As many as 1 million people have died in Somalia’s decades-long civil war.1 Many more have fled, often without a country to go to. Most have ended up in refugee camps, sometimes for decades. Since the African country collapsed into civil war in 1991, the United States has offered refuge to many Somalis through Temporary […]

Safia’s family was doing well in Afghanistan. She earned a college degree and taught math at an elementary school in Kabul. Her husband worked as an electrical engineer. They had three children.1 But her husband’s job for 17 years had been with the United States, specifically, USAID. When the Taliban retook control of the Afghan

In many ways, the Children’s Playhouse Early Learning Center is the heart of its community. And this year, said owner Damaris Alvarado-Rodriguez, the community has been decimated.1 Nestled in a low-income, primarily immigrant neighborhood in south Philadelphia, the center provides job tips, educational sessions, donations, and more, in addition to childcare. It is one of

It was Laura’s late husband who moved the family to the United States—to help his parents start a ministry in Bentonville, Arkansas. His parents were retired missionaries who had immigrated to the United States years earlier and were, by then, U.S. citizens.24 “I didn’t want to come,” Laura said, but for three years her in-laws

When it comes to preschool, Washington, D.C., is in a relatively strong position. The district offers free preschool for every 3- and 4-year-old, regardless of family income, through the Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Program (PKEEP). Additionally, the Early Childhood Pay Equity Fund ensures that PKEEP teachers earn the same pay as their elementary school counterparts.

For more than 20 years, Rosa has worked as a nanny in New York City, helping raise children who still visit her when home from college. Now, despite continued demand for her childcare services, she’s planning to leave the country. Like her partner of 16 years, a construction worker, she will self-deport—he to Colombia and

Jen lives in Brooklyn. She works full-time in the financial district, while her kids go to school in Chinatown. The logistics are more complicated than they might appear.41 The commute from home to school takes 50 minutes, and from school to work takes 30 minutes. Jen is in the office until at least 5:30 p.m.

Senior Fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick delivered oral testimony before Congress exposing skyrocketing “at-large” arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), profiling, wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens, and the urgent need for congressional reform. What this testimony covers: ICE’s rapid expansion of “at-large” arrests — including a sharp rise in arrests of people with no criminal

New Report Shows Having a Lawyer is a Critical Safeguard Against Deportation  Washington DC, Nov. 20 — As the Trump administration intensifies its mass deportation and detention campaign, a new report from the American Immigration Council shows that legal representation is one of the most powerful tools to increase fairness in immigration court.  Read the

We’re excited to share that Lisa Murray, Program Director for Cultural Exchange at the American Immigration Council, recently joined the Beyond Borders podcast to discuss the lasting value of international exchange programs and how they strengthen communities, institutions, and global understanding. In the episode, Lisa highlights: The diplomacy and people-to-people connections at the heart of cultural exchange How