Illinois & Resourcing Resettlement: Resettlement at Risk
What do we need to Save Resettlement? Attention. Here's how we can focus on what matters most when overwhelmed by information & a tool to keep us on track.
During the previous Trump presidency, the dismantling of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) went largely unreported—a casualty of declining local journalism.
Did your local resettlement agency close? Your city or state lose the ability to resettle refugees? How many refugee families remain divided, with loved ones stranded needlessly overseas?
How much federal funding was pulled from your state—your social services, your schools? How many local caseworkers are now out of work? How many small businesses will never open, taxes never paid? How many hairdressers, doctors, and engineers will never provide their services to your state?
What happens when your state’s resettlement program is suspended?
That’s the information the public needs to know to know how, where, and when to respond.
Where to donate. What to write about in op-eds to their local papers. When to call their state legislators or school boards and ask for more state funds to fill the federal funding gap. What to say on the phone with their federal representatives.
It’s also the information Congress needs to prioritize The GRACE Act.
Absent that information: the incentives for inaction will continue to outweigh the incentives for action—and the Refugee Program will remain at risk.
These days, we know too much and too little: we’re swimming in bad news, but we lack the state and district-specific information we need to mobilize funds and votes.
We’ve taken a stab at providing you that information with Save Resettlement’s new website. It’s imperfect and evolving—but we believe everyone should use the resources they have to do what they can. That said, flag imperfections (especially on your state’s map!) with us when you see them.
Today, we’ll be showing you how it works—equipping you with the information you need to get money to your local resettlement agencies and the right information to your members of Congress. We’ll also highlight a few other resources that we’ve found useful.
Information is power: If we stay focused on what matters, our members of Congress will too.
SaveResettlement.org
With immense gratitude to the team at Hooked on Code, Leila Paul, and Leslie Krivo-Kaufman, we are pleased to share that saveresettlement.org is live!
How It Works
Our website serves as an essential resource center, tracking changes in refugee arrivals and funding by state, pointing donors and electeds to the resettlement agencies in their neighborhoods, and enabling constituents to write their members of Congress about The GRACE Act with just a few clicks.
On the homepage, click on your state to discover:
Refugee arrival & funding data, including comparisons to last year’s arrivals
The number of resettlement offices in your state & where they are located
Direct donation links to those local resettlement offices
How to write your federal electeds about The GRACE Act
While refugee resettlement may seem like a global issue, its effects are profoundly local. Understanding these local impacts is what drives meaningful change and effective community support.
See it in Action: Illinois Snapshot
Let’s test out the website by looking at Illinois.
When you click on Illinois, you'll see the following page:
Each dot on the map represents a resettlement agency—by clicking on a dot, you can access that agency’s donation page. You can also access a list of local resettlement agencies by scrolling below or clicking “Donate to your local resettlement office.”
If you click on “Contact Illinois representatives,” you can write your member of Congress and ask them to support The GRACE Act:
Where does the data come from?
Arrivals: Datapoints on refugee arrivals are drawn from the Refugee Processing Center, which is run by the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. Note: We believe the January 2025 arrival numbers are inaccurate, as the administration has largely ceased public reporting on refugee admissions. We will update these datapoints as information becomes available.
Resettlement Offices: Data on resettlement offices also came from the Refugee Processing Center. However, the State Department removed information on resettlement offices from the site when the Trump Administration canceled all ten of the U.S.’s resettlement contracts (the cancellation has been enjoined–but the Administration is looking to replace the U.S.’s ten resettlement agencies with a single entity). We link to screenshots and downloads from the Refugee Processing Center taken before this information was removed. If you need additional information that was removed from the RPC website, please contact us.
Resettlement Funding: Datapoints on resettlement funding represent a decline in Reception and Placement per capita funds, which are contracted directly with resettlement agencies and support newly arrived refugees and the operations of local resettlement offices. Because resettlement agencies are not receiving refugees, they are also not receiving the R&P funds tied to those refugees. The Trump Administration is also planning to cut a separate resettlement funding stream, known as Refugee Support Services formula grants, to select states in October. Note: Our calculations don't include funds owed for services already provided to refugees in the U.S., which would show even greater declines.
Refugee Contributions: Data on refugee contributions to the American economy come from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report entitled, “The Fiscal Impact of Refugees and Asylees at the Federal, State, and Local Levels from 2005-2019.”
Resources from Others
For factsheets, advocacy explainers, and accessible analysis: The American Immigration Council brilliantly blends data-driven research with effective advocacy. We particularly appreciate their state pages, which detail state-specific immigration data and the economic benefits of immigrants and refugees.
For daily updates on resettlement and the Trump Administration’s actions on resettlement: Church World Service’s State of Play newsletter offers daily updates on resettlement sent directly to your inbox.
For monthly advocacy updates: Global Refuge’s Advocacy Newsletter and Advocacy Calls discuss recent developments in immigration policy, share insights on national advocacy efforts, and highlight key ways you can make an impact.
For stories directly from refugees: The Refugee Storytellers Collective regularly publishes stories from refugee leaders.
For advocacy tips from incredible organizations: Stay up to date with organizations like We Are All America, The IRC, IRAP, Human Rights First, Refugees International, the Refugee Advocacy Lab, and RCUSA. You can even sign up to take part in Refugee, Asylum, and Humanitarian Protection Advocacy Days, and join like-minded advocates in Washington, D.C. this June!
Taking Action Together
As we witness the dismantling of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for a second time, the power of community action has never been more critical. When we understand what's happening in our own neighborhoods—from office closures to funding cuts—we can respond effectively with both advocacy and monetary support.
Whether you're calling your representatives about The GRACE Act or donating to local resettlement agencies, your actions matter. These small steps collectively create a resettlement program refugees can rely on.
When we know, we can act. When we act together, we can save resettlement.
Contact your elected officials about The GRACE Act today.
Thanks for reading Save Resettlement.
Next Week, Indiana & Office Closures.
In the meantime, we recommend doing some shopping with the Refugee Artisan Initiative – a marketplace for refugee and immigrant women to sell their art!
