Solidarity with Refugees during Trump's Second Term

This episode will feature an interview I conducted with my friend Hayley Rauzi on June 9, 2024. During the interview, Hayley talks about refugee policies in my home state of Iowa and in the United States in general. Hayley has worked for a number of refugee organizations in the state of Iowa including the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) and the Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center (EMBARC). Hayley and I discuss the challenges facing refugee organizations and the people they serve, how rising nationalism and xenophobia has effected refugee organizations, and how ordinary citizens can support refugee-friendly policies and refugee organizations. Hayley also debunks negative myths and stereotypes about refugees. I thought this was a timely subject with Donald Trump returning to the White House on January 20, 2025. During his first presidency, the Trump administration pushed anti-refugee policies including a travel ban that was particularly hostile to refugees from Muslim-majority countries. In fiscal year 2017, Trump lowered the refugee admissions ceiling from 110, 000 (set under President Barack Obama's administration) to 50,000. The Trump administration continued to decrease the maximum number of refugees allowed to be admitted into the country in the following years. It lowered the refugee admissions ceiling to 45,000 in 2018; 30,000 in 2019; and 18,000 in 2020. The Trump administration also used fear-mongering to inaccurately paint refugees from certain countries as terrorist threats. While it is understandable that people are focused on Trump's promise to support mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, we also shouldn't forget to be ready to oppose the future president if he tries to push anti-refugee policies that are similar to the ones he promoted during his first term in office.