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This month’s newsletter highlights urgent developments in Venezuela and Afghanistan, examines refugee repatriation in Central Africa, explores new challenges facing Uyghur communities in China, showcases the resilience of refugee students in Mexico, and features a special donor spotlight on Paper Airplane magazine.
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The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) is alarmed by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decision to terminate Venezuela’s 2021 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation, effective November 7, 2025. This action endangers the safety and stability of over 250,000 Venezuelans who sought refuge in the United States due to widespread political persecution, economic collapse, and human rights abuses. Intervening litigation, spurred by the vacatur and termination of the 2023 designation, means that Venezuelans affected by the termination of the 2021 designation could benefit from the January 2025 extension if they re-register by September 10, 2025, if they have not already done so.

Since 2014, 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the country—the largest proportion of refugees per inhabitant in the world. Without TPS, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans could be left without vital humanitarian and legal protections.

The termination of the 2021 TPS designation for Venezuela is predicated upon the Secretary’s claim that there “are notable improvements in several areas that allow for these nationals to be safely returned to their home country.” But Venezuela remains plagued by Nicolás Maduro’s regime. The government is currently under investigation by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

This past year, Maduro once again claimed victory in a national election marred by irregularities. Despite urgings from the Organization of American States, his government refuses to release the tally sheets or allow an impartial actor to verify the results. When thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets in peaceful protest of the results, the regime quickly cracked down, detaining and killing dissidents, with reports that at least 1,900 people were arrested. A September 2024 report from a United Nations Fact-Finding Mission, in operation since 2014, declared Venezuela’s current paradigm of human rights violations “unprecedented.”

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** Afghanistan’s Earthquake
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** is Man’s Disaster
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This week, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan’s mountainous Kunar province, located along its eastern border with Pakistan. Two subsequent earthquakes, measuring 5.5 magnitude and 6.2, inflicted further devastation. Early reports from the Taliban count 2,205 dead, with the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) estimating that 1.3 million people are affected by the initial earthquake and its aftershocks.

Tens of thousands of people are displaced; their clay homes ripped to rubble. Landslides have obscured road access from emergency responders, rendering many of the towns affected by the earthquake stranded from aid.

Afghanistan is already a country engulfed in a series of humanitarian emergencies. 22.9 million Afghans are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. An estimated 3 million children are severely malnourished.

After the United States’ evacuation in 2021, Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. Their regime of gender apartheid silences women and girls in public, prohibiting them from working in most sectors and depriving their families of a livelihood. Drastic cuts to humanitarian aid in 2025, prompted by the withdrawal of American foreign assistance, inflame the country’s predicament.

Overnight, approximately 700 million USD in assistance vanished. 220 health facilities have closed, as have 400 nutrition sites. Collapsing water and sanitation facilities make the population more at risk of infectious disease.

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** Protecting the Promise of Travel in a Travel Ban Era
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On June 27, 2025, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed a Peace Agreement, with the hope of ending recent hostilities between DRC forces and Rwandan-sponsored M23 rebel forces.

In the Peace Agreement, DRC and Rwanda have agreed to “facilitate the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of refugees.” Namely, they are referring to repatriations—the return of refugees to their country of origin. In the peace process, repatriations are pushed by countries and international organizations as a major aspect of post-conflict resolution. Simply speaking, countries want their citizens back, and refugee-hosting countries want to ease their burdens of hosting. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) considers repatriation a core component of the “4Rs”—a framework that aims to achieve peace and stability for long-term development in post-conflict situations.

Yet, what should be an individual choice—whether or not to return to a country you once fled due to fear of harm—is often decided by high-level officials. On July 24, DRC, Rwanda, and UNHCR adopted the 2025-2026 Tripartite Technical Working Group Road Map on Voluntary Repatriation and Reintegration (“Road Map”). The Road Map states that parties will commit to safe and voluntary returns, but high-level statements have not always ensured effective implementation in the past.

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** Made in China: Forced Labor and the Uyghur People
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The plight of the Uyghur people, and members of other predominantly Muslim ethnic minority groups, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), and across China, has drawn international concern for nearly a decade. Various reports and evidence indicate that Chinese authorities have constructed a system of repression involving arbitrary detention, mass surveillance, forced assimilation, and coercive labor programs. The U.S. Government has described these measures as genocide, state-imposed forced labor, and crimes against humanity.

In response, the United States passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in 2021 to prevent products linked to forced labor from entering the U.S. market. While enforcement has ramped up significantly, challenges remain in tracing complex supply chains, ensuring international alignment, and supporting survivors. This brief provides background on forced labor affecting Uyghurs, assesses the implementation of UFLPA, and offers recommendations for strengthening policy and practice.

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** Welcoming Communities Play Key Role as Refugee Youth Begin Academic Life in Mexico
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Welcoming communities play a fundamental role in the integration of migrants and refugees. For many refugee students, arriving in a new country means facing a host of challenges: adapting to unfamiliar cultural norms, navigating a different educational system, overcoming language barriers, and coping with the emotional toll of displacement and separation from family. In this context, USCRI student committees are essential in supporting Habesha Project students as they adapt to their new realities—a different school environment, an unfamiliar city, and a new community filled with both opportunities and uncertainties.

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The inaugural cover of Paper Airplane magazine


** Donor Spotlight:
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** A Magazine with a Mission — Help Nick Reach $10K for Refugees
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A new magazine called Paper Airplane just launched—and there’s only one way to get the special debut issue: by donating to USCRI.

Publisher Nick Norlen, formerly senior editor of Dictionary.com, handpicked the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) to receive 100% of the proceeds from the magazine’s inaugural issue. Every dollar raised supports refugees and immigrants as part of USCRI’s mission.

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“I wanted to devote the launch of Paper Airplane to helping the people who need it most right now. The response has exceeded expectations. It’s been incredible to see so many people step up to support refugees and immigrants.”

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To create the debut issue, Norlen assembled a dazzling lineup of award-winning contributors—including authors Kory Stamper, Mary Roach, and Alec Nevala-Lee, plus graphic novelists, puzzlemakers, photographers, and even a Guinness World Record-holding maze artist.

Described as “a grown-up version of the magazines you loved as a kid,” Paper Airplane is whimsical, smart, and packed with surprises. Think Highlights—but for adults.

Nick’s campaign is less than $2,500 away from reaching its $10,000 fundraising goal. You can help him cross the finish line and get your own copy of this one-of-a-kind publication by donating today.

Support creativity. Support refugees. Support USCRI.

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** In case you missed it…
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How Much Does It Cost to Keep One Girl in School for a Year?
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Keep Girls Dreaming. Everything a Girl Can Be! #MenstrualJustice

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Menstruation & Health in Displacement Settings


** With you on our side, USCRI can support those who need it most.
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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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