International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)
@irap.bsky.social
The International Refugee Assistance Project helps #refugees navigate #resettlement processes & works to improve relevant policy. Links/Reposts ≠ endorsements.
IMPORTANT SIV UPDATE: All SIV applications must be submitted by December 31, 2025. Visit bit.ly/SIV-update for more information.
November 14, 2025 at 9:32 PM
IMPORTANT SIV UPDATE: All SIV applications must be submitted by December 31, 2025. Visit bit.ly/SIV-update for more information.
IRAP's Laurie Ball Cooper on the new refugee PD:
"It’s also hugely problematic that this document sets up a race-based preference system instead of a humanitarian protection system..." via
@thehill.com thehill.com/policy/inter...
"It’s also hugely problematic that this document sets up a race-based preference system instead of a humanitarian protection system..." via
@thehill.com thehill.com/policy/inter...
thehill.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:41 PM
IRAP's Laurie Ball Cooper on the new refugee PD:
"It’s also hugely problematic that this document sets up a race-based preference system instead of a humanitarian protection system..." via
@thehill.com thehill.com/policy/inter...
"It’s also hugely problematic that this document sets up a race-based preference system instead of a humanitarian protection system..." via
@thehill.com thehill.com/policy/inter...
This week, law students from IRAP chapters across the United States participated in IRAP #AdvocacyWeek2025. Students met with congressional offices to urge them to support four of our policy asks:
November 7, 2025 at 10:04 PM
This week, law students from IRAP chapters across the United States participated in IRAP #AdvocacyWeek2025. Students met with congressional offices to urge them to support four of our policy asks:
Everyone deserves a safe place to live and a safe way to get there.
Sign our pledge to join our global community that believes no one should be punished for seeking refuge, and that justice, dignity, and hope belong to everyone:
refugeerights.quorum.us/campaign/145...
Sign our pledge to join our global community that believes no one should be punished for seeking refuge, and that justice, dignity, and hope belong to everyone:
refugeerights.quorum.us/campaign/145...
Stand for Refugee Rights
Take the pledge!
refugeerights.quorum.us
November 7, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Everyone deserves a safe place to live and a safe way to get there.
Sign our pledge to join our global community that believes no one should be punished for seeking refuge, and that justice, dignity, and hope belong to everyone:
refugeerights.quorum.us/campaign/145...
Sign our pledge to join our global community that believes no one should be punished for seeking refuge, and that justice, dignity, and hope belong to everyone:
refugeerights.quorum.us/campaign/145...
The Trump administration just made it official: this year’s refugee admissions will be the lowest in history, reserving most of the spots for white Afrikaners. Read our statement:
refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
October 30, 2025 at 5:07 PM
The Trump administration just made it official: this year’s refugee admissions will be the lowest in history, reserving most of the spots for white Afrikaners. Read our statement:
refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
We will be in DC federal court today alongside @aclu.org, @ccrjustice.org, and @aclu-dc.bsky.social to challenge the illegal transfer of people held in the United States on civil immigration violations to Guantánamo Bay.
October 23, 2025 at 2:59 PM
We will be in DC federal court today alongside @aclu.org, @ccrjustice.org, and @aclu-dc.bsky.social to challenge the illegal transfer of people held in the United States on civil immigration violations to Guantánamo Bay.
Bahati Kanyamanza, IRAP's Global Partnerships Director, penned an op-ed for @theguardian.com where he draws from his own journey as a refugee to explain why gutting the U.S. refugee program would be a betrayal of America's deepest values.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
October 21, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Bahati Kanyamanza, IRAP's Global Partnerships Director, penned an op-ed for @theguardian.com where he draws from his own journey as a refugee to explain why gutting the U.S. refugee program would be a betrayal of America's deepest values.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
BREAKING: IRAP just filed a lawsuit on behalf of 3 Afghan nationals who provided critical security services to the US military but were denied the chance to apply for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV). Our press release: refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
Afghan Allies Challenge Unlawful Policy Blocking Them From SIV Program | International Refugee Assistance Project
refugeerights.org
October 16, 2025 at 8:13 PM
BREAKING: IRAP just filed a lawsuit on behalf of 3 Afghan nationals who provided critical security services to the US military but were denied the chance to apply for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV). Our press release: refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
An Afghan refugee family was scheduled to fly to the U.S. on January 22 but is now stranded in Qatar.
“The impact of this on real human lives can’t be understated." - IRAP
Must-read story from @ayoonhendricks.bsky.social @seattletimes.com about our legal battle to restore the refugee program.
“The impact of this on real human lives can’t be understated." - IRAP
Must-read story from @ayoonhendricks.bsky.social @seattletimes.com about our legal battle to restore the refugee program.
An Afghan woman escaped to WA years ago. Her family remains stranded abroad
The Trump administration's refugee ban, as well as his sweeping travel ban, has left an Afghan woman in Tacoma waiting in horror over the fate of her family.
www.seattletimes.com
October 14, 2025 at 4:10 PM
An Afghan refugee family was scheduled to fly to the U.S. on January 22 but is now stranded in Qatar.
