As the nation prepares to usher in a new presidential administration, refugee advocates are facing anxiety over what the President-elect Donald Trump’s resettlement policy might mean for their work in the coming years. NPR reports that while the refugee resettlement program has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support and has been a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy, that may all change under the incoming administration.

"When it comes to resettlement, the president has all the authority," explains Human Rights First’s Jennifer Quigley. "Our big concern is that it could be none at all, or it could be that there is a discrimination against Arabs or Muslims or Somalis," she adds, referencing the President-elect’s statements throughout the prior year-and-a-half on the campaign trail. International Refugee Assistance Project director Becca Heller joins her, saying that this rhetoric has certainly had an impact. "Trump has been successful in politicizing refugee admissions in a way that they have not been politicized before."

Cornell immigration law professor Stephen Yale-Loehr shares a similar frustration, telling NPR that "If people throw up their arms, politicians included, and say, 'We don't know anything about this refugee program, we don't know who these people are, we don't know if they've been vetted,' well, the information is out there. It's out of ignorance that people say those things." Loehr’s is right: myths and misinformation surround the resettlement process. Human Rights First’s Joe Jenkins takes a closer look at three of those myths and dispels them here.

Also on NPR, Human Rights First’s National Security Outreach Director and Vets for American Ideals founder Scott Cooper helps share the story of Mohammed, a Syrian refugee, and his 17-year-old daughter Lulu.

Deb Amos of All Things Considered asks Cooper if advocating for refugees is a tough sell given of the ongoing threat of terrorism. “Those that wear the uniform care a great deal about our national security,” he responds. “Putting a face to that helps people understand a bit more who these people are and that they are not in fact a threat and that they are thoroughly vetted and screened.” Be sure to watch Amos’s breakdown of that vetting system here.

On Veterans Day, VFAI leaders from across the country spoke up in this video to call for unity and a return to our nation’s fundamental values. They remind the nation that America respects the rights of all citizens, regardless of race, creed, or gender, and that it must continue its commitment to fighting for the downtrodden in this world, including refugees. “Our ideals about liberty and justice make us a beacon to the world,” they say. “Our united, unwavering commitment to these ideals keeps us free. We are one nation, indivisible.”

Finally, we are sharing this inspiring and important piece penned by VFAI’s Kelsey Campbell in the Huffington Post and this one our own blog by VFAI leader Jess Bell. Campbell, a U.S. Air Force veteran and constitutional law student in San Francisco, writes that the divisiveness of the past year has weighed heavily on her. “I was trained and given the tools to track and locate insurgents, but solving an increasingly divisive and acrimonious American public is proving to be more vexing,” she writes.

“Though we are no longer in uniform, a sizeable number of us veterans feel a duty to continue our service at home. Because we were fortunate to have experienced what makes America truly great, we want to ensure that Americans here at home renew a commitment to the ideals enshrined by our founders,” she adds.

In her piece, Jess Bell, a U.S. Marine veteran, writes about her experience volunteering to support a local refugee family. “We are a nation of rich ethnic, cultural, racial, and religious diversity. We are a nation that welcomes ‘the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free.’ We are a nation that cares for our neighbors,” she writes. “Those are the ideals that called me to put on the uniform, and that I teach my daughters through my own continued service.”

Have reactions to share, or want to learn how you can be involved in our efforts to raise veteran voices in support of refugees? Find us on Facebook or Twitter, or contact us at vfai@humanrightsfirst.