The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA) was passed into law in October 2000 by Congress and President Clinton. At the time, it was praised as a bipartisan solution to address human trafficking as a distinct crime. Prior to 2000, human trafficking crimes were prosecuted using several different federal and state statutes that […]
Category: Policy and Advocacy
Safe Processing and Transport of Arriving Unaccompanied Children in a Public Health Emergency
Overview At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order to limit entry at the U.S. southern border. The CDC invoked a comprehensive quarantine power based in an expansive reading of Title 42 of U.S. Code[1]—added in the 1940s—to override protections that Congress explicitly required, such […]
Unaccompanied Children, UC Care Providers, and Planning for the End of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Since the outset of the pandemic, care providers have worked diligently to maintain the health and safety of the unaccompanied children (UCs) in their care. COVID-19 hit congregate-care facilities especially hard, which meant that staff had to adjust to changing practices around exposures and maintaining safety, emerging best-practices based on new information, new protocols, and […]
The Crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Origins of the Crisis Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ephemeral Periods of Peace While the most recent humanitarian crisis was sparked by escalated conflict starting in 1994, the roots of the modern conflict and accompanying humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (hereinafter “DRC”) are rooted in the country’s tumultuous history and its […]
The U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services | Similar but Unequal
In early August 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), announced a final rule significantly raising the fees associated with certain immigration and naturalization benefit requests – by a weighted average of around 20 per cent.1 The agency included the decision to charge asylum seekers a $50 […]
USCRI Expands Work to Mexico in Partnership with Habesha Project
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 […]
Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 on Refugee Girls’ Education Part II of II: Solutions for Equal Access
Part I of this brief discussed the barriers refugee girls face to continuing their education in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The barriers fall into three main categories: financial issues, gendered norms about the value of educating girls, and outright gender-based and sexual violence. Part II focuses on solutions, not only to […]
Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 on Refugee Girls’ Education Part I of II: Barriers to Equal Access
The Covid-19 pandemic has taken 1.6 billion students out of classrooms around the globe. Although students everywhere are struggling to access education during the pandemic, the problem is especially exacerbated for girls. Girls in lower-income countries face unique challenges both in getting to school and in staying enrolled. These challenges include everything from lack of […]
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 […]
