Refugee Congress Calls on Administration to Honor 75-Year Commitment to Refugee Protection
October 1, 2025
As the only refugee-led organization in the United States, Refugee Congress is deeply concerned about efforts to dismantle international refugee protections at a critical moment in global displacement. Our authority comes from lived experience: we know what it means when protections are honored, and we know the devastating cost when they are denied.
We urge the President and all world leaders to uphold, preserve, and strengthen their commitment to the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol. These frameworks exist because the world witnessed what occurs when there is nowhere safe to turn. History reminds us what is at stake when millions were abandoned to horrific fates due to indifference and inaction when these protections did not exist. As former refugees and community leaders who were offered a lifeline, who have built lives in our new communities, and who contribute culturally and economically to the U.S., we are living proof that upholding refugee protections serves both humanitarian values and practical interests.
Any attempt to withdraw from international conventions and gut our domestic refugee laws undermines U.S. global leadership, while doing nothing to support our national security, economic, legal, or moral interests. Proposals to weaken, reform, or replace existing frameworks not only undermine international law but also break it. More than 123 million people are forcibly displaced and seeking safety, and we have a responsibility to find solutions, not to exacerbate an already growing global displacement crisis.
"It is deeply disheartening to see the United States not only stepping back from our longtime role as a global humanitarian leader, but actively trying to dismantle the foundations of international protection and sever lifelines for asylum seekers," said Nili Sarit Yossinger, Executive Director, Refugee Congress. "These actions must not be mistaken for solutions. They will only exacerbate a growing global displacement crisis while abandoning our long-held values of human dignity, welcome, and inclusion. We urge the administration to step away from this destructive path, and for all countries to reaffirm their commitments to non-refoulement and the principles of the Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocols."
The United States has the opportunity to lead by example, showing that we honor our treaty obligations, and respect the rule of law;we recognize that protecting refugees makes us stronger, not weaker. We urge the administration to operate the U.S. refugee resettlement and asylum programs in good faith and fully restore access to humanitarian protections. By protecting asylum and refugee rights, we are not only protecting displaced people, we are protecting the essence of humanity itself.
Refugee Congress joined 17 other member organizations of Refugee Council USA in signing a letter to President Trump urging the administration to uphold international refugee law and treaties. Refugee Congress also joined 271 faith-based, non-governmental, and civil society organizations in signing an open letter to UN Member States ahead of the UN General Assembly High-level meeting, calling on them to uphold, preserve, strengthen, and celebrate international refugee, human rights, and humanitarian treaties.
For more information, contact Refugee Congress at info@refugeecongress.org.
For media engagement, contact media@refugeecongress.org.
Read the full RCUSA letter.
Read the NGO sign-on letter.
Download this statement