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RCUSA Advocacy Days 2025: Refugee Leaders Demand Congress Restore Humanitarian Protections

June 3, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Refugee Council USA (RCUSA) brought together nearly 400 advocates, including 150 refugee and immigrant leaders, to Capitol Hill for a news conference during its 2025 RCUSA Advocacy Days. As refugee resettlement remains indefinitely suspended and access to asylum is under attack, speakers issued a clear call to Congress: restore and safeguard America’s humanitarian commitments before it’s too late.

The U.S. resettlement program as we know it has ended—and absent urgent congressional intervention, it will never be the same,” said John Slocum, Executive Director of RCUSA. “Vanishingly few refugees are arriving, and tens of thousands remain stranded abroad in dangerous and life-threatening situations. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home, and today’s actions remind us what’s at stake. The evisceration of refugee, asylum, and humanitarian protections is not just a policy reversal, it’s a betrayal of America’s moral commitments and legal obligations. It’s time for Congress to act boldly.

Since the administration’s January 24 stop-work orders, the refugee admissions pipeline has ground to a halt. More than 20,000 refugees “ready for departure” remain in limbo, many in unsafe conditions, while tens of millions in owed reimbursements to U.S. resettlement agencies remain unpaid.

Speakers at the news conference emphasized RCUSA’s key policy priorities:

  • Invest in refugee programs, the asylum system, and other pathways for humanitarian protection, and safeguard the administration’s use of these investments in good faith.
  • Strongly pressure the administration to robustly restore the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for the most vulnerable refugees.
  • Advance critical oversight initiatives and legislation that improve and protect the lives of refugees, asylum seekers, and other forcibly displaced populations.

We must honor our legal and moral commitments to refugees—regardless of where they come from, the color of their skin, or what religion they practice,” said Diya Nijhowne, human rights advocate and former director of refugee social services. “The U.S. Refugee Program supports global stability, promotes prosperity, and reflects the best of who we are.

Bahati Kanyamanza, a former refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Global Partnerships Director at International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), shared:

Generosity and welcoming are American values. I learned them in a refugee camp, thanks to the aid of the American people. Now, as a U.S. citizen, I call on our government to reinstate refugee admissions and lead with humanity once again.

RCUSA Advocacy Days participants are meeting directly with their Members of Congress this week to share stories and policy solutions. Among them is Jessi Calzado-Esponda, a local DC entrepreneur and Refugee Congress delegate:

We are teachers, doctors, and business owners. We are constituents. And today, we raise our voices to say loud and proud: We Will Welcome.

Visit RCUSA’s Advocacy Days page for policy resources and action alerts.

Additional Resources

 

Media contact: Mariam Sayeed, msayeed@rcusa.org

RCUSA is a diverse coalition advocating for just and humane laws and policies, and the promotion of dialogue and communication among government, civil society, and those who need protection and welcome. Individual RCUSA members do not all address all refugee-related issues, nor do all individual members approach common refugee-related issues identically.