With funding from the EU, the IRC helps young Syrian girls in Lebanon counter gender-based violence and prejudice. Meet Sabah, the girl who freed herself from a forced marriage at the age of 13.

On December 3, the International Rescue Committee in Silver Spring brought together over 50 clients, volunteers, and staff for a Thanksgiving meal and afternoon of festivities. Sampling traditional American fare such as roasted turkey and cranberry sauce alongside delicacies like homemade dolmas and Syrian pastries, refugee families and IRC volunteers and staff had an opportunity to share their cultural traditions with each other and express the things that they are thankful for in their lives.

Refugee families and survivors of human trafficking are disproportionately affected by COVID-19's impacts on our community. Help IRC ensure our clients have the resources and services they need to get through this trying time.

New Roots, a program of the IRC in Salt Lake City, oversees 12 community garden sites in the Salt Lake Valley, helping refugee families access personal plots of land to grow food for their households.

The IRC in Phoenix is working alongside refugee communities and other partners to welcome and support Afghans in urgent need of safety. Here's how you can help!

Nearly two and half years after President Obama’s Executive Action offering the opportunity for minors from Central America to access the refugee resettlement program, Hilda Galvez, a Honduran native, cried joyfully as her five-year-old son, Ever, was escorted through the gate at Newark Airport near midnight on March 9, 2017.

Each year the International Rescue Committee (IRC) works closely with state elected leaders to ensure that the communities in which we resettle are welcoming places for refugees and other new Americans. In addition to working directly on policy, we assess introduced legislation through our state tracker and identify new model policies and the trends in legislation—all informing the policies included in this guide. Year to year it has reflected emerging themes such as: resources for refugee-serving programs; reduced barriers for re-credentialing and licensure processes in states; and access to in-state tuition, to name a few. These measures not only help ensure refugees and other newcomers can access pathways to economic self-sufficiency and integrate more smoothly, but they positively impact the broader community as well. States and localities across the country can only benefit from the personal and professional success that a recently arrived individual achieves as they rebuild their lives. This year’s state policy and advocacy guide includes new policy themes and some familiar ones—but with nuanced examples as the policy efforts take shape in different states and political contexts. Recommendations provided are informed by stakeholder engagement and landscaping impacted communities to understand service provision needs, and strategic assessments of the political realities on the ground.

After four years of waiting to come to the US, Nadia Hasan Madalo and her family were in the air on the way to San Diego when the most recent Executive Order on refugees was put on hold, giving other families the same chance.