Reimagining Refugee Resettlement: The Impacts of Private Sponsorship in the US

• In Event: Local Immigrant Organizations, Community Sponsorship, and City Level Policies

Abstract

Refugee resettlement and protection has faced numerous challenges around the world in recent years. The gap between the number of refugees in need of protection and those who are able to access a durable, permanent solution has continued to widen, reaching record highs. In 2020, 1.44 million refugees were identified by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as in need of resettlement, however only 39,500 were referred to UNHCR resettlement countries, and of those, only 22,800 refugees traveled from their initial country of asylum to a safe third country. The disparity between the number of refugees resettled and those in need of resettlement has prompted the UNHCR, United Nation member states, and international nongovernmental organizations to consider alternative and complementary pathways to safely relocate refugee populations.

In the United States, contemporary challenges of humanitarian immigration have been met with the reimagination of immigration policy and programs. In September 2021, an emergency sponsorship program – The Sponsor Circle Program – was launched to enable groups of community members to directly sponsor and support displaced Afghans through Operation Allies Welcome. Building off the Sponsor Circle Program, the Biden Administration launched a national private sponsorship program – Welcome Corps – in January 2023. The goal of this new resettlement scheme is to expand refugee resettlement capacity and strengthen the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. This paper assesses the impact of this new program on refugees’ integration outcomes six months after resettlement. Using data from the Welcome Corps Program, the paper analyzes how sponsor’s relationships and networks impact short-term integration outcomes for refugees.

Author

• Aubrey Leigh Grant, George Mason University