One year ago, Kenya took a bold and necessary step toward transforming its refugee response through the launch of the Shirika Plan. This landmark initiative signaled a shift away from encampment toward inclusion, resilience, and shared prosperity, recognizing that refugees are not passive beneficiaries of aid but active contributors to a country and its communities. The protracted displacement crisis in Kenya requires an inclusive and […]
Category: Headquarters
Policy and Advocacy Newsletter: VOLUME 9 | ISSUE NO.7 March 26, 2026
Featured Brief On June 4, 2025, the Trump administration issued a travel ban suspending the entry of nationals from 19 countries. Unlike travel bans during the first Trump administration, this travel ban barred the entry of follow-to-join asylee families, many of whom have spent years apart under the stress of uncertainty. When we realized that […]
No Shelter: India’s Selective Abandonment of its Refugees
By: Anum Merchant, USCRI Policy Intern (Winter 2026) Edited by Alexia Gardner, Policy Analyst In 1947, millions of people crossed the borders between the newly independent India and newly formed state of Pakistan. The Partition would become the largest mass migration in human history, and one of the most violent as well. On both […]
No Two Hands Sign the Same
In recognition of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, we want to share a story from USCRI Vermont that stayed with us — one that reshaped how we think about language, disability, and what it truly means to welcome someone. When we learned that a young client from Northern Africa would be arriving in the United […]
Indefinite Separation – What Asylee Families Are Facing
In this policy brief, we share with you the experiences of 25 families from Afghanistan, Venezuela, and Cuba. They represent countless children, spouses, and parents. They are fathers who have yet to meet their sons in person. They are wives who face gender apartheid who have lived as a de facto single parent for years. […]
Happy Social Work Day!
Every day, USCRI social workers stand alongside refugees and immigrants as they rebuild their lives, navigate complex systems, and find safety and stability in new communities. Their compassion, dedication, and advocacy make this work possible. We celebrate the people who show up each day to support others and strengthen communities. “Social work is deeply […]
Anniversary of The Refugee Act
March 17 marks the 46th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980, which has helped make it possible for more than 3 million refugees to find safety in the United States, including over 400,000 welcomed by USCRI. Behind every number is a story of resilience, courage, and hope for a better future. As we reflect […]
Finding Care Without Support in Dzaleka Refugee Camp
By: Rachel Ryu, Policy Analyst, and Adson Mphepo, Rights Activist on Unaccompanied and Separated Child Refugees Dzaleka Refugee Camp is Malawi’s largest refugee camp. Established in 1994, the camp was built on the site of a former prison to accommodate up to 12,000 refugees. At the end of 2025, it housed over 60,000 refugees, […]
War in a Fragile Region: Three Issues to Watch in the Middle East
by Will Evans, Policy Analyst As conflict escalates in the Middle East, growing numbers of civilians are being forced to flee their homes with early reports showing hundreds of thousands displaced internally in Iran and neighboring countries. Given the pace of escalation, all displacement figures cited here reflect a snapshot in time at the date of publication and will likely continue […]
At Home, a Stranger: Challenges for New Returnees in El Salvador
by Ana Martínez, 2025 Welcoming Communities Program Intern at USCRI Mexico(2025) Edited by Alexia Gardner (Policy Analyst) and Anum Merchant (Policy Intern) Imagine building a life in a country for more than a decade—becoming integrated into the community and coming to consider a place home—only to be uprooted and abruptly sent somewhere that now feels like a distant memory. […]
