Over 300 advocates mobilized in support of refugees in Washington D.C. on May 8th and 9th, including four delegates from the state of Idaho. Together, they urged congress to return to policies of welcome for refugee and immigrant communities in the US.

Refugee and immigrant community members in the West Hill neighborhood of Kent are growing fresh, organic produce for their families at a brand-new community garden site. Thank you to the countless community partners and volunteers who have brought this exciting project to life!

On Thursday, June 20th, 2024, the IRC in Silver Spring celebrated its first annual Beacons of Hope Gala in celebration of World Refugee Day. With over 200 guests in attendance, the event brought together refugees and the individuals and organizations who support immigrants who serve as beacons of hope in Maryland.

As of July 2025, Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) recipients who have recently arrived in the United States are once again eligible for structured support during their first 90 days in the country. This development marks a meaningful shift for Afghan nationals who supported U.S. missions abroad and have spent recent years navigating a difficult and often fragmented resettlement landscape. 

As the child of former refugees, who left the Soviet Union along with hundreds of thousands of others in the 1980s, Dax (‘Dan-Knee’) whose pronouns are they/them, has always felt connected to immigrant communities growing up in Philadelphia. Years later, they are now working at the IRC -- one of the largest resettlement agencies in the country -- as a Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) Coordinator.

On February 4, the IRC in Tallahassee’s staff, refugee clients and volunteers joined fellow advocates from the Florida Immigrant Coalition and We Are All America at the Florida State Capitol for the state’s first ever Refugee Advocacy Day.

Having been laid off in the last recession, Ian Murphy knows the struggles of this tumultuous time, and has taken action for his IRC clients. With refugees and immigrants across the Bay Area struggling to find job opportunities, Murphy, an ESL instructor has launched a new class on Zoom to engage creativity.

The family are now rebuilding their lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Ethiopian refugee Tefere Gebre was just 15 years old when he arrived in the United States—starting over in a new world alone, without any family by his side. Over 30 years later, he is executive vice president of the AFL-CIO, the largest labor union in the world.