On Wednesday, VFAI hosted Monsters to Destroy: a Multimedia Talk in Defense of Refugees. Comedian and filmmaker Ben Tumin shared his connection to refugee resettlement, using anecdotes about his grandfather, a German-Jewish refugee. Ben gave an informative and humorous performance, piecing together what he’s learned about himself, this country, and what questions remain for many Americans when it comes to refugees. If you’d like to bring Ben to perform in your community, contact us at [email protected].

In April 2016, VFAI members took action to try to help Samey Honaryar, an Afghan interpreter seeking asylum in the United States after fleeing the Taliban.

After languishing in jails in Alabama and Texas for almost three years, Samey has at last won his asylum case and is finally free. He can now begin building a new life in the United States. His victory is long overdue and should be celebrated, but as Samey now puts this ordeal behind him, we must work to keep the SIV program front and center in our minds. Moreover, we must fight to ensure that cases like Samey’s never happen in the first place.

Al Tuwaijari and his family arrived in America last year through the SIV program. He has broken bones in his spine from car bombings while he was working for the U.S. government in Iraq, and has been kidnapped, survived numerous bombings, and received countless death threats since. Now safe, he worries about the future and the country he left behind. International Rescue Committee Seattle director shares, “People don’t fully appreciate what exile means—doing something in the face of adversity, fleeing without the promise of ever going back home...This is about choosing to survive…Freedom isn’t free. They pay a lot for that.”

Nearly one hundred Iranians, most of which are Christian, are stranded in Austria. They still fear for the lives, and, making it worse, they’re running out of money and resources fast. In recent weeks, the United States denied their applications for refugee status, leaving them in limbo, separated from family and unable to return home. “It’s unexplainable,” said H. Avakian, 35, an ethnic Armenian Christian who arrived in Austria from Iran 15 months. “Suddenly they said, ‘Now you can’t come.’ We don’t know why.”

A new report shares how many U.S. organizations have developed practical and innovative ways to help refugees thrive, break down barriers, and boost their integration. It contends that the administration’s actions to limit support of such programs do not take into consideration the critical work being done at the local level to successfully receive refugees into communities around the country. These programs are effective and worth preserving.

On March 4, a group of classical musicians, most of whom are immigrants or refugees, will perform at the Spring Revolution Festival in New York. The musicians will play ten pieces, each written by someone who was a refugee at some point in their life. Featuring composers from Iran, Afghanistan, Israel, Russia, Syria, and Korea, the Refugee Orchestra Project aims to challenge stereotypes about who comes to the United States.