Here's what's going on at USCRI

Over the past two years, the U.S. Government has made considerable changes to asylum and migrant processing at the U.S.-Mexico border. Most recently, on June 4, 2024, President Biden issued an Executive Proclamation on Securing the Border, which suspended the entry of noncitizens into the United States across the southern border. The associated Interim Final Rule (IFR) then placed limits and conditions on asylum eligibility.

To gather firsthand accounts of the consequences of the IFR, USCRI and the International Institute of New England (IINE) conducted a field visit to the U.S.-Mexico border in July 2024.

USCRI conducted ten in-depth interviews with asylum seekers and two interviews with shelter directors in Tijuana and Juárez. USCRI and IINE also met with government officials and civil society organizations in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas.

Asylum seekers shared intimate stories of their journeys fleeing north and their experiences facing extortion, sexual assault, physical violence, and other dangers while they waited for an appointment through the CBP One App.

Click the button below to learn more about the Las Mariposas de la Frontera project at the landing page, where you’ll find the full report, video and audio from the field visit, photos from the panel event, and more.

On September 30, President Biden issued an Amended Proclamation to the June Presidential Proclamation that temporarily suspended and limited the entry of noncitizens across the southern border. The Amended Proclamation makes it even more difficult to remove the limits and conditions on asylum. The changes went into effect when the accompanying Final Rule was published on October 7, 2024.

“For the Administration to recommit to these harmful border and asylum policies places even more asylum seekers at risk and stands in direct contrast to our international, domestic, and moral obligations,” said Eskinder Negash, USCRI President and CEO. “The selective humanity of the Administration to welcome some and discard others is unconscionable.”

USCRI reaffirms its commitment to asylum seekers and their right to seek asylum. USCRI calls on the Administration to rescind the Final Rule in its entirety.

Click the button below to read the full statement from USCRI.

An Update on Children in Kenya’s Refugee Camps

In December 2023, USCRI published its report, Recovering Childhood: Access to Education & Protection for Children in Kenya’s Refugee Camps, following field visits to Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps and Kalobeyei Settlement. During the visits, USCRI Policy Analyst Victoria Walker examined the experiences of refugee children in the camps and assessed their access to education and child protection services within the camps. The report presented key findings from the field visits, including the unique challenges faced by refugee girls.

Since the report’s publication, conditions in the region have worsened, as have conditions in the camps. The refugee populations in both Kakuma and Dadaab have increased, including the number of children living in the camps.

Click the button below to read the full addendum.

USCRI Urges Continued Commitment to Welcoming Refugees

On September 30, President Biden set the refugee admission ceiling at 125,000 for the coming fiscal year.

The Fiscal Year 2025 Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions retains the same admission ceiling and regional allocations as the previous three fiscal years.

USCRI celebrates the Administration’s intention to keep up the pace of refugee admissions. The agency also recognizes the mass displacement crises in countries such as Ukraine, Venezuela, Haiti, and Sudan and the need to protect the estimated 117.3 million forcibly displaced people.

“While the United States is a global leader in welcoming refugees, there are many more forcibly displaced people who need protection,” said USCRI President and CEO Eskinder Negash. “We must continue to extend protection to the planet’s most vulnerable populations and show humanity in the face of crisis.”

Click the button below to read the full USCRI statement.

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An Open Letter to Asylum Seekers

“Asylum seekers, we were and continue to be deeply moved by your resilience and determination to seek asylum despite our government’s best efforts to dissuade you. Your perseverance in the face of adversity, uncertainty, and bureaucratic walls is truly admirable. The selective humanity of the U.S. Government to welcome some and discard others is unconscionable. We stand in solidarity with you and will continue to advocate for your right to seek asylum as enshrined in Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in U.S. immigration law.”

Click the button below to read more from our Open Letter to Asylum Seekers.

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The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), established in 1911, is an international, nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the needs and rights of refugees and immigrants.

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USCRI Denounces the Administration’s Harmful Border and Asylum Policies

An Update on Children in Kenya’s Refugee Camps

USCRI Urges Continued Commitment to Welcoming Refugees

An Open Letter to Asylum Seekers

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