Before the Refugee Act of 1980, refugee resettlement in the U.S. was largely conducted privately or through community groups. The act standardized the process and today most refugees in the U.S. are primarily welcomed through resettlement agencies, such as the International Rescue Committee.

In this Rescue Facts, IRC humanitarian Tracy Reines shares how cutting refugee resettlement will cost the United States in the long run. The Trump Administration’s own report showed that, over a decade, refugees generated over $63 billion more in revenue for federal, state and local governments than the U.S. actually spent on welcoming them. Learn how you can help.

This Iranian refugee family was approved for resettlement in Seattle on June 12, 2017, but because of the United States travel ban, the family's flights were canceled three times. While two family members were able to resettle to the U.S. this year with the support of the International Rescue Committee, the rest of their relatives remain in Turkey where they will restart the painstaking resettlement process from scratch. 

Refugees resettled by the International Rescue Committee take part in an international program called Soccer Without Borders that uses the sport to help resettled refugees and immigrants adapt and thrive in their new homes. Read the full story. Read the full story.

Watch the heartwarming moment sisters Kimbembi and Seva from the DRC are reunited in the U.S.For refugees like the Welo family, the journey doesn't end when they arrive. With support from Uber, the IRC is helping resettled families navigate their new lives. The International Rescue Committee helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future.

Six years after Iraqi refugee Maha al-Obaidi resettled in the United States, her family remains divided. While three of her sons are thriving alongside her in New York, two others, her husband and a grandson are still in the Middle East.