Choosing to challenge

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March 2021
Dear Friend,

On March 8th USCRI joined the world in commemorating International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme was “Choose to Challenge.” Every day, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) unwaveringly commits to challenging gender inequality in all of the work we do with refugees, immigrants and other vulnerable people worldwide.

For this year, however, we would like to recognize the indomitable courage of the girls and young women we serve in our shelter for unaccompanied children (UC) located in Florida. Rinconcito del Sol, “a Little Corner of Sunshine”, provides a short-term temporary home for up to 141 girls from 13-17 who have shown up at our southern border. The girls have travelled alone from the countries known as the Northern Triangle—Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras—in a perilous and terrifying journey to escape the crushing poverty, relentless violence, and unending insecurity they have experienced all of their young lives.

At Rinconcito del Sol, we hear their stories. Their painful truths are expressed sometimes in words and other times in the powerfully moving art they produce in the classes we provide as part of their educational curriculum. Sometimes their fury is expressed on the playing fields during their sports classes—the violent kick of the soccer ball or the ferocious pounding of the volleyball. Our staff have seen enough girls to be able to detect the nuanced ways in which they externalize the trauma they have suffered in their home countries, on their journey to the U.S. and in their arrival at the border.

Read our full statement on I ([link removed]) nternational Women's Day. ([link removed])
Eskinder Negash
President and CEO
USCRI's Response to the Situation at the Border
We are seeing a large rise in unaccompanied children arriving at our southern border. Many children have made the long and dangerous journey to the U.S. by themselves. They arrive exhausted, hungry, and scared. These children will enter the immigration system and wait their turn for their case to be heard, while their entire lives hang in the balance. USCRI advocacy staff is working with U.S. government officials, Members of Congress, and care providers who work with unaccompanied children to ensure that all of these children receive the protection, safety, security, and dignity that they deserve.

The services of an experienced and caring attorney might be the most life-changing gift we can provide for a child who came to the U.S. in search of safety and peace. This is where USCRI comes in. Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing stories from our clients to highlight the critical work our legal services team provides. USCRI attorneys in Albany, NY; Des Moines, IA; San Diego, CA; Raleigh, NC; and Washington, DC assist families by defending their rights, promoting self-sufficiency, and forging community partnerships.

Visit our website to learn more. ([link removed])
“I wanted a better future for my children. I had to make the decision.”

For Malicia, this past Valentine’s Day was bittersweet. She has fond memories of Valentines with her husband, Furaha: “He would always bring me a flower and take me out for dinner. And we would sit and remember our love.”

But for now, they are separated by more than 7,000 miles and years’ worth of visa applications and processing. Malicia moved to Raleigh in order to give her children a better future, even though it meant coming to the US without Furaha.

The children talk to their father on the phone and have video chats, but it is not the same: “They always miss their dad. Especially the youngest one who was only nine months old when we left. They always ask, ‘When is my dad coming?’ They don’t understand why he doesn’t just come. It is very hard for one person. I wish my husband was here so we could help each other.”

Malicia is working with USCRI North Carolina to bring Furaha to Raleigh, but family reunification can be a complicated and drawn out process. She doesn’t know when the reunion will be, but she looks forward to one day reuniting with her husband. “That will be a happy event for me and my children!”

Read Malicia's full story ([link removed])
USCRI-TVAP Releases New Safety Planning Toolkit for
Children and Youth

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Foreign national minors in the United States who have been subjected to a severe form of trafficking in persons are eligible for certain benefits and services under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, as amended. The Trafficking Victim Assistance Program (TVAP) funds case management services for qualifying minors.

This toolkit uses notes, tips, activities, and checklists to provide practical strategies
for TVAP providers engaged in safety planning with youth survivors of human trafficking with special consideration given to safety planning with foreign national youth by recognizing the intersectional identities they hold and the physical and emotional risks to their safety that exist due to their various lived experiences of trauma.

Click to download toolkit ([link removed])

Mother- Daughter Inspiration:
Stimulus Check Support!

When they received their stimulus checks back in the spring, Louise Burkhart and Clare Ladd decided to use them to help those struggling to get by during the pandemic. Louise has been a supporter of USCRI Albany ever since learning about our work from Clare when she volunteered after college.

Familiar with the challenges our clients face, each donated a large portion of their check to USCRI Albany's Neighbor Relief Fund, established to provide emergency relief to refugee families upended by the pandemic. With this new round of checks, they donated again! We are incredibly grateful for supporters like Louise and Clare! If you are fortunate enough not to need your full stimulus check, please consider donating a portion to USCRI.
Some examples of what your donation can buy:
A $600 gift can help pay rent or bills for someone who has lost their job.
A $300 gift can buy a Chromebook for a refugee child to learn online.
A $150 gift can provide a gift basket of groceries and household necessities.

Any amount is greatly appreciated!
Donate Now ([link removed])

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Questions? Comments? Contact us at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or (703) 310-1130.

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