InterAction Member Responses and Resources on Refugees and Resettlement

The member NGOs of InterAction, with the generous support of the United States and other donors, including a multitude of private American citizens, have assisted refugee and displaced people for decades. The level of our commitment and belief is demonstrated by our pledge at the World Humanitarian Summit to provide more than $1.2 billion in private resources over the next three years to assist the world’s displaced people and refugees.
The United States has a long and proud tradition of supporting the more than 62 million refugees and IDPs who have been forced to flee their homes by wars and natural disasters. This assistance includes the U.S. refugee resettlement program, limited in scope and available to less than 1% of the 21 million refugees globally. Third-country resettlement is considered only for the most vulnerable refugees, for whom other solutions are not viable. And before they can resettle in the U.S., refugee candidates must pass an intensive and lengthy security vetting process.
The majority of refugees, or the other 99%, are assisted in their initial country of asylum, voluntarily repatriated to their home country, or integrated into a community of their host country. Ultimately, the best way to address the global refugee crisis is to address the causes at their sources. This means seeking a diplomatic solution to ongoing conflicts, encouraging all parties to conflict to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, and increasing vital, life-saving humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities caught in the midst of deadly conflicts across the world.
The United States’ response to the greatest population displacement since World War II should be a reaffirmation of its moral and strategic leadership, not an imposition of restrictions upon those fleeing violence and oppression. Below is a collection of links to letters, statements, and reactions from InterAction members to the January 27 and March 6 executive orders regarding the admission to the United States of refugees and the entry of citizens from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia.
January 2017 Executive Order
On Friday, January 27, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 13769: Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States regarding the admission to the United States of refugees and the entry of citizens from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia. Among other things, the order requires the U.S. government to:
- Halt the entire refugee admissions program for 120 days to determine additional security vetting procedures;
- Reduce the number of refugees admitted in FY 2017 from 110,000 to 50,000;
- Suspend indefinitely the resettlement of refugees from Syria;
- Possibly suspend the issuance of visas to individuals from countries of concern, including nationals of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen; and
- Provide a priority of entry for refugees who are religious minorities.
March 2017 Executive Order
On Monday, March 6, President Donald J. Trump signed a new executive order ("Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States") regarding the admission to the United States of refugees and the entry of citizens from Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia.
Read the full March 6 Executive Order | Read a related March 6 Presidential Memorandum
InterAction Members Respond to Executive Order on Refugees
Below is a collection of links to letters, statements, and reactions from InterAction members (in alphabetical order, by date | Last Updated: 3/9/17).
- Action Against Hunger USA - Statement: Action Against Hunger Condemns Executive Order Halting Admission of Refugees (1/31/17)
- American Relief Coalition for Syria (ARCS) - Statement: ARCS Urges Continued Syrian Refugee Resettlement (1/27/17)
- CARE – Statement: New Immigration Order Still Puts Vulnerable Refugees at Risk; Threatens U.S Humanitarian Leadership, says CARE (3/6/2017)
- CARE - Statement: CARE Statement on Executive Order on Refugees (1/27/17)
- Catholic Relief Services (CRS) – Statement: CRS Rejects New Executive Order On Refugees (3/6/2017)
- Catholic Relief Services (CRS) - Statement: Head Of CRS Reacts To Executive Order Banning Refugees (1/27/17)
- Church World Service - Statement: CWS Condemns Rewritten Executive Order Against Refugees and Muslims (3/6/17)
- Concern Worldwide U.S. - Statement: Concern CEO Calls For A Re-Commitment to American Humanitarian Values (1/30/17)
- Heartland Alliance – Statement: Heartland Alliance Calls on President Trump to Uphold American Promise and Protect the Persecuted (January, 2017)
- HIAS – Statement: HIAS Statement on New Executive Order Targeting Refugees (3/6/17)
- HIAS - Article: HIAS v. Trump - Why We're Suing (2/7/17)
- International Rescue Committee – Statement: Counterproductive and cruel, new Executive Order narrowed to exclude most vetted, most vulnerable (3/6/2017)