“The impact of this on real human lives can’t be understated." - IRAP
Must-read story from @ayoonhendricks.bsky.social @seattletimes.com about our legal battle to restore the refugee program.
“The impact of this on real human lives can’t be understated." - IRAP
Must-read story from @ayoonhendricks.bsky.social @seattletimes.com about our legal battle to restore the refugee program.
Reposted by International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)
📈NEW POLL: The Lab, @refugeesinternational.org & @dataforprogress.org find that more than two-thirds of voters believe the US should have a refugee resettlement program.
This poll also shows the deep unpopularity of several other immigration policy changes.
www.refugeeadvocacylab.org/resources/st...
This poll also shows the deep unpopularity of several other immigration policy changes.
www.refugeeadvocacylab.org/resources/st...
October 9, 2025 at 3:28 PM
📈NEW POLL: The Lab, @refugeesinternational.org & @dataforprogress.org find that more than two-thirds of voters believe the US should have a refugee resettlement program.
This poll also shows the deep unpopularity of several other immigration policy changes.
www.refugeeadvocacylab.org/resources/st...
This poll also shows the deep unpopularity of several other immigration policy changes.
www.refugeeadvocacylab.org/resources/st...
On Monday, UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi suggested that U.S. deportation practices are "not consistent with international law" and warned against the the broader backlash against immigrants and refugees.
UN refugee agency chief suggests that US deportation practices violate the law
The head of the U.N. refugee agency has suggested that President Donald Trump’s America has carried out deportation practices that violate international law.
apnews.com
October 8, 2025 at 3:27 PM
On Monday, UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi suggested that U.S. deportation practices are "not consistent with international law" and warned against the the broader backlash against immigrants and refugees.
Reporting indicates that the Trump Admin plans to cut refugee admissions to a record low of 7,500 in the upcoming PD:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/u...
Trump Administration Is Said to Plan to Cut Refugee Admissions to a Record Low
www.nytimes.com
October 4, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reporting indicates that the Trump Admin plans to cut refugee admissions to a record low of 7,500 in the upcoming PD:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/u...
“It is vital to strengthen protections for people seeking safety—not weaken them. The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle critical humanitarian protections in the U.S. and abroad put millions of people at risk.” - Rricha deCant, IRAP
Read the full @welcomewdignity.bsky.social statement:
Read the full @welcomewdignity.bsky.social statement:
After Chilling Remarks at UN General Assembly, #WelcomeWithDignity Urges U.S. Leaders, Global Community to Uphold the Fundamental Right to Seek Safety – Welcome With Dignity
welcomewithdignity.org
September 30, 2025 at 7:24 PM
“It is vital to strengthen protections for people seeking safety—not weaken them. The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle critical humanitarian protections in the U.S. and abroad put millions of people at risk.” - Rricha deCant, IRAP
Read the full @welcomewdignity.bsky.social statement:
Read the full @welcomewdignity.bsky.social statement:
NEW from IRAP: we updated our climate mobility data report with new data from the past year (June 2024-2025) — learn more here: refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
Enduring Change: A Data Review of Firsthand Accounts of Climate Mobility Impacts | International Refugee Assistance Project
refugeerights.org
September 29, 2025 at 3:55 PM
NEW from IRAP: we updated our climate mobility data report with new data from the past year (June 2024-2025) — learn more here: refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
Reposted by International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)
Yesterday, RCUSA released a letter addressed to President Donald J. Trump, signed by the executives of 18 RCUSA member organizations, urging the administration to uphold & strengthen international human rights and refugee law & treaties
Read the full letter on our website: rcusa.org/news-and-med...
Read the full letter on our website: rcusa.org/news-and-med...
September 25, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Yesterday, RCUSA released a letter addressed to President Donald J. Trump, signed by the executives of 18 RCUSA member organizations, urging the administration to uphold & strengthen international human rights and refugee law & treaties
Read the full letter on our website: rcusa.org/news-and-med...
Read the full letter on our website: rcusa.org/news-and-med...
IRAP staff attorney Mevlüde Akay Alp spoke to
Courthouse News about the recent 9th circuit decision on the refugee ban: “Today’s stay order from the Ninth Circuit makes clear that it was illegal for the government to deny vital benefits to refugees who had recently arrived in the United States... "
Courthouse News about the recent 9th circuit decision on the refugee ban: “Today’s stay order from the Ninth Circuit makes clear that it was illegal for the government to deny vital benefits to refugees who had recently arrived in the United States... "
September 15, 2025 at 1:26 PM
IRAP staff attorney Mevlüde Akay Alp spoke to
Courthouse News about the recent 9th circuit decision on the refugee ban: “Today’s stay order from the Ninth Circuit makes clear that it was illegal for the government to deny vital benefits to refugees who had recently arrived in the United States... "
Courthouse News about the recent 9th circuit decision on the refugee ban: “Today’s stay order from the Ninth Circuit makes clear that it was illegal for the government to deny vital benefits to refugees who had recently arrived in the United States... "
“What is at stake are the lives of thousands of refugees for whom Congress devised a careful plan for their effective resettlement that's been in place for 50 years,” IRAP lawyer Melissa Keaney said in court yesterday: www.newsfromthestates.com/article/immi...
