Tools and Resources to Take Action
Civic Engagement
- Explore the CWS Civic Engagement Landing Page, which includes tools to learn more about naturalization, voter registration, voter education, and voter mobilization — providing paths for new Americans and others to get engaged in the voting process and build a plan to vote. The page also includes additional resources on uplifting refugee and newcomer rights this election season, including the CWS Civic Engagement Toolkit and Pathmaker Pledge Card.
- Visit voiceforrefuge.org to learn more about supporting pro-refugee policies at the polls.
Support Haitian Immigrants and the Communities Welcoming Them
- Urge Congress to support robust funding for the Office of Refugee Resettlement which promotes communities’ flourishing by funding programs and services that help arriving Haitians and other newcomers thrive. Take action by contacting your elected officials.
- Call on Congress to support displaced Haitians and halt deportations and returns to Haiti. Use this action alert, published in April 2024, to call and email your members of Congress.
Federal Funding for Welcoming Programs and Services
- Call and email your members of Congress to urge them to support needed funding for programs and services that help newcomers and their communities thrive.
Support newcomers access to safe, stable, and affordable housing
- Take action: urge Congress to maintain and expand crucial housing funding.
- Learn more about CWS’s Federal Housing Priorities for FY 2025.
Support People Displaced By Climate Change
- Use this link to contact your members of Congress and urge them to support the Climate Displaced Persons Act and to ensure effective funding and oversight of climate adaptation and disaster preparedness efforts that include and lift up immigrant communities.
The Election and Civic Engagement
We are less than six weeks away from the U.S. elections on November 5th, and in some states early voting has already begun. Congress has left the Hill to campaign in earnest, and polls still show extremely close races for the presidency and the makeup of Congress.
Racist Rhetoric Targeting Haitian Immigrants in Springfield, Ohio
On September 10th, during the first debate between former President Trump and Vice President Harris, the former president falsely claimed that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating pets, echoing an inflammatory disinformation campaign that far-right figures had spread on social media in the weeks leading up to the debate. Dehumanizing conspiracy theories about immigrants eating pets have a long history in the United States that is deeply intertwined with antisemitism and xenophobia.
Trump’s elevation of the disinformation from fringe corners of the internet to a large national audience at the debate, and further inflammatory remarks from figures including Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance and an Ohio member of Congress have fueled threats of violence targeting Haitian community members. Schools, government buildings, and the homes of city officials throughout the city have also become targets. “Everything feels very dangerous,” said Viles Dorsainvil, a Haitian community leader in Springfield. The Haitian Bridge Alliance filed criminal charges against both Trump and Vance on the grounds that both knowingly made intimidating statements with abusive intent, and that the disinformation they spread has created massive disruptions to public services in Springfield.
For decades, Springfield faced a dwindling population and economic decline. Haitian immigrants have been an important part of the town’s remarkable revitalization over the last several years. Haitians who arrived in Springfield fleeing persecution and unrest in Haiti have fueled the town’s economic rebound and strengthened the community. Despite the significant contributions of Haitian immigrants, as Springfield’s population has grown, resources to support newcomers’ integration and success have not grown commensurately to meet community needs.
Congress can work to support communities like Springfield by robustly funding the Refugee and Entrant Assistance account (REA), which funds the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). ORR strengthens communities welcoming arriving Haitians and other displaced populations by providing services including job training, English language classes, resources for schools integrating new students, and mental health care. But ORR funding faces tremendous precarity. At a time when the need for resources is especially apparent, key programs will soon face dire cuts unless Congress acts to provide additional support.
Meanwhile, despite escalating violence in Haiti, the Biden administration continues to deport Haitian nationals back to the danger they fled.
See statements from Church World Service and Refugee Council USA denouncing dehumanizing tropes and hateful rhetoric targeting Haitians.
Appropriations and Federal Funding
The new federal fiscal year begins October 1st. On September 25th, both chambers of Congress voted to avert a government shutdown that would have begun upon the expiration of Fiscal Year 2024 by passing a Continuing Resolution (CR) – a short-term, stopgap funding measure that maintains funding levels from the current fiscal year as budget negotiations for the full fiscal year continue. In this case, the CR will fund the government through December 20th, after the November 5th elections determine control of the White House and the composition of Congress.
Congress passed a relatively “clean” CR, meaning it contained few “anomalies,” or additional funding and legislative changes separate from the prior fiscal year’s budget. The Continuing Resolution does not include any needed funding for the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
In its anomaly request, the Biden administration sought an additional $1.004 billion to address a significant shortfall in Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) funding. According to both the Presidential Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2025 and the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services Committee – which is responsible, along with its house counterpart, for funding ORR – the account needs at least $2.9 billion in additional funding to avert dire cuts. However, even the $1.004 billion would have had a significant impact on communities’ capacity to provide needed services to refugees, humanitarian parolees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and other displaced newcomer populations.
The CR also does not include language restoring benefits eligibility for arriving Afghan Humanitarian Parolees – whose access to benefits has been cut off since September 30th, 2023 – or extending eligibility for Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees, whose eligibility was recently temporarily restored after being briefly cut off. Almost all Afghan and Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees who arrive after September 30th will be unable to access benefits and services that Congress previously authorized them to receive.
The extension sets up a critical debate on FY 2025 funding levels with a new deadline now 84 days away on December 20th. Depending on how the election goes, an omnibus spending and authorization bill passed in December could be an important opportunity to secure funding for key accounts and inoculate humanitarian programs before a change in administration and the makeup of Congress. Such an omnibus should include urgently-needed funding for the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the restoration of benefits for Afghan and Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees.
