Redding Refugee Sponsor Circle

Although the US pledged to help our Afghan allies with resettlement, the Department of Homeland Security has recently terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanistan. Now up to 11,700 Afghans in the United States are suddenly without protection from deportation and, in many cases, without a valid work authorization. According to the AP article below, many of these TPS recipients are Afghan evacuees who entered through Operation Allies Welcome after the fall of Kabul in 2021. Among them are those still awaiting decisions on asylum, Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), or other applications for permanent protection. https://apnews.com/article/afghans-protected-status-trump-homeland-security-8ea0569a79700c32ddbcac3a4b616cb1?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share

Our government's decision to remove life-saving safeguards for Afghan refugees WHO CAME HERE LEGALLY flies in the face of our American values. We urge you to join us in asking Congress to create a permanent solution for those who are still in legal limbo.

Thousands of Afghans face possible deportation after court refuses to extend their legal protection Thousands of Afghans in the U.S. are no longer protected from deportation after a federal appeals court refused to postpone the Trump administration’s decision to end their legal status.

Today, we celebrate World Refugee Day. At a moment of global uncertainty, with the number of forcibly displaced people at a record high and funding cuts putting millions of lives at risk, it is more urgent than ever to show solidarity with refugees, stand up for their right to seek safety, and seek solutions for the global crisis of displacement. Learn more here: https://www.unhcr.org/events/world-refugee-day-2025

We are excited to meet you at the upcoming Inviting Cultures Beyond Borders event on Saturday, October 4th from 10 am to 2:30 pm at Meadow Lane Elementary School in Anderson. Explore international foods, multicultural music and dance, martial arts displays, inspiring speakers, and a demonstration of Native American practices at this fun, free, family-friendly annual event!

We celebrate World Refugee Day on June 20, honoring the strength and resilience of people forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution, or disaster.

How much do you know about the global refugee crisis? Take the Welcome.US quiz to find out—it only takes 3 minutes, and you might be surprised by what you learn.

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We can’t abandon our Ukrainian friends.

"Don't Abandon Them" - Marsh Family adaptation of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" about Ukraine We put together this version of Dylan's iconic rhetorical question song from 1963, "Blowin' in the Wind" because so much is hanging in the air at the moment ...

Since 2022, we've been helping legal immigrants from war-torn countries attain their goal of finding a safe new life in Redding. Every newcomer we have served has entered the country legally under longstanding UCSIS policies. Now the protected status of these and other newcomers is being threatened by the Trump Administration, compounding the trauma they've fled their countries to escape. At the same time, with the abrupt closure of the State Department's refugee resettlement program, families like the one we were about to welcome to Redding have lost the opportunity to build new lives here in the US.

The events of the past few weeks have revealed a painful truth -- the definition of "legal immigration" in this country is more like the definition of "gotcha." Our leaders have already broken their promise to protect the Afghan allies who risked their lives in Afghanistan to serve and protect our troops. Now they have just broken the promise to maintain legal pathways to citizenship for refugees, and they are actively fomenting an atmosphere of fear and suspicion towards immigrants.

Undocumented community members who have given more to our country than they have ever taken are now having to contemplate whether it is worth the risk to leave their homes and continue working the jobs that have put food on our tables and roofs over our heads for decades. Many of these undocumented people are paying the taxes that keep us all afloat: https://itep.org/undocumented-immigrants-taxes-2024/. Yet these hardworking members of our community are now having to make plans for the security of their families in case they are rounded up and detained in the name of making America great.

In this topsy turvy state of affairs, the distinction between "legal" and "illegal" immigration is blurred, and EVERYONE's safety and security is now at risk, which suggests our nation's approach to immigration is inspired by something other than a love of fairness. We are now at a tipping point. If you support the American values of integrity, justice, and freedom from oppression, it is time to make your voice heard.