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Join Us in Advocacy!

Join Us in Advocacy!
04 May 2017 by Patricia Nyhan

Looking for a way to help refugees during the resettlement slowdown? The United Nations International Day of Families on May 15 offers a great opportunity to stand up for refugee families in the U.S.

The theme of the worldwide observance this year is “Families, Education and Well-being.” What better time to send a message to our elected representatives that refugee families benefit our communities in countless ways, making them economically stronger and culturally richer?

 

In Washington, D.C., on the 15th, refugees and asylees will lobby the U.S. Senate to protect the 1951 Refugee Convention, which defines who is a refugee and sets out the rights of those granted asylum. They will exhort Congress and the White House to oppose any plan to reduce refugee admissions and keep out Muslim refugees or others that need protection regardless of where they come from or how they pray. Advocates will include those from many groups, including the LGBTQ community.

 

Let’s stand with them!

 

Given the Trump Administration’s push to shift resettlement policy from family reunification-based to merit-based, this event affords a chance to send a strong message that there is good reason to continue the family-based policy. Families who reunite in the U.S. have been shown to succeed largely because of their support for each other. They add value to our economy, opening businesses at a high rate and engaging with their communities in other positive ways.

 

We should also argue that we oppose cutting the numbers of refugees accepted annually into the U.S. There are more than 21 million refugees in the world. According to UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, 10% of them need resettlement, yet less than 1 % are resettled. If we in the U.S. reduce our already curtailed resettlement, we pass the burden on to our regional partners, who currently host millions of refugees.

Join us in speaking up for refugee families in the U.S. on May 15. Wherever you live,

join local advocacy efforts. Meet with refugee and asylee families to hear what they would like you to say on their behalf. Contact your elected officials – local, statewide, or in Congress.

 

We will be out there, banging the drum for refugee families, wherever we live. Join us!

 

To learn how to become an effective advocate, check out the Refugee Council USA toolkit on this website, under GET INVOLVED/Advocacy. See also refugee organizations’ websites under GET INVOLVED/Refugee Resettlement and LEARN MORE/Refugee Organizations. Tell us about your experience! Share on Facebook!