TAKE ACTION: Urge State and Local Lawmakers to Defend and Welcome Refugees
As we near the end of summer, we are entering a particularly critical time of year for advocacy efforts on behalf of refugees and defending the refugee resettlement and humanitarian programs. Each September, the President is required by U.S. law to consult with Congress before setting the next fiscal year’s refugee admissions goal. September is also an important time for Congress to pass federal funding legislation before October 1st. Since January 20th, the Trump administration has dismantled our nation’s ability to welcome refugees, piece by piece. The administration has resettled only a small number of refugees – a group of Afrikaners, as well as some refugees admitted through ongoing litigation and under waivers to the refugee ban – while it has gutted refugee assistance in the United States and abroad. RCUSA’s statement calling for a robust FY 2026 refugee admissions goal is available here.
Earlier this summer, Congress passed multiple bills that completely stripped funding away from U.S. humanitarian assistance to displaced people worldwide, such as the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), which excluded refugees and newcomers from eligibility for Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP (food stamps), and other programs. As states explore opportunities to fill the gaps left by these provisions, it is important that our state and local representatives understand the provisions targeting and harming refugees and newcomers and act to prioritize state funds for refugee services (including general funds). It is equally imperative that state and local elected leaders pressure the administration to comply with our moral and legal obligations to welcome the most vulnerable refugees, while reminding Congress of the importance of defending investments for local communities’ capacity to support refugees and resettlement services.
Your voice matters. Tell state and local elected leaders to do 3 things:
- Send a letter, issue statements, or otherwise urge the administration to fulfill its legal responsibilities under the Refugee Act of 1980 by conducting meaningful consultations with Congress and setting a refugee admissions goal by October 1st.
- Pressure the administration – publicly and privately – to set a refugee admissions goal of 125,000 for FY 2026 – a level that reflects both the global scale of need and the more than 120,000 refugees already conditionally approved for resettlement.
- Leverage special sessions to buttress healthcare and nutrition assistance programs and resettlement services through state budgets, while reminding their congressional delegation the life-saving value of federal investments in refugee processing, admissions, and resettlement services and local communities’ capacity to welcome newcomers.
Thank you for taking action — and share this action alert with your networks!