Letter in Support of Refugee ResettlementCopyrighted
August 15, 2022
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 022.
City Council Meeting
ITEM TITLE: Letter in Support of Refugee Resettlement
SUMMARY: Correspondence from Mayor Cavanagh to President Joseph R. Biden
Jr. in support of refugee resettlement.
SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Mayor Cavanagh Letter in Support of Refugee Supporting Documentation
Resettlement
President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
As leaders in our communities and elected officials at all levels of state and local government,
we write today to express our strong support for protecting and resettling refugees in the United
States. We call on your Administration to meet its commitment to resettle refugees in Fiscal
Year 2023 and to prioritize restoring our nation's refugee resettlement infrastructure to
ensure we achieve that goal.
Refugee resettlement is not only a lifeline for refugees, but it also invigorates our communities —
strengthening our economies and civic institutions. We urge you to consider the voices of elected
leaders across the country as we join together in support of this life-saving program. As our
experience with the evacuation of at -risk Afghans and our response to the war in Ukraine has
laid bare, preserving and investing in refugee resettlement is key in order to effectively and
humanely respond to emergency refugee situations, as well as continue U.S. leadership to protect
those caught in protracted conflict across the globe.
The international community faces a forced migration crisis of historic proportions that requires
bold leadership, innovative solutions, and all countries to do their fair share. The United Nations
Refugee Agency (UNHCR) recently reported that an unprecedented 100 million people are
forcibly displaced worldwide, 42 percent of which are children. Among them, UNHCR estimates
that 2 million refugees need access to resettlement this year. Despite this, less than one percent
are afforded this chance.
As a record -breaking refugee crisis unfolds globally, we have a chance to affirm U.S. leadership
and our commitments to the world and to this nation by welcoming refugees into our
communities. As elected leaders, we continually hear from our constituents that they support
refugee resettlement. From greeting refugee families at the airport to assisting with English
language classes or navigating bus lines, our communities stand for welcome. They know that
refugees were forced to flee in order to save their lives and are now looking for a place to be safe
and call home again.
In FY 2021, the United States resettled 11,411 refugees, the lowest in any year on record. We
applauded your action to increase the refugee admissions goal to 125,000 for FY 2022, but we
are disappointingly on pace to reach less than 20 percent of that number. Resettlement offers
refugees an important permanent pathway to safety. The recent pivot by the United States
towards offering temporary pathways over resettlement, as we observed in the U.S. evacuation of
Afghans for example, is the direct result of an underfunded resettlement process that cannot
adequately scale -up during emergencies.
We can and must do more. Our communities stand ready to welcome refugees in need. We are
calling on your administration to double down on the investment of resources necessary to
rebuild the resettlement program to welcome more refugees this upcoming fiscal year.
Refugees bring immense value to our communities. They invigorate our economies, bring
innovation to our towns, and make our public and cultural institutions richer. Refugees are
students, business owners, dedicated employees, customers, elected officials, and community
leaders. In every way, they embody what it means to be an American.
We are better and stronger because of refugees and their families. As state and local elected
officials, we call on you to restore our nation's standing as a leader in welcoming refugees by
ensuring adequate resources are made available to restore the resettlement program and ensure
we meet the FY 2023 resettlement goal.
We hope that you will take into account our strong desire to welcome refugees as you make your
determination.
Sincerel
ity of Dubu