A new approach to the resettlement of refugees in the U.S. could be a game changer by leveraging the power of communities to welcome migrants.
The U.S. State Department, “working with humanitarian organizations, turned to ordinary Americans to fill the gap. Neighbors, co-workers, faith groups, and friends banded together in ‘sponsor circles’ to help Afghans get settled in their communities,” report Julie Watson and Amy Taxin for the Associated Press.
Since the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Kabul last year, the Sponsor Circle Program for Afghans “has helped over 600 Afghans restart their lives. When Russia invaded Ukraine, a similar effort was undertaken for Ukrainians,” report Watson and Taxin.
“Now the Biden administration is preparing to turn the experiment into a private-sponsorship program for refugees admitted through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and is asking organizations to team up with it to launch a pilot program by the end of 2022.”
Refugee advocacy group HIAS has set up welcome circles in the U.S., an effort that was recently highlighted in an episode of the group’s podcast, “Crossing Borders.” Click here for the episode, “Forging an Unshakable Bond in Baltimore.”
Additional information about sponsor circles is available here.
The Immigration and Refugee News Digest 