Indiana & Office Closures: Resettlement at Risk
Here's how we can use impending office closures to catalyze support for The GRACE Act.
Catholics Withdraw from Resettlement
This last week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced an end of their “work with the federal government to resettle refugees.”
By October, USCCB will no longer be a resettlement agency. Only nine resettlement agencies will remain.
Of the 360 resettlement offices in the U.S., 60 are operated under USCCB’s umbrella. USCCB’s closure will cut America’s resettlement capacity by over 16%.
Thirty-one states will be impacted. Arkansas and Maine’s resettlement capacity will be halved, as they only have two resettlement agencies. Oklahoma and Rhode Island’s capacity will decrease by a third. New York, Texas, and Utah’s: a quarter.
Three states will lose their ability to resettle refugees altogether, including Alaska, Kentucky, and Louisiana.
What Do We Do Now?
What we didn’t do last time.
Members of Congress need to know when their states or districts lose resettlement programs. We need to tell them.
Former resettlement staff need to request meetings with Congressional staff, explaining the loss to their district’s schools, employers, and churches. Community partners previously supporting resettlement need to make phone calls and send emails. Former resettlement volunteers and refugees themselves need to drive downtown and make in-person visits, urging their member of Congress to Co-Sponsor The GRACE Act.
We’ve tried to make it easy. We’ve built you a spreadsheet of all the members of Congress that represent a USCCB resettlement office: their staffer’s contact information, recommended messaging, possible local advocates.
This spreadsheet is a living document—and we’ll update staffer contacts, messaging guidance, and local partner recommendations as we reach out, too.
Of course, if you only have a few minutes, you can also use the take action page on our website to email your member of Congress about The GRACE Act.
From now through October, resettlement advocate’s top priority should be cultivating relationships with these members—especially Republicans. We should rally community partners to explain what the loss of a resettlement program means and why members should support the The GRACE Act.
How to Talk to Republicans
To successfully cultivate supportive relationships with Republicans, we recommend using tried-and-true talking points, connecting resettlement to their existing interests, and finding local champions that they’ll listen to.
Tried-and-True Talking Points
Congressional staffers have a lot on their plate—and are almost never experts in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Here are a few talking points we’ve found clarify misinformation and help Republicans understand how resettlement benefits their states and districts:
Refugees enter the U.S. lawfully and pass rigorous screening & vetting requirements. They come to the U.S. by our invitation.
The Refugee Program is critical to national security. It helps us protect our military allies--so that they help us in our times of need.
Refugees are key contributors to local economies. They pay taxes, fill critical labor gaps, and open small businesses.
In our spreadsheet, we’ve highlighted the talking points that might be most effective with each member. The more meetings you have with a member’s staff, the more you’ll know what resonates with them—and you can further tailor your messaging.
How can we connect resettlement to their interests?
Looking at a Republican member’s “Immigration” issue page won’t tell you a lot about how they feel about refugee resettlement.
However, we can find ways that the Resettlement Program intersects with their other personal and professional interests.
We want supporting resettlement to become an extension of something they are already doing.
Here are a few examples of what this might look like:
Arkansas’s Representative French Hill (R-2) works tirelessly to bring wrongly detained Americans home; he might have an interest in supporting refugees who have experienced similar forms of persecution.
As the state Attorney General, Kansas’s Representative Derek Schmidt (R-2) fought to strengthen protections against human trafficking. Local resettlement agencies often operate programming supporting victims of human trafficking. Does Representative Schmidt know that?
Ohio’s Representative Michael Turner (R-10) believes in protecting “the rights of legal immigrants,” was once the mayor of Dayton—a city that’s denouncing Trump’s immigration misinformation—and just last month made a statement about the need for stability in the Balkans. He might be interested in learning about The Refugee Act of 1980, the closure of Dayton’s resettlement program, and the role the Refugee Program plays in stabilizing Europe.
Who will your member of Congress listen to?
Sometimes, it’s hard to even get a meeting. Getting your foot in the door is easier if you partner with organizations that your member of Congress already listens to—and maybe is a member of.
Republican members of Congress are often members of Rotary clubs, local churches, or local non-profit boards. Catholic members of Congress may be particularly interested in hearing from their local diocese about USCCB’s pending halt of resettlement programming.
They regularly visit with local chambers of commerce or major employers in their states or districts—employers that often rely on refugee workers. Members may be interested in hearing from refugees that share their professional backgrounds: refugee small business owners, refugees in the medical profession, refugees working in manufacturing, or refugees working at car dealerships.
Military bases in Member’s districts may offer connections to veterans who served alongside refugees—and know that the Refugee Program strengthens our national security. Police departments that partner with resettlement agencies for citizenship classes may wish to share that refugees are some of America’s most law-abiding (almost!) citizens.
We’ve tried to list personalized partners that may be interested in reaching out to your members of Congress in our spreadsheet.
Let’s Take a Look at Indiana
What do these strategies look like in practice? Let’s take a look at Indiana.
Of Indiana’s eight resettlement offices, three are operated by USCCB and will be closing by October—almost halving the state’s resettlement capacity. North-east Indiana will lose it’s ability to resettle refugees completely; Catholic Charities Fort Wayne/South Bend is the only resettlement agency in the area.
There are five members of Congress that represent USCCB resettlement programs: Senator Young (R), Senator Banks (R), Representative Stutzman (R-3), Representative Carson (D-7), and Representative Yakym (R-2).
If I lived in Indiana, I would send the following email to the staffers listed for my Senators—and my representative, if they were one of the three that represented a USCCB affiliate:
My name is [name] and I am a constituent of [member].
Last week, three of Indiana’s resettlement offices announced that they would be closing in October—drastically reducing Indiana’s ability to resettle those fleeing persecution.
Refugees comes to Indiana legally and by invitation, contribute more to Indiana’s economy than they cost to resettle, and are often military allies that have served alongside our troops.
I’d like to schedule a meeting with you—or the appropriate staffer—to discuss how we can preserve Indiana’s tradition of resettlement. Please let me know when you might be available for such a discussion.
At the meeting, I would share:
My personal connection to refugee resettlement in Indiana
Refugees contributions to Indiana’s security, economy, and local communities
How The GRACE Act would protect resettlement in Indiana
After the meeting, I would send follow-up emails thanking those staffers. I would update them once the USCCB offices officially close—noting whether or not they’ve become sponsors to The GRACE Act or taken other actions to support Indiana’s refugees.
The Long Game
We’ve written repeatedly about how The GRACE Act is a long-game—a ten-year plan for saving resettlement.
Building relationships takes time and we don’t have time to waste.
As resettlement agencies close, your members of Congress need to hear from you about The GRACE Act.
If they don’t, how will they know how to help?
Thanks for reading Save Resettlement.
Next Week, Iowa & Leveling Up Local Support.
In the meantime, we’d recommend taking a nap. We are all tired. Don’t forget to take care of yourself, too.
