The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), as a member of Refugee Council USA (RCUSA), commends the Obama Administration for organizing the Leaders’ Summit on Refugees that will take place in New York City on September 20th, 2016.
The Leader’s Summit and the UN General Assembly on Large Movements of Migrants and Refugees are both critical opportunities for the United States to take leadership by taking concrete steps to address the refugee protection needs around the world, including in the Americas. The U.S. should champion the rights of refugees by taking leadership in urging the states surrounding Syria to stop blocking refugees but also demonstrate leadership for Central American children and families seeking asylum among the southern border.
If the U.S. is to lead by example, it must recognize the forced displacement of people as the crisis it truly is. If not, the U.S. runs the risk of losing authority as a refugee protection leader.
USCRI and RCUSA support the U.S.’s efforts to resettle 85,000 refugees in FY16, but USCRI encourages the administration to do more concerning resettlement and support in countries of first asylum, many of which are developing countries. As the Administration urges other countries to increase humanitarian funding by thirty percent, double refugee admissions, and improve access to education and work opportunities, USCRI and RCUSA recommend that the United States make the following commitments during the September 20th Summit The U.S. should:
Full statement can be found here.