Since early November, the IRC in San Diego has been responding to the needs of asylum seeking families in San Diego who have been released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention with no resources as they await their asylum hearing.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City’s internship program is built to provide real-life experiences to local students as they learn and grow professionally. Partner organizations work to ensure that students working with the IRC in Salt Lake City are able to access hands-on experiences, often combined with coursework.

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.

Early in February, the IRC in Salt Lake City hosted a Legislative Briefing on Utah’s participation in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), in partnership with Catholic Community Services, the Refugee Services Office, and sponsored by Senator Daniel Thatcher.

Guide to create and donate Welcome Kits to IRC Missoula.

The IRC opened its locally-funded office in Miami in 1960 in response to the Cuban Revolution and, over the decades, has served over 25,000 refugees, asylees, survivors of human trafficking and other vulnerable populations in South Florida. Due to nationally reduced refugee admissions, the IRC ended its refugee resettlement program in Miami in 2018. Although its resettlement program concluded in 2018, the IRC in Miami continues to serve the community by providing holistic, trauma-informed services to survivors of human trafficking and unaccompanied children and their families.

As economic recovery activities for refugees in Jordan are restricted, the IRC has found that the provision of unconditional cash assistance coupled with case management, health services, psychosocial support, and outreach is a valuable means of reducing this distress.

With the generous support of Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services, the IRC in Silver Spring provides resettlement services to facilitate the full civic integration of refugees entering the United States who reside in Montgomery County.

Charlottesville’s 2024 Welcoming Week gave the IRC the perfect opportunity to strengthen key partnerships, educate the public about refugee resettlement, and provide some fun!  This nationwide campaign celebrates immigrants and newcomers by promoting and affirming the importance of welcoming and inclusive spaces within local communities.

Over the past five years I’ve volunteered with IRC in various ways. One of my most intense experiences was spending two weeks at Fort Bliss, one of the U.S. landing sites for Afghan evacuees after the fall of Kabul. I want to share a few highlights from my experience and give you an inside look at what it means to work and walk alongside IRC staff and clients.