100+ Days Fighting for Rights and Refuge: A Special Edition of the RI Bulletin
The RI Bulletin is Refugees International’s monthly newsletter for the most pressing displacement and humanitarian issues from around the world. Subscribe today.
It’s been a little over 100 days of the Trump administration. We want to hear from you. What do you hope for in these next 100 days? Share with us here.
In this special edition of the RI Bulletin, reflections from Refugees International President, Jeremy Konyndyk. Inhale. Exhale. Read on.
Anticipatory obedience is a political tragedy.
Timothy Snyder
The Trump administration’s first 100 days have been characterized by a slew of governmental attacks on much that RI holds dear: global humanitarian action, protection and refuge for displaced people, and the act of dissenting advocacy itself.
We have been documenting the impact of inhumane policies and urging stakeholders and global donors to ramp up support to address aid gaps. We are working hard to ensure the critical members of Congress hear from us and those affected about what must be done, and engaging with the media to counter waves of disinformation about humanitarian aid and displaced people.
Pushback matters. Civil society matters. Activism (including your!) matters. These past 100 days have been a testament to that fact—and our strength to hold on to our hope for a better future for all of us.
I find courage in the faces of refugee and immigrant advocates who are fearlessly protesting and pushing back in front of detention facilities or in the halls of power. I find courage in Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms, acting as a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of people in need as the international community continues to abandon Sudan. I find courage in our Refugee Fellows who have fled crises around the world themselves and are bravely taking steps to ensure the voice of their people are heard. I find courage in our own staff, who are working tirelessly every day to find avenues of change in a seemingly endless abyss of tragic headlines.
As I said earlier this year, we are not backing down. These 100 days have been grueling and sometimes overwhelming, but our determination has not wavered. And that’s because of you. Keep informed. Keep focused. Thank you for standing with us.
Continue reading to learn more about what we’ve accomplished in just 100 days…
We have been the go-to voice on the consequences of the Trump administration’s cancellation of foreign aid and the dismantling of USAID. The cuts have had global repercussions including Sudan, Ukraine, Syria, Kenya and Bangladesh, and also across countries impacted by the climate crisis.
President Jeremy Konyndyk wrote for the New York Times about the impact of cuts. We also launched a campaign calling on members of Congress to SAVE USAID. He joined members of Congress and leaders of some of our partner organizations at a rally in Washington DC calling to restore aid. Shortly after, he briefed a Senate roundtable, led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, to detail the national security implications of halting U.S. foreign assistance.
We have continued to put pressure on the UAE for their support of the RSF’s genocidal campaign in Sudan. Most recently, we called on Trevor Noah to cancel his comedy show in Abu Dhabi and stand in solidarity with the people of Sudan. We took part in Nile Nights, an inspirational event celebrating Sudanese culture and art, right here in DC. Here are some highlights. We are still calling on Congress to stop arms sales to the UAE. Take action now and learn more about our campaign.
We have been carefully monitoring the administration’s mass deportation campaign, including the disappearances of migrants to El Salvador without due process, the deportation of migrants to Costa Rica and Panama, and the limitations exacted on parole authority, which has allowed people fleeing violence to seek safety temporarily in the United States for decades.
Refugees International also partnered with right-learning pollster Cygnal in April to run a poll of U.S. adults on their attitudes on the deportation of people who entered the country legally through humanitarian parole programs. The polling revealed that 56 percent of U.S. adults oppose deportation of people who came to the United States legally through humanitarian parole programs.
We also published a detailed explainer in multiple languages about what parole terminations mean and what people who received them should do. This resource has been shared across national organizations and will be updated regularly as we continue to hear more about this administration’s attacks on parole—cutting through rampant disinformation.
Coupled with our advocacy efforts on parole is our continued pressure on Congress and the State Department to restore the refugee resettlement program.
Following the distribution of the Refugee Advocacy Lab’s Defend Refuge letter from +320 bipartisan state and local officials, we held a poignant press conference with leaders from across the country calling for the restart of the critical refugee program and worked with Rep. Ansari’s office on a letter from 40+ House leaders affirming support for the program. Hear what our panelists had to say.