Washington, D.C. — From the moment they arrive at the airport, refugees coming to the United States are welcomed and integrated into American cities by local refugee resettlement organizations with the support of volunteers and federal and state agencies. Over the years these groups have developed effective and practical solutions to help refugees adjust and thrive in their new life in America.
For fiscal year 2018, the refugee admission target proposed by the Trump administration is only 45,000—the lowest level since 1980, and the United States may not even be on track to meet that this year. This drastic decrease in refugee admissions, as well as the proposed decreases in funding, are a direct threat to the infrastructure that the local resettlement groups have developed and strengthened over the years. Their knowledge, experience, and work is critical to the United States’ global commitment to refugee resettlement, and important to preserve for a future when the administration once again embraces refugees.
On Wednesday, February 28, at 12:30 p.m. ET, dozens of refugee integration leaders from across the country have been invited to gather for a telephonic briefing to hear the results of an in-depth study conducted by the Center for American Progress of 24 innovative refugee integration programs operating in 10 cities across the country. The briefing will highlight the refugee integration solutions that are working—loosely organized into four categories of employment, education, social integration, and targeted services for vulnerable refugees—and will provide recommendations on how to preserve them in the era of President Donald Trump, bans, walls, and executive orders.
Press members are invited to listen. The briefing will be on the record. Leaders will be available for questions after the briefing.
WHO:
Featured guests:
Robert Carey, Former Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement
Jessica Lazarin, Director, New York Office of New Americans, City of Buffalo, New York
Lauren McLean, City Council President, City of Boise, Idaho
Paedia Mixon, CEO, New American Pathways, Atlanta, Georgia
Moderator:
Silva Mathema, Senior Policy Analyst at Center for American Progress and author of “What Works: Innovative Approaches to Improving Refugee Integration”
WHEN:
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
12:30 p.m. ET
CALL-IN INFORMATION:
Please RSVP to [email protected] to receive the call-in information, or call 202-478-6322.