By Julie Gersten Over the past few months, we have been hard at work envisioning a future for Refugee Action Fund where we can amplify the generosity of our donors and make the greatest possible impact. Today we share the news that we have decided to close our operations and join forces with Choose Love to carry our mission forward. Refugee Action Fund…
It is heartbreaking to watch yet another senseless war unfold, causing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes to find safety. As of earlier today, the UN estimates that over 670,000 people have fled Ukraine and crossed to neighboring countries. We know that the flow has just begun, and that there are hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people within…
By Julie Gersten Like many of you, my heart breaks as I watch the events at the Del Rio, Texas border unfold. The deportations and use of horses and whips by border patrol agents against mostly Haitian migrants seeking to claim asylum in the United States is both illegal and cruel. Many of these individuals and families have traveled for…
By Victoria Rudnicki On Monday evening, Refugee Action Fund welcomed our supporters to an intimate conversation about the current crisis in Afghanistan. We had the pleasure of hosting Sahr Muhammedally, Timur Nusratty, and Michael Shaikh, to speak about the situation on the ground for Afghans, how we got here, and the immediate and long-term support that will be needed to help Afghan refugees…
By Greg Sharenow I write this email with a heavy heart. As I watch events unfold in Afghanistan, I’m saddened by the return of the Taliban and the rise of ISIS-K in a country long impacted by war. It is no wonder the great lengths Afghans are going through to try to leave their country, their native land, many of…
This general insistence on the idea of a “surge” or “crisis” at the border is problematic in and of itself. It is dramatized and feeds into a xenophobic narrative being pushed by people who don’t want to see immigrants of any kind come into the country. – Elizabeth Foydel, IRAP Violence is rampant. Men, women and children are being kidnapped. Yet…
After four years of nearly a complete shutdown of refugee and asylum infrastructure in the U.S., the devastating impact of COVID-19, and ongoing global humanitarian crises affecting 80 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, we are now going to see a change of leadership in the White House. There is so much work that needs to be done to ensure that…
By Victoria Rudnicki, Benefit Chair In 2020, a lot has looked different, and for the first time, many of us were not able to come together for various special occasions throughout the year. At Refugee Action Fund, we faced this challenge in thinking about how to plan our annual benefit gala, which is typically held in-person in New York City…
By Julie Gersten As we continue to experience the whiplash of a global pandemic and grapple with an uncertain future, I have been reflecting on our efforts to support refugees and asylum seekers during this challenging year. Since January 2020, Refugee Action Fund has distributed $275,000 in grants to nine phenomenal organizations that are responding to pressing needs for refugees.…
When the Otay Mesa Detention Center at the U.S-Mexico border had the highest confirmed COVID-19 cases of any detention facility in the country, our grantee, ABA Immigration Justice Project, worked tirelessly to get detainees released. Check out this moving video they made of all of their clients they were able to get out of detention over the course of a week…