TAKE ACTION: Call for Bold Leadership on Refugee Resettlement During Senate Hearing on March 22, 2023

On Wednesday, March 22, the U.S. Senate will hold an important hearing focused on the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, the first in several years.

With unprecedented and growing forced migration around the world, the need for a robust resettlement program is more pressing than ever. This hearing, titled “Living Up to America’s Promise: Bolstering the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program,” provides an opportunity for Congress to meet this moment and highlight the need for critical support and investment in our nation’s capacity to welcome.

As the Biden administration works to rebuild the U.S. resettlement program (USRAP) that had been devastated by the previous administration, it is more important than ever that Congress invests in refugee protection and holds the administration accountable to strengthening USRAP. Now is an important time to urge your U.S. Senators who sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Immigration Subcommittee (who will attend the hearing) and all Members of Congress to reaffirm the historically bipartisan support for refugee resettlement by supporting refugees and the communities that welcome them.

CONTACT YOUR TWO SENATORS AND ONE REPRESENTATIVE TODAY!

On the right-hand side, you can send an email or receive a phone call that connects you to your Members of Congress.

Sample Email/Script: “On March 22nd, the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee is holding an important hearing on the U.S. resettlement program, the first in several years.

As your constituent from [CITY/TOWN] and [a person of faith/refugee/ member of my community], I urge you to demonstrate bold leadership in reaffirming the bipartisan support for the program by supporting refugees and the communities that welcome them. In advance of and during the hearing, I call on you to work with your colleagues in the Senate Judiciary Committee to:

Hold the administration accountable to fully restore and strengthen the U.S. resettlement program. Congress must use this moment to conduct needed oversight to ensure as many refugees as possible are resettled this year. The FY 2023 refugee admissions goal was set at 125,000 — an ambitious figure we should be striving for. With fewer than 13,000 refugees resettled in the first five months of the fiscal year, it is imperative that Congress push for the needed reforms that expand the number of refugees we help find lasting protection.
Voice support for robust federal funding for refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. Congress must provide robust funding for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM), the Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS/ORR), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS Humanitarian Programs), and related accounts to fully rebuild capacity for refugee resettlement and help refugees to integration and thrive. (Find information about these funding requests here: State; HHS; DHS.)
Enact pro-refugee legislation that has a positive impact on people’s lives and our local communities. We urge Members of Congress to reintroduce, support, and cosponsor bills that would restore and expand permanent protections for refugees, improve overseas assistance and refugee processing, and buttress the domestic resettlement infrastructure, such as the Afghan Adjustment Act and the Refugee Protection Act.

A robust refugee resettlement program is vital to our national and regional security and foreign policy goals, and it helps strengthen our community right here at home. Refugee resettlement underpins our legacy as a nation of welcome, and I urge you to use the March 22 hearing as an opportunity to emphasize the importance of this work. Thank you.”

Amplify on Social Media:

Share this message with your Senators & Representatives on social media! Here are some sample posts and graphics:

@legislator, the March 22 refugee resettlement hearing is an opportunity for Congress to ACT. Hold the administration accountable for supporting and restoring our refugee resettlement system.
In a changing world, we must uphold and live up to our legacy as a nation of welcome. That begins with supporting our refugee resettlement program. #SenateRefugeeHearing #RefugeesWelcome
Congress can use the March 22 refugee hearing to do three things:

1. Hold the administration accountable for rebuilding our refugee program
2. Call for robust funding for refugee-related accounts in the appropriations process
3. Consider pro-refugee legislative action

With unprecedented and growing forced migration around the world, the need for a robust resettlement program is more pressing than ever. Congress, we must meet this moment and invest in our nation’s capacity to welcome!

Additional Resources: