More than 30 Kansas senators and representatives from both parties crowded into a hearing room at the state capitol in Topeka, March 13, to hear a lunch-time briefing on refugee resettlement in Kansas.  The briefing, the first of its kind for state legislators was organized by IRC-Kansas.   The gathering heard from representatives of IRC Wichita, the Kansas Office for Refugees (KSOR), Northeast Kansas Catholic Charities, IRC’s national advocacy field coordinator and representatives of Cargil, Inc.,  the giant agricultural conglomerate.

                The briefing was well attended by representatives from both parties—with a majority of those present Republicans.  It was sponsored by two Senators—John Doll (R-Garden city) and Lynn Rogers (D-Wichita) and two Representatives (Steven Becker (R-Buhler) and Brandon Whipple (D-Wichita).  The informational “update” was scheduled after several legislators expressed interest in learning more about refugee resettlement in Kansas and the present state of refugee settlement in the United States as a whole.

                Michele Green, IRC-Kansas Executive Director, told the legislators, “Today we are in the midst of the largest humanitarian crisis the world has ever seen.  More than 65 million people have been displaced from their homes by war with 22 million living outside their nation of birth.”  She described the refugee resettlement efforts of the IRC in Wichita and Garden City, noting that the IRC is the largest resettlement organization of the three now active in Kansas.

                Jennifer Doran-Pena, KSOR, Executive Director, described the agencies work coordinating funds and services from the US Department of Health and Human Services, the US State Department, and services and benefits provided by the state of Kansas.  KSOR is the state-wide agency that provides resources to resettlement programs state-wide.  The agency also plays an important role in educating Kansas communities about refugee resettlement, sponsoring quarterly ‘stake-holder’ meetings and public forums in communities with active resettlement programs.

                “A country has the right to regulate its borders and entry,” Rachel Pollock, Executive Director of Northeast Catholic Charities, “but should do so with justice and mercy.”  Pollock presented a faith perspective advocating for refugee resettlement.  She also described resettlement activities in Northeast Kansas, which are overseen by Catholic Charities.  Northeast Catholic Charities is one of three refugee resettlement organizations in Kansas which include the IRC and Episcopal Migration Ministries.

                Genevieve Kessler, IRC’s national advocacy field coordinator, provided a national perspective detailing the Trump administration’s retreat from bipartisan policies supporting refugee resettlement.  She noted that President Trump’s designation allowing 45,000 refugees admission to the US in 2018 is less than half the historical average.  What is worse, she said, the President has made it so difficult for a refugee to qualify for resettlement in the US that we are on tract to receive less than half this number—only 22,000.

                She noted that besides the humanitarian reasons for offering refugees a helping hand, there are important reasons of national interest to continue welcoming refugees to this country.  Values are one of the most important exports of our nation to the rest of the world.  “We should want other nations to continue to see us as a great and compassionate country that we are,”  she said.

                Legislators also heard from a representative of Cargill, Inc., who described the company’s refugee friendly hiring practices.  She said that companies that hire refugees in Kansas play an important role in integrating new arrivals into their communities.