Immigration groups ask appeals panel to reinstate refugee programs
WASHINGTON — Immigration attorneys asked a federal appeals court Wednesday to restore two injunctions against the Trump administration's move to suspend refugee processing and to reinstate funding for...
www.newsfromthestates.com
September 4, 2025 at 2:10 PM
“What is at stake are the lives of thousands of refugees for whom Congress devised a careful plan for their effective resettlement that's been in place for 50 years,” IRAP lawyer Melissa Keaney said in court yesterday: www.newsfromthestates.com/article/immi...
BREAKING: Lawyers for Stranded Refugees Urge Court to Resume Resettlement as Thousands Remain in Limbo -- read our press release here: refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
Refugees Arrive in United States Under Court Order
refugeerights.org
September 3, 2025 at 8:51 PM
BREAKING: Lawyers for Stranded Refugees Urge Court to Resume Resettlement as Thousands Remain in Limbo -- read our press release here: refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
Keep an eye on our channels at 5pm ET/2pm PT for a special livestream event!
September 3, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Keep an eye on our channels at 5pm ET/2pm PT for a special livestream event!
"The government has fought tooth and nail to keep these refugees out of the United States, while selectively welcoming white South Africans. We will continue to fight in court for the right of all refugees to safely resettle." - Rricha deCant, IRAP
via @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social
via @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social
Vast majority of US refugee admissions will go to white South Africans: Report
Trump administration reportedly plans to allocate 30,000 of the expected 40,000 refugee admissions to South Africa's white minority
www.middleeasteye.net
August 21, 2025 at 4:27 PM
"The government has fought tooth and nail to keep these refugees out of the United States, while selectively welcoming white South Africans. We will continue to fight in court for the right of all refugees to safely resettle." - Rricha deCant, IRAP
via @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social
via @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social
NEW: IRAP released an explainer outlining the Trump administration’s attacks on Afghan allies, including:
🚨 stripping them of legal status
🚨 targeting them for deportation
🚨 dismantling systems that support SIVs
Learn more:
🚨 stripping them of legal status
🚨 targeting them for deportation
🚨 dismantling systems that support SIVs
Learn more:
Four Years After Fall of Kabul, Trump Administration Has Turned its Back on Afghan Allies | International Refugee Assistance Project
refugeerights.org
August 13, 2025 at 5:32 PM
NEW: IRAP released an explainer outlining the Trump administration’s attacks on Afghan allies, including:
🚨 stripping them of legal status
🚨 targeting them for deportation
🚨 dismantling systems that support SIVs
Learn more:
🚨 stripping them of legal status
🚨 targeting them for deportation
🚨 dismantling systems that support SIVs
Learn more:
🚨 The Trump administration is deporting people to countries – even continents – where they have never so much as set foot.
✍️ IRAP’s latest blog unpacks “third country removals” and why they're so dangerous for the human rights of migrants everywhere.
✍️ IRAP’s latest blog unpacks “third country removals” and why they're so dangerous for the human rights of migrants everywhere.
Trump Administration's Third Country Removals Put Migrants in Harm's Way | International Refugee Assistance Project
refugeerights.org
August 8, 2025 at 7:51 PM
🚨 The Trump administration is deporting people to countries – even continents – where they have never so much as set foot.
✍️ IRAP’s latest blog unpacks “third country removals” and why they're so dangerous for the human rights of migrants everywhere.
✍️ IRAP’s latest blog unpacks “third country removals” and why they're so dangerous for the human rights of migrants everywhere.
IRAP has shared newly released government documents obtained through a FOIA request and related litigation that confirm a policy delaying green card applications filed by refugees and asylees.
Learn more: refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
Learn more: refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
Newly Released Government Documents Confirm Policy Delaying Green Card Applications Filed by Refugees and Asylees | International Refugee Assistance Project
refugeerights.org
August 1, 2025 at 8:02 PM
IRAP has shared newly released government documents obtained through a FOIA request and related litigation that confirm a policy delaying green card applications filed by refugees and asylees.
Learn more: refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
Learn more: refugeerights.org/news-resourc...
Reposted by International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)
In a time when so much feels out of our control, we can still show up for each other. Every small act of welcome can make our communities stronger, safer, & more connected.
✅Sign the #WeWillWelcome pledge: bit.ly/WelcomingPle...
🤝Do one small act of welcome.
📢Spread the word.
✅Sign the #WeWillWelcome pledge: bit.ly/WelcomingPle...
🤝Do one small act of welcome.
📢Spread the word.
July 25, 2025 at 5:48 PM
In a time when so much feels out of our control, we can still show up for each other. Every small act of welcome can make our communities stronger, safer, & more connected.
✅Sign the #WeWillWelcome pledge: bit.ly/WelcomingPle...
🤝Do one small act of welcome.
📢Spread the word.
✅Sign the #WeWillWelcome pledge: bit.ly/WelcomingPle...
🤝Do one small act of welcome.
📢Spread the word.