Perhaps ironically – because it is the national holiday of family togetherness – Thanksgiving 2021 marked the fourth anniversary of public knowledge that the U.S. government’s “zero tolerance” policy that separated children from their families. On November 25, 2017, the Houston Chronicle reported that the prior administration had been separating parents who crossed the border […]
Category: Policy and Advocacy
U.S. Committee for Refugees & Immigrants (USCRI) Snapshot: Migrant Protection Protocols
The Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) policy, also referred to as Remain in Mexico, is a program that was implemented by the Trump administration in response to an increase in asylum seekers at the southern border. The program requires asylum seekers, both from Mexico and from other countries, to stay in Mexico while their asylum cases […]
USCRI’s Statement on the Resumption of the Remain in Mexico Program
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) expresses disappointment at the Biden administration’s announcement that it will be resuming the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the Remain in Mexico program, by mid-November. USCRI urges the administration to draft a new memorandum terminating the program before mid-November, following the guidelines and requirements set [...]
USCRI Backgrounder: Case Management for Unaccompanied Children
This USCRI Backgrounder outlines the roles, responsibilities, and challenges of case management within the shelter network for unaccompanied children (UCs) coordinated by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Reunification with a family is the primary goal. The primary tasks of case managers are (1) to establish contact with the child’s parent(s) and to identify […]
USCRI Snapshot on Historical Precedent of Discriminatory U.S. Immigration Policy Toward Haitians
Earlier this year, the Biden administration redesignated Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which grants deportation immunity to immigrants already in the United States who are unable to return to their home country due to natural disaster or extreme political upheaval. In a Federal Register notice published on August 3rd, 2021, the Department of Homeland […]
USCRI Joins Welcome.US to Mobilize Support for Afghan Refugees in United States
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Resettlement agencies, Afghan-American organizations, businesses, veterans, faith leaders, human rights organizations, governors, mayors, and more also involved in nationwide, bipartisan effort Arlington, VA— The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants joins a new national organization called Welcome.US to mobilize the American people to welcome our new Afghan neighbors. Welcome.US provides a single […]
USCRI Snapshot: Humanitarian Parole for Afghan Evacuees
The Biden Administration is currently evacuating tens of thousands of Afghans from Kabul. Many Afghans are entering the United States on “humanitarian parole,” which allows individuals in urgent situations to enter the United States when they are not otherwise eligible. This Policy Snapshot by USCRI explains parole in the immigration context, the role of humanitarian […]
USCRI Urges the Current Administration to Continue Evacuations from Afghanistan
August 24, 2021 Arlington, VA– This very moment, tens of thousands of Afghans are desperately trying to flee the fundamentalist and oppressive rule of the Taliban, and resettle in the United States. Yet, the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, particularly in the capital city of Kabul, has made it extremely challenging for any American-affiliated or […]
Not a Numbers Game: Human Faces of the Crisis in Afghanistan
Many of us have been shaken by recent news of the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. As news outlets report staggering numbers of people in danger, it can be easy to decontextualize those large figures from the humans they reflect. USCRI, and other refugee resettlement agencies and human rights organizations across the United States, have received […]
Afghan Mother Pleads for her Children’s Safety
Suneeta, an Afghan woman living as a lawful permanent resident in Albany, New York, has four children who live in Kabul, Afghanistan, aged seventeen, fifteen, nine, and seven. Suneeta’s husband, the father of her children, worked with the U.S. Military as an interpreter and Team Leader with the security forces at Camp Eggers. He disappeared […]