On September 18th, the House voted down a six-month CR that included the SAVE Act, a voter suppression bill targeting new U.S. citizen voters. Though President Trump called for Republicans to allow the government to shut down unless Congress accepts the SAVE Act, with fewer than two months until the November elections, the political will didn’t emerge among Republicans in Congress to force a shutdown. Government shutdowns during election season typically reflect poorly on all incumbent candidates, as voters often interpret shutdowns as a sign of dysfunction.
Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela Parole Program Pause Update
After briefly pausing the private sponsorship parole program that has allowed certain Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) to access temporary protections in the U.S., the Biden administration has resumed accepting, processing, and approving applications. The administration paused the program due to an internal investigation of potential fraud in sponsor applications. Sponsors are individuals in the United States who agree to assist parolees with community integration and provide financial support. The administration implemented the pause as a cautionary measure after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate found approximately 6% of applications from potential sponsors had duplicate or otherwise recurring information (i.e., one sponsor applying for multiple different beneficiaries). The resumption of the program came after DHS completed an internal review and updated safeguards in the sponsor application process.
The resumption of CHNV parole and DHS’s commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the sponsorship application process is a positive step that will allow Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan nationals to continue to access temporary protections in the U.S.
However, parole provides only temporary protection, and many parolees will soon see their initial period of parole expire. Parole periods for some Venezuelans who arrived in 2022 will expire as soon as this November. It is incumbent on the Biden administration to establish a streamlined process to apply for extensions of parole or “reparole,” and to work to strengthen and expand paths to permanent protection.
Keeping Families Together Parole Program
In July, the Biden administration announced a “parole in place” policy to protect from deportation certain undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens and allow them to work legally in the U.S. Sixteen Republican state attorneys general, led by Texas, filed suit to block the Keeping Families Together program. A federal judge in Texas placed an administrative stay on the program, temporarily pausing it.
See CWS’s statement celebrating the announcement of the Keeping Families Together Program.
Afghan Resettlement and Relocation Update
Momentum continued this past month to support Afghan allies through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an annual, must-pass defense bill. Using the NDAA to expand protections for Afghans at risk has well-established precedent – the defense bill has been used eight separate times to improve the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. On September 19th, Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) secured the inclusion of an amendment to the Senate version of the NDAA that could allow Afghan adjustment language to be added as negotiations around the bill continue. The successful inclusion of the amendment in the Senate bill is a significant step, though the Senate and House still must negotiate the final text of the legislation.
As part of Congress’s ongoing efforts to investigate the circumstances of the withdrawal, House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) Democrats and Republicans released separate detailed reports on September 9th on their findings on the Committee’s investigation into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Democrats’ report provides a detailed examination of the withdrawal, focusing on key findings about the decisions and actions taken during both the Trump and Biden administrations. Additionally, the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, held a closed hearing “Examining the Biden-Harris Administration’s Resettlement of Afghan Evacuees.” The State Department released a statement in response to the hearing, sharing more details on the withdrawal and ongoing policy approach to Afghanistan.
Asylum and the U.S.-Mexico Border Update
Arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border remain low. According to CBP, since June encounters at the Southwest border have decreased by 50%, and Border Patrol is currently on track to record the lowest number of annual encounters since Fiscal Year 2020. In August, the Border Patrol recorded 58,000 encounters between ports of entry at the Southwest border, which is 68% lower than the number of encounters recorded in August 2023. The decline in arrivals coincides with the implementation of the Biden administration’s June 4th “Securing the Border” rule, although several other factors, such as ongoing and concerning border externalization efforts, are also likely impacting the number of border encounters.
The enforcement of the “Securing the Border” rule has had disastrous consequences for people fleeing life-threatening situations. Individuals who have expressed a fear of removal have been removed without being afforded a chance to make their case for protection, and families have been separated as some individuals within family units are referred for protection screenings while others are arbitrarily removed.
The Biden administration is considering updating the rule in ways that will further entrench restrictions, and Vice President Harris has continued to tout anti-asylum legislation in her campaign for the presidency. Harris visited the border in Douglas, Arizona on September 27th, where she to continued to call for restrictive policies.
Housing Updates
On September 19th, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) introduced The Homes Act (S. 5078). The bill, which Church World Service has endorsed, would establish a housing development authority within the Department of Housing and Urban Development to function as a public bank and developer that will build millions of permanently affordable homes, stabilize rents and provide more homeownership opportunities. The authority will focus on renters and homebuyers, giving Americans the freedom and opportunity to build the life they want. The bill would have a particularly significant impact on newcomers’ access to affordable housing as it aims to empower local communities to address their specific housing needs by conveying property to nonprofits, public housing authorities, state or local governments, and community land trusts.
Climate Migration Update
A new report released on September 24 reveals the broad impact of climate change and environmental disaster on migration around the world. The report includes interviews of more than 3,600 individuals who have fled countries in the Americas and are seeking protection in the U.S., with more than 40% experiencing a climate-related disaster in their country of origin.
Evidence is clear that the drivers of forced displacement are complex and interlocking – climate change gives cause to and intertwines with other factors forcing people from their homes, like economic instability and violence. Current protection mechanisms for refugees and asylum seekers encourage simple, persecution-based narratives of displacement. U.S. humanitarian migration pathways do not cover those displaced by climate change and disasters.
The Climate Displaced Persons Act (S. 3340 in the Senate and H.R. 6455 in the House of Representatives) aims to address these challenges, establishing a climate visa for climate displaced persons and encouraging the development of an inclusive and equitable climate resilience strategy.