White House Intends to Welcome "Primarily" Afrikaners through Refugee Program

“A refugee program that centers one group and sidelines all others is an abdication of our global humanitarian leadership and an abandonment of thousands of vulnerable families who put their faith in our country.”

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, commented in The Hill about the Trump administration’s reported plan to maintain a historically low refugee cap of just 17,500 people, with those slots primarily reserved for white Afrikaners from South Africa – limiting access to safety for the most vulnerable children and families fleeing persecution around the world.

“Behind that closed door stands everyone this country once promised to protect: the Afghan interpreter, the persecuted pastor, the mother fleeing a war zone who once had reason to believe America would keep its promise,” added Vignarajah.

Read more in The Hill.
 

"Alligator Alcatraz" Failed to Meet Health and Hygiene Standards

A new report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) documented conditions at the state-run Florida detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” The independent watchdog found that the now-shuttered facility failed to meet a range of federal detention standards governing medical care, food service, personal hygiene, and recreation, and that it was dangerously overcrowded — providing less than half square footage federal standards require.

“The stark reality is that human beings, many of whom came to this country seeking protection, were crammed into spaces unfit to accommodate them, denied adequate medical care, food and basic hygiene. That is not immigration enforcement. It is cruelty,” said Vignarajah.

Read more in The Guardian.

Many Refugees and Immigrants to Lose Access to Medicaid

Beginning October 1, refugees and other legal immigrants will lose eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP under H.R. 1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," after many already lost access to SNAP. The New Republic examines how these changes will strain state budgets and leave families without care. Saba Berhane, Global Refuge's Vice President for Programs, explained why the health coverage loss is especially hard to absorb:

"When a family loses coverage, there is no reliable equivalent to a food bank. That means people will likely go without — rationing medications, skipping a specialist, and putting off care — until a manageable problem becomes an emergency room visit."

Read more in The New Republic.

Let's roll! 🚲

Ride4Refuge is a community bike ride where neighbors, congregations, and supporters will come together to log 10-30 miles in support of Global Refuge's Baltimore Welcome Center. 

In honor of Global Refuge’s 87th anniversary, the riders are working together to raise $87,000 to welcome immigrant and refugee families with compassion, dignity, and practical support.

Help them meet their goal by making a gift today! 

Did you know that Global Refuge has a Welcome Center in San Antonio, TX? Our on-the-ground team assists newcomers with everything from finding employment to ensuring children have the supplies they need for their first day of school.

Many of our staff are themselves immigrants or former refugees—so they know the power of welcome firsthand. As Bilal shares, "Whenever we face a new client or someone new to this country, I remember my own story."

Learn more about our incredible staff and the work that they do in our newest video!