In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti, who chairs C4C with the mayors of Chicago and New York, made the initiative his signature citizenship-building program. He selected IRC as one of just five organizations—and the only refugee resettlement agency—to implement his plan. The result has been extraordinary.

Each year over half of the refugees resettled by the IRC in San Diego are children; in 2022 18% of new arrivals were under 18 years old. Having reached the US, their futures are brighter than the uncertainty, conflict and violence they left behind but as they enter the American education system, refugee youth face a unique set of barriers to academic success.

Community Sponsorship is a new program at the IRC in Salt Lake City! This program gives the community a chance to be involved with the resettlement process in a hands-on way. We sat down with Kristi Haycock, Community Sponsorship Manager, about what is involved in community sponsorship, and how people can get started!

Local Girl Scout troops donated cookies to refugees resettling in Wichita.

Students in Garden City are reaching out to help refugees resettling in Garden City

On April 6th, the IRC, in partnership with Play-well TEKnologies and Peer to Peer, brought 155 students and family members to the University of Maryland for a morning of LEGO-inspired learning. This was the second time that IRC in Silver Spring has had the opportunity to team-up with Play-Well TEKnologies to host a community building event for recently resettled families. “The Play-Well team uses the universal language of fun! Participants ranged from babies to grandparents, all excited to explore a new place and imagine a future at UMD.

Paul Mwingwa and his family was resettled in Missoula by the IRC in 2018. Although he didn't initially set out to be a voice for refugees, he feels he has been called to serve and currently advocates for refugees and immigrants as the Montana Delegate for the Refugee Congress. Paul was recently honored with the Excellence Award from Refugee Congress, and we sat down with him to learn more!

Read stories from around the world of refugees assisted by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund and the International Rescue Committee.

The United States has always had bipartisan support for refugees, with the average admissions ceiling exceeding 95,000. But the recent presidential determination drops that ceiling to an all-time low of 30,000. Find out why this is alarming and take action. 

For World Refugee Day 2022, the IRC and Instagram spotlight three creatives who, having fled their homes as refugees, brought more than they carried with them.