Among the many challenges that 2020 brought to many around the world, the closing of international borders and travel restrictions as a result of the pandemic further limited the already dwindling number of refugees accepted by the Trump Administration. Prior to the pandemic, the Trump Administration had reduced the number of refugees the United States was committed to welcoming. At the onset of the pandemic, the arrivals of refugees to Tallahassee halted altogether, and it wasn’t until the end of 2020 that new families began to arrive across Big Bend communities. This time, the newly arrived families were coming from Latin America. This was a first for the IRC in Tallahassee’s short four-year history, which has historically welcomed families from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Syria.

Update: February 24, 2021. The IRC responded to extreme winter weather conditions affecting Texas, causing blackouts and water shortages. Both IRC locations in Dallas and Abilene are still closed however staff are actively responding to client needs remotely.

Sesame Street characters helped Saeed, 5, who was born with Down’s Syndrome, learn and engage with children his age through the IRC's Ahlan Simsim program in Syria.

After leaving violence, economic collapse and crippling shortages behind in Venezuela, a young family starts over in neighboring Colombia with help from the IRC.

Bob Kitchen, the leader of the IRC's COVID-19 response globally, explains how we are fighting the virus and what's at risk for the three countries he's most worried about.

Fifteen-year-old Samir became separated from his family after his home in Aleppo was attacked. He tells the IRC about his journey to Jordan and his hope to be reunited with his parents.

Meet Sharefa Daw, Resettlement Caseworker at the IRC in Dallas.