Speak Up for Refugees
By Naomi Rennard
Current Status
Since January 20th, the current presidential administration has undertaken significant actions affecting immigration policies, particularly those protecting the rights of both legal and unauthorized immigrants in the United States. Notably, the U.S. government has suspended the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), stranding tens of thousands of refugees who had already been approved for travel to the U.S.
The suspension, currently being challenged in court, includes Afghan refugees who had supported the U.S. government in its fight against the Taliban. Many of them are now being sent back from their temporary shelters in Pakistan to precarious conditions under the Taliban. The suspension has also affected refugees living in camps across the world, some of whom have been waiting years for approval to resettle as refugees in the U.S.
In addition to suspending the USRAP, the administration is making it harder to apply for asylum, a legal right protected under both international and domestic law. These challenges include a directive allowing immigration judges to deny certain asylum claims without full immigration hearings, effectively ending due process within the asylum system. Other forms of legal humanitarian immigration are under threat, including the termination of temporary protected status (TPS) and humanitarian parole for many nationalities. These moves, also facing legal challenges, leave immigrants more legally vulnerable than ever, removing protections at a time when the administration is escalating enforcement against undocumented immigrants.
If you care about welcoming newcomers in America, now is the time to speak out. Advocacy at the local, state, and national levels is key to raising the alarm around these discriminatory and anti-American policies. These policies not only harm newcomer populations, but they will also have lasting impacts on our country’s diversity, culture, and economy.
Your Voice Matters – Again and again and again
You might think your voice doesn’t matter, but it does! Policies are shifting rapidly; your elected officials need to hear from you. Elected officials are responsive to constituent communications, and most have staff dedicated to tracking public input. Congress is currently reviewing the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and major cuts are expected to refugee and immigrant support programs. You can call your representatives and urge them to protect funding for these critical programs in the FY2026 budget and to stand up for refugees and immigrant communities in legislative deliberations.
Many newcomer-serving organizations are making it easy to advocate. Groups like Refugee Council USA or Church World Service have tools to contact your elected officials. Once you have reached out once, follow up. Our elected officials need to know that their constituents care about immigrant rights. They need to hear that we value the right to seek asylum and refuge from harm.
I am a current staff member of a newcomer-serving organization based in Washington, DC called AsylumWorks. My work is focused on maintaining essential support services for our newcomer clients in these challenging times. In parallel to this work, I am actively engaging in advocacy with my elected officials in Nebraska and will join the Refugee Council USA’s Advocacy Days in DC in early June. As a refugee and newcomer advocate and ally, I hope to make my voice heard during these advocacy days as a Nebraska voter who cares about immigrant and newcomer rights, which is one of my core values.
photo credit: AsylumWorks