June 20th is World Refugee Day - a day to celebrate and reflect. This year, the United States is on pace to resettle the lowest number of refugees on record since the program was set up in 1980 - only 8,000 refugee arrivals, compared to 30,000 admissions last year, and close to 80,000 in 2016. Refugee arrivals to the US were suspended as of March 19, with the exception of certain emergency cases. No date has been provided on when the admissions will resume welcoming refugees into the US.

On June 10th, the administration announced it is proposing a rule that would gut the current asylum system, making it even more difficult for individual and families seeking safety to find refuge in the US. The public has until July 15, 2020 to submit comments in opposition to this cruel new policy.

The liberation of immigrant communities is intertwined with the fight for Black liberation in this country – a fact that has become more evident over the last few months with the spread of COVID-19 and the disproportionate impact it has had on Black and Latinx communities, and uprisings calling for an end to police violence in Black communities including on black immigrants.

Even so, the immigrant rights movement is not immune to white supremacy and anti-Black racism. Now is the time for all of us fighting for immigrant rights align ourselves behind Black organizers and to look inward to do the work of dismantling white supremacy in our movement. For some, this is the continuation of work they have been engaged in for years. For some, this is a new conversation. For all of us, this must be a long-term commitment.

On August 11, 2020 census enumerators will start knocking doors of households who have not already completed their census form. That means we have nine weeks to fill out the census on our own. You can complete the census online or by phone. As of now, only 64% of Pennsylvanians have completed the census. It is important that EVERYONE participate to ensure our communities get the resources we need for schools, hospitals, and public services.

The census bureau has reopened several regional offices across the country. That does not mean enumerators will be knocking doors, it means they will be leaving packets in front of doors of mostly remote households who have not received them yet.

Self-response is the best way to keep our immigrant and refuge community safe. Respond online now by going to www.my2020census.gov.

Please Donate to PICC!

PICC depends upon your support. Please donate to PICC today to support our advocacy and organizing work to mobilize the immigrant vote, build immigrant leaders, campaign for pro-immigrant policies at the local, state and federal levels, and support the effective implementation of pro-immigrant public policies.