June 18, 2024- Joint Letter from Secretary Cardona and Secretary Blinken regarding World Refugee Day

June 18, 2024

Dear Colleague:

On behalf of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, we express our deep appreciation for how colleges and universities have stepped up in recent years to support displaced and refugee students, scholars, and families, including those from Afghanistan, Ukraine, and other countries. As we look toward World Refugee Day on June 20, 2024, we celebrate the work of colleges and universities in welcoming refugees as we honor those who have been forced to flee their homes, to celebrate their strength and resilience, and to build support for their economic and social inclusion in their new home countries. In recognition of the impactful role that colleges and universities can continue to play in supporting arriving refugees, we write now to encourage you and your institution to consider further actions to grow and strengthen our capacity to welcome and integrate refugees into their new communities across the United States at this critical moment.

During this time of historic global displacement due to political violence, climate change, and economic insecurity, the United States has pledged to increase global refugee resettlement opportunities, with an ambitious target of resettling refugees in the United States in Fiscal Year 2024. The increased involvement of institutions of higher education in our resettlement efforts has spotlighted the meaningful impact of participating institutions as messengers of welcome and beacons of hope and opportunity. By directly engaging in resettlement work, institutions of higher education can also provide additional opportunities for cross-cultural exchange and enable their campus communities to learn from the lived experiences of community members who have been directly impacted by global displacement.

Our nation’s colleges and universities are robust ecosystems with significant potential to support refugee resettlement, especially when working in collaboration with resettlement agencies and local partners. During Operation Allies Welcome, institutions opened their campuses to welcome and resettle Afghan newcomers in an unprecedented show of support. Now, we are calling upon you and your campuses to explore how you can take action to support our newest refugees at a moment when such support is urgently needed.

Below are actions we encourage you to consider taking, along with resources and networks that are available to you:

• Expand access to resettlement and education by enrolling refugee students through the new Welcome Corps on Campus program. This program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, provides both higher education and U.S. resettlement opportunities to refugee students. Contact campus@welcomecorps.org or visit welcomecorps.org/campus for more information.
• Leverage underutilized facilities on your campus and in your community, if available, to provide temporary shelter or short-term housing for refugees. Campuses can welcome individuals and families by becoming an Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR) chapter, in which campuses can receive a grant to support housing refugee families for a limited time and offer co-curricular opportunities for students. Campuses can also support and host larger cohorts. For instance, the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont, has opened seven residence halls, classrooms, and other facilities to successfully welcome, house, and educate over 300 newly arrived refugees in southern Vermont since 2022.
• Create service learning, volunteer, and internship opportunities for your students to support refugee resettlement while achieving key educational goals and expanding their global and community awareness and commitment to public service. Resources to support these efforts may be available through the AmeriCorps program and the Federal Work-Study program.
• Explore other opportunities to provide support. Contact the Department of State-funded, Supporting Higher Education in Refugee Resettlement (SHERR) initiative consortium to learn more about different identifying pathways of engagement on refugee resettlement and potential opportunities to secure funding that will work best for your campus and potential opportunities to secure funding to support this work. Reach out to sherr@worldlearning.org or visit the Refugee Resource Hub for more information.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Education also has resources to support postsecondary students experiencing homelessness that may be available to support refugee students and their families. All students should be encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to access additional federal aid benefits.

Your institution is a pillar in your community, supporting innovation, training, local economic development, and social mobility. By supporting refugee resettlement, your institution can advance its core educational goals and strategic plans, including service learning, co-curricular opportunities, cross-cultural exchange, and community engagement. We are grateful for your willingness to respond to this national call, meet the challenge of global displacement, and build on our country’s legacy as a nation of welcome.
To learn more about how your institution can get involved in refugee resettlement, please consider attending SHERR’s webinar on campus engagement on September 18, 2024.