Refugee Congress is pleased to announce the launch of the National Refugee Leadership and Lived Experience Council (NRLLEC)™ .

The NRLLEC is a federal initiative of the Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, and is led by Refugee Congress in partnership with Refugee Council USA, Every Campus a Refuge, Church World Service, and USA Hello. The program will provide individuals with lived displacement experience the opportunity to directly impact ORR’s future policy planning while receiving access to a range of professional development opportunities.

Refugee Congress reiterates its firm commitment to refugees, asylum seekers, and all forcibly displaced people and communities in the United States and around the world. We remain dedicated to protecting the rights of displaced people, defending the safety and well-being of those seeking safety, and creating welcoming and inclusive spaces at local, state, national and international levels.

Refugee Congress and RCUSA shared values statement for the 2024 Elections.

On September 30th, President Biden signed the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2025, setting a goal of admitting up to 125,000 refugees to the United States over the next year.

On September 30th, the Biden administration issued new restrictions on the right to seek asylum at the U.S. southern border. These restrictions build upon the June 2024 ruling that already placed overwhelming barriers in front of those seeking safety and intensified the dangers faced by individuals and families fleeing persecution, violence, and instability in their home countries.

Today, 477 state and local elected officials from across the country sent President Biden a letter urging him to “strengthen the U.S. resettlement program to improve our capacity to welcome, enable our communities to more nimbly provide humanitarian protection, and preserve the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for years to come.”

On the third anniversary of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, Refugee Congress reflects on the profound and ongoing impact on thousands of Afghan allies and their families. We acknowledge the challenges many still face—both those who remain in danger in Afghanistan and those who have resettled in the United States. We remain committed to advocating for their safety and sustainable pathways to citizenship.

Refugee Congress joins other organizations in submitting a letter calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to swiftly issue work authorizations to as many eligible applicants as possible before the current administration ends.

Destination Reception Assistance Act aims to provide crucial federal funding to local efforts that assist asylum seekers in achieving self-sufficiency within their new communities.

Refugee Congress is currently seeking Delegates to join our active community from the following states: Arkansas, California (Northern), Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and West Virginia.

Refugee Congress is tremendously disappointed and strongly condemns the Biden Administration’s decision to play into political motivations and fear-based rhetoric, rather than focusing on humane, equitable, and effective solutions for our border. This order directly contradicts the President’s campaign promises to restore protections for those seeking safety in the US, and instead embraces the very anti-immigration policies the administration vowed to defeat.

“Together, we hold the power and the responsibility to not just avert but eliminate the threat of genocide from our era so that what we as genocide survivors have experienced is truly only in our past,” said Ayda Zugay, Delegate for Massachusetts.

Refugee Congress stands firm in denouncing the enforcement of SB4. It is imperative that the United States upholds its values of compassion and protection for people escaping persecution and families that have been forced to flee their homes due to violence.

As we mark the 44th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980, Refugee Congress stands in recognition of the United States’ history of welcoming refugees, asylum seekers, and forcibly displaced people.

Refugee Congress joined more than 150 organizations in signing a letter to President Biden.

Refugee Congress is deeply alarmed by Senate’s proposed bill that permanently uproots and dismantles US asylum laws and endangers the lives of many families and individuals seeking safety at the border.