- International Rescue Committee - Letter: U.S. business leaders to Trump: Refugees enrich America (2/14/17)
- International Rescue Committee - Statement: David Miliband on U.S. Resettlement (1/25/17)
- Islamic Relief USA - Statement: Statement on President Trump's Executive Order On Refugees and Immigrants (1/29/17)
- Jesuit Refugee Service USA – Statement: We Must Uphold the American Values of Opportunity and Welcome (3/6/2017)
- Jesuit Refugee Service USA - Press Release: Jesuit Refugee Service, Interfaith Coalition Oppose Plans To Halt Refugee Resettlement (1/25/17)
- Jesuit Refugee Service USA - An Open Letter To President Trump (1/25/17)
- Mennonite Central Committee - Statement: Welcoming immigrants and refugees as neighbors (1/26/17)
- Mercy Corps - Statement: The U.S. Must Continue To Welcome Refugees (1/26/17)
- Norwegian Refugee Council USA - Statement: Renewed US ban bounces refugees from hope to despair again (3/6/17)
- Norwegian Refugee Council USA - Statement: "This policy will have profound consequences" (1/30/17)
- Norwegian Refugee Council USA - Statement: Trump May Deny Safe Haven To Refugees (1/27/17)
- Oxfam America - Statement: Oxfam condemns President Trump’s latest attempt to slam the door on vulnerable refugees (3/6/17)
- Oxfam America - Press Release: Oxfam vehemently condemns President Trump’s harmful and discriminatory Executive Order to slam the door on refugees (1/27/17)
- Oxfam America - Statement: Oxfam: President Trump must not slam door on refugees (1/26/17)
- Refugee Council USA - Statement: RCUSA Statement On President Trump's March 6, 2017 Executive Order (3/6/17)
- Refugees International – Statement: Revised Executive Order Still Targets Refugees (3/6/2017)
- Save the Children – Statement: Save the Children Statement on New Executive Order Impacting Refugees (3/6/2017)
- Save the Children - Statement: Save the Children Statement on U.S. Executive Order on Suspension of Refugee Resettlement (1/28/17)
- Solidarity Center - Solidarity Center Backs Migrant Workers, Refugees (2/14/17)
- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - Statement: U.S. Bishops Chairman On Migration Says New Executive Order Still Leaves Many Innocent Lives At Risk (3/6/17)
- Women’s Refugee Commission – Statement: Women’s Refugee Commission Responds to Trump’s Latest Refugee Ban (3/6/2017)
- World Vision - Group Letter: Letter to President Trump on executive order on refugees (1/29/17)
See more news from InterAction members
InterAction Members Work in the Affected Countries
The maps below represent just a sample of the work that InterAction members are doing in the countries affected by the January Executive Order (Please Note: Iraq was removed from the list of affaected countries in the March 6 order). They were generated by NGO Aid Map, a voluntary InterAction initiative where members self-report project data. Therefore, this is a partial representation of our members’ work in this region, not a comprehensive one.
You can also create a report to view a deeper analysis of our members’ (self-reported) work in these countries, or explore the data yourself at www.ngoaidmap.org.
Related InterAction Resources
To learn more about InterAction's work on refugees and resettlement issues, please view the resources listed below. In addition, related blogs by InterAction staff, members, and partners can be found in our searchable blog index.
InterAction Syrian Refugee Resettlement Senate Sign On Letter
On December 2, 2015, InterAction sent U.S. senators and staff a sign-on letter from 59 humanitarian and faith-based NGOs strongly urging them to vote against H.R. 4038 -- the American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act -- or any similar appropriations policy riders and/or legislation which may be considered. Read more.
Letter to the Administration: Leaders' Summit on the Global Refugee Crisis
InterAction strongly supported the administration's initiative to host the Leaders’ Summit on the Global Refugee Crisis at the margins of the 71st United Nations General Assembly. Though the summit only includeed commitments for refugees, InterAction fully endorsed the three pillars that framed the commitments from member states: expanded humanitarian funding, expanded resettlement, and improved refugee inclusion and self-reliance. Read more.
InterAction Announces $1.2 billion Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance Pledge
In advance of President Barack Obama's Sept. 20 Leaders’ Summit on Refugees, InterAction announced a commitment by 32 of its members to collectively invest over $1.2 billion in private resources on global humanitarian assistance efforts over the next three years. Learn more or read a blog by InterAction CEO Sam Worthington on the pledge.
InterAction Fact Sheet: Myths vs. Reality on Syrian Refugees
To help dispell some of the many myths surrounding efforts to assist Syrian refugees, InterAction in 2015 released a short fact sheet for policymakers, members of the press, and civil society advocates. Read more.