Kabul, Afghanistan – The International Rescue Committee (IRC) condemns the senseless bombing of schools in Kabul, where scores have been injured and children are among those who have lost their lives. Vicki Aken, IRC Afghanistan Director, said, “The IRC is stunned and appalled at this needless act of violence that has shaken Kabul today. Our […]
International Rescue Committee
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Civilian deaths and injuries in Yemen in startling escalation as global leaders turn attention to other crises
New York, NY, 20th January 2021– The IRC highlights today appalling figures showing rising attacks on civilians in Yemen. Alongside the danger represented by the drone attack in Abu Dhabi, there is growing evidence that Yemen’s deadly war needs international attention now. Data from the Yemen Data Project reveals that in the two months following […]
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Protection Denied: New IRC report calls for immediate policy change at the US-Mexico border
New York, NY, January 18, 2022 – A new IRC report, released one year after President Biden’s inauguration, “Protection Denied: Humanitarian Consequences at the U.S. Southern Border One Year Into the Biden Administration,” calls for immediate policy change at the US-Mexico border. One year into the Biden administration, some of the most severe Trump-era policies […]
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IRC deeply disappointed re Biden decision on Trump-era refugee cap, calls for increased admissions goal
April 16, 2021, New York – The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds today to the signing of an Emergency Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions, which removes discriminatory admissions categories but maintains the historically low Fiscal Year 2021 admissions goal of 15,000 refugees set by the Trump Administration. This represents a disturbing and unjustified retreat from […]
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The Trump Administration set a new low number for refugee admissions at 15,000 for fiscal year 2021
New York, Oct 28, 2020 – The International Rescue Committee (IRC) today reacts to news that President Donald J. Trump set the refugee admissions goal at just 15,000 refugees for fiscal year 2021, a new all-time low number for the third year in a row and a further abdication of American global leadership in the […]
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COVID-19 escalating in ICE detention centers as states hit highest daily records
New York, NY, August 3, 2020 — As Coronavirus cases continue to surge across the United States, the International Rescue Committee raises the alarm on the public health risk posed by ongoing ICE detention of tens of thousands of people in the United States being held in unsanitary conditions – amidst suspect and potentially “superspreading” levels […]
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Olga Byrne: Indefinite Suspension of the US Border Will Worsen Public Health Crisis
New York, 20 May 2020 – The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the U.S. Administration’s announcement today that they have extended the border closures indefinitely, under the pretext of mitigating the novel coronavirus, deeming seeking asylum “nonessential travel.” Olga Byrne, the Director of U.S. Immigration for the International Rescue Committee, said: Fleeing for one’s life […]
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IRC: Trump’s planned EO to halt immigration to the U.S ‘yet another heartbreaking and demoralizing development’
New York, April 21, 2020 – The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds today to President Donald Trump’s planned Executive Order to halt immigration to America. Immigrants are making huge contributions to America’s response to the novel coronavirus, and historically, to America’s economy. There are growing gaps in the transportation and logistics industry where immigrants already […]
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David Miliband visits US-Mexico border
New York, NY, March 9, 2020 — David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, said: “In Dallas, Texas and Juarez, Mexico I met IRC staff and clients and witnessed first-hand the humanitarian crisis that continues to ripple through politics both north and south of the US-Mexico border. It is time to say […]
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Travel Ban expansion could tear families apart
New York, NY, January 31, 2020 — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds today to reports of the Trump Administration’s policy decision to expand the Travel Ban. The IRC fears this new expansion of the ban will block family members from reuniting with their loved ones in the United States. “The Travel Ban – in all its forms […]
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Injured civilians attacked while being rushed to hospital for life saving care in IRC ambulance
January 16, 2020, Juba, South Sudan — After fighting broke out between two opposing groups in Panyijar County, South Sudan, an IRC ambulance carrying civilians severely injured in the fighting was attacked. While all IRC staff are safe civilians were killed and injured in the fighting that broke out on Tuesday evening. Martin Omukuba, South […]
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IRC reacts to start of Turkish military operations in northeast Syria – concerned for welfare of millions of civilians
October 10, 2019 – As the Turkish offensive in northeast Syria begins, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is deeply concerned about the lives and livelihoods of the two million civilians at risk – many of whom have already survived ISIS brutality and multiple displacements. A military offensive could displace 300,000 people and sever life-saving humanitarian […]
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IRC: Trump decision to reduce refugee admissions to 18,000 represents a failure of American leadership
New York, September 26, 2019 — Today, through the Presidential Determination on refugees, the Trump Administration confirmed it is proposing an annual admissions ceiling for refugees at 18,000 for fiscal year 2020. This represents another drastic reduction in the United States’ refugee admissions goal, which on average has exceeded 95,000 since 1980. David Miliband, President […]
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IRC: 26 Million Refugees Missing from Sustainable Development Goals
New York, NY, September 23, 2019 – A new report from the International Rescue Committee indicates that the world’s refugee population is absent from the Sustainable Development Goals, despite having increased more than 20% since the SDGs were adopted in 2015. The report also reveals that: Less than one-third of country SDG progress reports mention refugees […]
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IRC: US Administration’s proposed abrogation of Flores Settlement threatens safety of children
New York, August 21, 2019 – The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds today to the United States’ proposed departure from the Flores Settlement, a landmark 1997 agreement which established minimum standards for the care, custody, and release of all children in immigration detention. The Flores Settlement Agreement was reached following over a decade of litigation brought by children […]
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As bombs are dropped in Aden, Yemen the IRC urges all parties to consider the humanitarian consequences of their actions
August 11, 2019, Aden, Yemen — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is alarmed by confirmed reports of Saudi-led airstrikes in Aden. After days of intense fighting in the city, the United Arab Emirates backed Southern Transitional Council was able to take control of the city. But reports this morning that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia […]
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New Report: Refugee Women Could Generate up to $1.4 Trillion to Annual Global GDP
New York, NY, July 25, 2019 — In accessing paid, decent work, refugee women face restrictive labor market laws, increased threat of violence, discrimination, as well as regulatory and administrative barriers. According to a new analysis conducted by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS), in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), […]
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Shipwreck off the coast of Libya has claimed the lives of 150 people
Tunis, July 25, 2019 — A shipwreck off the coast of Libya has claimed the lives of 150 refugees and migrants, the most recent incident in a line of tragedies in the Mediterranean Sea. This is a stark reminder of the humanitarian crisis emerging out of the country, and of the urgent need for search and […]
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Trump Administration slashes resettlement of religious minorities
Washington D.C., July 15, 2019 – The U.S. Department of State will host the second annual Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom this week in Washington, D.C., where leaders from government, civil society, and religious groups around the world will convene to discuss the state of religious freedom today, and concrete ways to preserve these freedoms in the […]
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IRC: Trump Administration’s Latest Asylum Policy Likely Unconstitutional, Certainly Inhumane
NEW YORK, May 30, 2019 – The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds today to reports of a new Trump Administration policy denying asylum to anyone transiting through a third country on their way to safety in the U.S. “Once again, the administration is seeking to slam the door on vulnerable people, in likely contravention of […]