Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Refugees and Asylum Seekers

The United States has a longstanding tradition of welcoming individuals from around the world who are seeking protection and refuge. But recent U.S. policy has grown increasingly hostile toward asylum seekers and refugees. Instead of turning vulnerable individuals away, the United States should maintain its global reputation as a leader in refugee resettlement and humanitarian protection. Doing so not only upholds American values but sustains and strengthens our communities. Data from the Council shows that refugees and asylees make tremendous contributions to our economy as earners, taxpayers, and consumers. Learn more about the contributions and challenges of asylum seekers and refugees below.

Kenyan Refugees Shares Story of Immigrating to Reno

Kenyan Refugees Shares Story of Immigrating to Reno

Eugene Nduwimana Refugee Eugene Nduwiwana shares the story of his family’s emigration from Kenya to the United States: I learned that Reno would be my new home 30 days before my flight was scheduled to leave Nairobi, Kenya. In fact, I didn’t even know that I, my wife and two… Read More

South Asian Couple with Refugee Roots Starts Elder Care Service Business in Minnesota

South Asian Couple with Refugee Roots Starts Elder Care Service Business in Minnesota

Souk & Youa HerOwners of Elder Care Day Services Souk and Youa Her are high-school sweethearts who bonded over their families’ shared background as Hmong refugees: Souk was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, while Youa was born in America soon after her parents left a Laotian refugee… Read More

Congolese Refugee Helps Others Plan for Their Future in Washtenaw County

Congolese Refugee Helps Others Plan for Their Future in Washtenaw County

Deborah NganduRelationship Banker In 2011 Deborah Ngandu accompanied her husband, Alain, from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the U.S., where he was pursuing his master’s degree in clinical research at Mayo Clinic Graduate School. They had planned to return home, but in 2012 everything changed. That year, Alain’s… Read More

Turning Back Asylum Seekers is Against the Law, Court Finds

Turning Back Asylum Seekers is Against the Law, Court Finds

A federal court concluded Thursday that the U.S. government’s turning back of asylum seekers at ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border—primarily through a practice called metering—not only violates U.S. law, but also is unconstitutional. Before the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and Title 42, U.S. Customs and Border… Read More

Court Says Turnbacks of Tens of Thousands of Asylum Seekers Are Unlawful

Court Says Turnbacks of Tens of Thousands of Asylum Seekers Are Unlawful

A federal judge declared unlawful the U.S. government’s turnbacks of asylum seekers arriving at ports of entry along the U.S southern border. The court ruled that the United States is required by law to inspect and process asylum seekers when they present themselves at ports of entry, and condemned the practice of denying access to the asylum process through metering and similar practices. Read More

Immigrant Rights Advocates Urge Court to Permanently End Trump-Era Policy that Turned Back Tens of Thousands of Asylum Seekers

Immigrant Rights Advocates Urge Court to Permanently End Trump-Era Policy that Turned Back Tens of Thousands of Asylum Seekers

Immigrant rights advocates released a statement after presenting oral arguments before U.S. District Court of the Southern District of California, where they urged the court to declare unlawful and permanently end the Trump-era turnback policy. Read More

Supreme Court Refuses to Stop the Migrant Protection Protocols From Going Back Into Effect

Supreme Court Refuses to Stop the Migrant Protection Protocols From Going Back Into Effect

The Supreme Court refused to block an order to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy. The decision comes after a Texas judge halted the government’s recission of the controversial and illegal program. The Supreme Court’s ruling means that the government must make “best… Read More

The U.S. Supreme Court Decides to Send Asylum Seekers to Danger

The U.S. Supreme Court Decides to Send Asylum Seekers to Danger

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to stay a ruling from a lower Texas court that would force the Biden administration to revive the Migrant Protection Protocols. Read More

Advocates Urge Supreme Court to Stop Revival of Migrant Protection Protocols

Advocates Urge Supreme Court to Stop Revival of Migrant Protection Protocols

Immigration groups and judges urged the U.S. Supreme Court in an amicus brief to stay a Texas court ruling that would force the Biden administration to revive the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) – an illegal policy that forced asylum seekers to await their U.S. court dates in perilous conditions in Mexico. Read More

Biden Administration Plans Big Changes for Asylum Seekers at the Border

Biden Administration Plans Big Changes for Asylum Seekers at the Border

The Biden administration announced this week that it will propose a new rule to speed up the fair and humane processing of asylum claims of people arriving at the U.S. border. The issue has been the recent subject of fierce public and political debate. Tellingly, this is the new administration’s… Read More

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