The Forum Daily | Friday, June 20, 2025https://immigrationforum.org/

THE FORUM DAILY

Today, in honor of World Refugee Day, we are proud to hand the pen to Eileen Wilson—our dedicated mobilizer in Ohio and Executive Director of Yamanna [link removed], a Christian nonprofit committed to supporting refugees. 

The rest of The Forum Daily team includes Jillian Clark, Callie Jacobson, Broc Murphy, Clara Villatoro and Becka Wall. Email us mailto:[email protected] if you have a story to share from your own community.  

Mid-June has long meant two things for those of us supporting refugees in the U.S.—the arrival of summer and the celebration of World Refugee Day. But this year marks a shift. 

In January [link removed], the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) was paused [link removed]. For many people, this pause was barely noticeable. But for those of us who welcome these communities and for the refugees themselves, it has been the end of an era and the breaking of a promise put in place 45 years ago through the Refugee Act of 1980 [link removed].   

Over the last 15 years, I have had a front row seat to the positive changes the refugee communities have brought to Cleveland, Ohio, by opening businesses, buying homes, stepping into hard to fill jobs and interweaving the beauty of their cultures into the fabric of the city. Recent data shows [link removed] that around 53,000 of the foreigners in Ohio are refugees and contribute with $405.3 million in taxes. Their contributions go beyond economic aspects.  

It is certainly a privilege to spend time with someone who endured the worst the world could throw at them and survived. It changes one’s perspective. It is impossible to walk away from a conversation with a refugee without being humbled by their resilience.  

Warsan Shire said it best in her poem: ‘No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.’ The refugees have lost their homes multiple times before we meet them and still, they find a new home here with us. World Refugee Day celebrations are a yearly reminder that America is still home to some of the bravest people you will ever meet.  

More news on refugees:  

* UN refugee agency says more than 122 million people forcibly displaced worldwide [link removed] (Associated Press) 

* Chicago refugees from Iran, Ukraine gather for 2025 World Refugee Day with United States Refugee Admissions Program shut down  [link removed] (Sarah Schulte, ABC7 Chicago)  

* Ukrainian refugees in North Carolina left in limbo as Trump considers ending parole [link removed] (Brandon Kingdollar, NC Newsline) 

* "An honor:"New Bay Area CHP officer moved to US as refugee when he was 4 [link removed]( Sooji Nam, CBS San Francisco) 

* Wrestling with the American Dream [link removed] (Brant DeBoer, The Texas Observer) 

Other Immigration News 

**SIDE EFFECTS** — Suzanne Gamboa and Fredlyn Pierre Louis of NBC News [link removed] analyze how the administration’s immigration strategy—aimed at fulfilling the promise of mass deportations— is leading to the revocation of legal status for hundreds of thousands of individuals. The administration's decision to cancel parole programs and Temporary Protected Status for some countries already has affected almost two million people. The decisions also have started court battles, and it's adding complexity to the deportation plans, NBC notes. 

**ANXIETY AND CONFUSION** — American businesses and employees are confused and anxious when it comes to the government’s process around immigration enforcement and raids, reports Paul Wiseman of Associated Press [link removed]. Last week when the administration ordered a pause on workplace raids in restaurants, farms and other vulnerable spaces, business leaders were relieved. However, the pause only lasted three days before it was reversed, putting those worried about enforcement back at square one. Molly Ball of The Wall Street Journal [link removed] reports more on the backlash from businesses and other sectors to the recent immigration policy shift.  

**TRANSPORTATION GRANTS** — Yesterday, a federal judge blocked the administration from making cooperation with immigration enforcement a requirement for nearly 20 states—mostly Democratic—to access billions in transportation funding, reports Nate Raymond of Reuters [link removed]. "Congress did not authorize or grant authority to the Secretary of Transportation to impose immigration enforcement conditions on federal dollars specifically appropriated for transportation purposes,"wrote the judge in their decision. 

**AN ATTORNEY’S PERSPECTIVE** — In an interview with Taylor Romine of CNN [link removed], Ralph Enriquez, a Los Angeles based attorney for Al Otro Lado, reflects on his work amid constant policy changes. When asked about what motivates his work, he said: “If as an attorney…I can help…, I feel that that’s part of just being a good citizen, and I’m respecting people from all countries, no matter their circumstance.” 

Thanks for reading,  

Eileen 

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