World Refugee Day – held annually on June 20 – is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the resilience and courage of those fleeing violence and persecution globally. It serves as a call to action for governments and communities to strengthen their efforts to provide safe haven, resources, and opportunities for refugees and other displaced people to rebuild their lives. This World Refugee Day comes as the Trump administration continues to target refugees and other newcomers across the United States and thousands of refugees remain stranded overseas despite having already been approved for resettlement.
Using the tool below, take action to urge your elected officials to honor World Refugee Day by fighting for those who have been forced to flee from their homes. See below the take-action tool for more details on the current policy situation and ways you can advocate for displaced people.
Current policies impacting refugees and others fleeing persecution – an overview
The Trump administration’s indefinite refugee ban remains in place.
- Tens of thousands of refugees who had been conditionally approved for resettlement to the U.S. – and in most cases had been through years of screening and vetting – have been stranded since the ban went into place in January 2025.
- So far in 2026, the only individuals who have been granted exceptions to the ongoing refugee ban have been South Africans, the vast majority of whom have been white Afrikaners. Through June 5, the only individuals resettled are 6,066 South Africans and 3 Afghans.
- On May 26, the Trump administration increased the refugee admissions ceiling by 10,000 to 17,500, but said that all of the additional slots would be reserved for white Afrikaners.
The administration is targeting refugees and humanitarian entrants who are already living in the U.S.
- While policies calling for the indiscriminate arrests of refugees have been halted by the courts, the administration is continuing to pursue refugee re-vetting and re-review efforts with the intention of stripping resettled refugees of status and placing them in removal proceedings.
- Furthermore, in the wake of the passage of H.R. 1, refugees and other humanitarian arrivals who do not have green cards are now categorically ineligible for SNAP, the federal food assistance program.
- The same population will soon also be cut off from Medicaid, losing a vital lifeline that has allowed many refugees to meet their health care needs.
- The only way for refugees to access these life-sustaining federal benefits will be to obtain a green card. However, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has effectively halted green card application processing for refugees applying for lawful permanent residence (except for those subject to the re-vetting policy described above)
Humanitarian pathways paused and individuals swept up in lawless ICE activity.
- In addition to refugees, the administration continues to target many others who fled persecution and violence in search of humanitarian protections in the United States, including asylum seekers, Temporary Protected Status holders, humanitarian parolees, and many others.
- Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continue to arrest, detain, and deport members of our communities, often ignoring longstanding due process protections.
As World Refugee Day approaches, join us in solidarity with refugees and others who have sought refuge from persecution and violence. Below, find three ways to engage your elected leaders and call on them to defend our nation’s welcoming infrastructure, support refugees, and safeguard pathways to protection and resettlement.
1. Email Your Representatives
Using the above tool, you can send an email to your Member of Congress.
Sample email script: My name is [insert name], and as your constituent from [city/town], I urge you to make plans to commemorate World Refugee Day on June 20 by voicing support for refugees in our community and fighting for those who remain stranded in the U.S. admissions pipeline due to the ongoing refugee ban.
A record 136 million people are displaced worldwide, tens of thousands of refugees who were already approved to be resettled in the United States are still living in danger overseas, and refugees across the U.S. are facing a deluge of targeted policy attacks. Now is a crucial time for you to use your voice, vote, and oversight capacity to support people who have been forced to flee their homes. Specifically, I urge you to:
- Join the bicameral resolution in support of World Refugee Day. The resolution, led by Representative Ted Lieu and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their homes to escape conflict or persecution.
- Call for the inclusion of refugee populations like Lautenberg refugees in Iran fleeing religious persecution, Afghan evacuees stuck in Qatar, follow-to-join family reunification cases, and others who are fleeing repression and violence in any refugee processing.
- Condemn the exclusive resettlement of white people through the refugee program when so many others are in need. Lift up the stories of those who have been stranded in public and in any private engagements or consultations with State Department and DHS officials.
- Strongly oppose any operation carrying out the unlawful, indiscriminate arrests, detention, and “re-vetting” of refugees across the United States. Support oversight over the administration’s ongoing effort to inspect, “re-vet,” and terminate the status of resettled refugees.
- Ensure funding for accounts like International Humanitarian Assistance (IHA), Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA), and Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA) is used to support displaced people in need rather than used to facilitate deportations, repatriations, and “third country” removals.
- Robustly fund the Refugee and Entrant Assistance (REA) account and include clear authorizing and appropriations language describing how the funding must be used for services that best meet the needs of refugees, newcomers, and the communities that welcome them.
Defending policies that welcome refugees and others who have been uprooted from their homes is crucial to building stronger communities. This World Refugee Day, I encourage you to support efforts that preserve our nation’s legacy of welcome. Thank you.
2. Call Your Members of Congress
Using the above tool, you can send an email to your Member of Congress.
Sample Phone Script: “My name is [insert name], and as a person from [City, State] and a [person of faith/refugee/member of my community], I’m calling to voice my support for refugees and other newcomers in our community and to ask you to make plans to commemorate World Refugee Day on June 20th.
Specifically, I urge you to:
- Join the resolution in support of World Refugee Day.
- Call for the refugee processing to include refugees who are fleeing religious persecution, Afghans who supported the U.S. mission, and family reunification cases.
- Condemn the exclusive resettlement of white people through the refugee program when so many others are in need.
- Advocate for funding for crucial programs and services to support displaced people in need and ensure that those resources are not used to facilitate deportations or third-country removals.
3. Reach Out to Your State and Local Elected Leaders
State and local leaders play a critical role in building more welcoming and inclusive communities. Commemorating World Refugee Day can help raise awareness for people in your own community who need resettlement aid. Host an advocacy event or invite your local leaders to issue a resolution or proclamation commemorating World Refugee Day. Here are some ways to get involved:
- Look up your state and local elected officials at usa.gov/elected-officials. Reach out to them and tell them that your community welcomes refugees.
- Check out this sample 2026 State/Local World Refugee Day Resolution/Proclamation, adapt it for your state or local community, and ask your state and local elected officials to introduce or issue a resolution or proclamation. You can also ask them to share their support for refugee community members through public statements or on social media.
4. Amplify on Social Media
Share this message with your elected officials on social media. See below for sample posts:
[@TwitterHandle]: On #WorldRefugeeDay, we raise our voices in support of refugees around the world. Everyone facing displacement deserves safety, dignity, and the chance to rebuild their life. Today I call for more welcoming, more inclusive policies. We need Congress to do the same.
[@TwitterHandle]: This #WorldRefugeeDay, we can support our refugee neighbors by:– Restoring pathways to permanent protection
– Rejecting anti-refugee, anti-asylum policies & legislation
– Investing in our capacity to welcome
[@TwitterHandle] We are stronger with refugees. The time to save refugee resettlement is now! #WorldRefugeeDay
Additional Resources:
- CWS Daily State of Play: Trump’s Indefinite Refugee Ban and Funding Halt (sign up here to receive updates by email 4-5 times a week)
- CWS Advocacy 101 Toolkit
- UNHR Toolkit: World Refugee Day 2026