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Tag: asylum seekers

Restrictive and Unjust: IINE Statement on Presidential Determination on 2027 Refugee Admissions

Restrictive and Unjust: IINE Statement on Presidential Determination on 2027 Refugee Admissions

Written by Danielle Gauthier on . Posted in Advocacy, Blog, Press Releases/Statements, Refugee Resettlement.

Today, President Trump announced that the refugee ceiling for fiscal year 2027 is 17,500, with the vast majority of those spots reserved for white South Africans. Once again, the federal administration has distorted the purpose of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program while completely disregarding the scale of mass displacement occurring worldwide.  

Today, more than 117 million people have been forced to flee their homes around the world. Among them are 68 million refugees—individuals who need international protection because they could face persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion if they returned to their country of origin. Instead of honoring our nation’s long legacy of providing refuge to those fleeing danger, the president has kept the admissions number at the same historic low set in 2026. The sheer number of people this policy leaves behind—and the suffering it will perpetuate—is enormous.  

It is the brave Afghan woman who receives constant threats from the Taliban because of her work advocating for girls’ education.  

It is the Congolese parents who have spent years in a Rwandan refugee camp, raising their children in overcrowded conditions while hoping for the chance to reunite with family already living in the U.S.  

It is the young Syrian siblings who have grown up not knowing what it’s like to go outside to study or play because of the conflict that has raged in the country their entire lives.  

Each story is singular, but the throughlines are consistent: a desire to live free from fear, to put down roots and find work somewhere safe, and to build a brighter future for their children.  

The consequences of this policy will be felt not just abroad, but by all of us here in the U.S., too. Towns and cities across the country will lose out on the contributions that refugees make every day—to our classrooms, workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities. Our tax base will shrink, fewer new businesses will be founded, and workforce gaps in healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and many other sectors will widen.  

At IINE, we will continue to support the refugees already in our communities and to provide services to every newcomer who arrives at our doors, helping them to find housing and food, learn English, advance in the workforce, and receive expert legal services. We will also continue to advocate for a refugee admissions policy that responds to global needs and honors our humanitarian responsibility—because our nation is at its best and strongest when we provide refuge to those in need and who offer their talent, ambition, and innovation in return.  

Barring Pathways to Safety: IINE Statement on Supreme Court’s Decisions on TPS for Haiti and Syria and Asylum Seekers

Written by Christina Duran on . Posted in Advocacy, Blog, Haitian Immigrants, Press Releases/Statements.

Today’s Supreme Court’s decisions to allow the presidential administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians in the U.S. and block asylum seekers at the border are cruel and inhumane. 

These decisions give the administration unfettered power to bar people seeking safety in the U.S. through legal pathways, and to remove the over 1.3 million TPS holders already here under U.S. protection and strip them of their work authorization. As a result, families will be torn apart; individuals will be forced to return to the unsafe country conditions the U.S. has warned its citizens of; employers will lose hardworking individuals; and the U.S. will be violating a century of commitment to help protect others threatened by persecution and oppression. 

In recent years, IINE has welcomed and proudly served thousands of people from Haiti and helped several hundred apply for TPS. This news is devastating, but we will not abandon our neighbors, coworkers, and friends who have put down roots and have made our communities stronger and more vibrant.  There are approximately 200,000 Haitian TPS holders in the U.S. workforce. They are business owners, nursing assistants and caregivers taking care of our elderly, agricultural workers, and construction workers integral to our economy and prosperity. 

With 1 in 70 people forcibly displaced across the globe, the United States should not be closing our doors and threatening newcomers who give so much to our nation. Instead, we should be creating more pathways for legal immigration and citizenship.  

At IINE, we will continue to advocate for and pursue every available pathway to maximize our clients’ protections under the law. We urge Congress to act swiftly to provide emergency protections for those at risk of losing status and call on employers to assess work authorization individually rather than making broad assumptions.

Learn more about how to get involved.