six […]
USCRI Announces A New “Know Your Rights” Toolkit
USCRI’s Know Your Rights toolkit includes a guide for survivors of trafficking and asylum seekers to help them navigate law and immigration enforcement. The contents include: General tips On the street At home In a vehicle If detained Cannabis (marijuana) There is also a handy wallet-sized version in English, Spanish, French, Russian and Ukrainian. Click […]
URGENT ACTION: Keep America’s Refugee Resettlement Program Alive!
The refugee admissions goal for next fiscal year was just officially set at 15,000—the lowest level in U.S. history—and is restricting refugee arrivals based on limited categories of persecution and country of origin, meaning even fewer than 15,000 refugees will actually be resettled. The United States has long been a leader in refugee resettlement, but […]
USCRI Calls for DHS Investigation of the Unlawful Detention of Unaccompanied Children in Hotels
Nelson Mandela wrote, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than how it treats its children.” The United States continues to lose its way in how we treat the unaccompanied children fleeing the intractable violence, endemic poverty, and widespread lawlessness of the countries located in the Northern Triangle—Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. […]
Join USCRI in the National Refugee Day of Action: Make Your Voice Heard
National Refugee Day of Action Monday, October 26, 2020 Background: The Trump administration has proposed the lowest refugee admissions goal in history — just 15,000 refugees in FY 2021. To make matters worse, the administration is not resettling refugees based on their vulnerability. Instead, the administration’s roadmap for resettlement is based on very restrictive categories […]
USCRI Des Moines’ “A Decade of Welcome”: Celebrating a Community in America’s Heartland
It is easy to understand why refugees want to settle in Des Moines. This vibrant Midwestern city stands out as a place where people from far-flung parts of the world can find security, community, and opportunity as they begin their new lives in America. And as soon as they step off the plane, Iowa’s newest […]
USCRI Statement on the President’s Report to Congress on the Proposed Refugee Admission for FY2021
ARLINGTON, VA – The President’s Report to Congress on the Proposed Refugee Ceiling for FY 2021 calling for a maximum of 15,000 refugees to enter the U.S. is a serious and consequential action that significantly weakens the longstanding global humanitarian leadership role of the United States. The report, required to be submitted to Congress preceding […]
Statement on the Conditions at the Irwin County Detention Center
Media reports on conditions at the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia paint a picture of neglect, mistreatment and abuse of migrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The facility houses immigrant detainees, along with inmates for Irwin County and the U.S. Marshals Service. Most concerning are reports of women being subjected to […]
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants Statement on the COVID-19 Pandemic
ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) expresses its solidarity with our global community in their efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This kind of pervasive and far-reaching global event reminds us all that we share one planet and our lives are inextricably linked together in an unbroken chain of […]
