Commentary: People see the US becoming isolationist. But I see Americans wanting to help refugees

Carissa Zaffiro, Chicago Tribune on Jan 20, 2025

Published in Op Eds

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Just before Christmas, a family arrived at the airport exhausted from a multiday trip from Pakistan to Cincinnati, Ohio. They faced hundreds of unknowns and as many fears. What would they find in this new country? Would their children be safe? Would they be alone?

Their fears were eased as they were greeted with a decorated “Welcome” sign bearing their names. The American couple holding it showed them a message translated into Dari and helped them through baggage claim and to a nearby hotel for the night.

At least one question was answered. They wouldn’t be alone here.

Many are worried about a rise in American isolationism, division and anti-immigrant sentiment. We heard about community division over newcomers and a conflation and villainization of various immigrant populations on the campaign trail last fall. However, as someone who works in the refugee resettlement sector, I see Americans coming together every day to welcome newcomers.

Refugees are people who are forced to flee their homes and are unable to return because of war and persecution. There are currently more than 43.7 million refugees worldwide. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, these individuals spend an average of 17 years waiting for resettlement. Fewer than 1% of refugees have the chance to resettle annually.

In January 2023, the U.S. government launched the Welcome Corps program, allowing everyday Americans to sponsor refugees for the first time in more than 40 years. In just 18 months, more than 100,000 Americans stepped up to sponsor individuals fleeing war and persecution. Together, sponsors from all 50 states have committed to supporting the legal resettlement of thousands of refugee newcomers.

The couple welcoming the Pakistani family are from a small church near Cincinnati. The church leans politically conservative. But when they learned about the opportunity to welcome individuals fleeing violence and persecution, their Christian values led them to respond. After submitting an application, they were matched with the young Afghan couple and their two little girls who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban destroyed their home.

The church members spent hours thoughtfully preparing a new home for the family — pulling up old flooring and constructing new cabinets, painting the girls’ bedroom pink, and hosting a “pantry party” to fill their house with halal groceries and culturally familiar foods. These hours of labor were spent for newcomers whom church members didn’t yet know. They only knew they deserved the opportunity to rebuild their lives safely, simply because they are human.

Another man fled his home in Eritrea when his life was in danger, leaving his wife and child behind. He was resettled to the U.S. alone two years ago. He saw his daughter take her first steps over WhatsApp video and longs for the day they will be reunited as a family. When he learned about the Welcome Corps, friends and strangers from the Chicago suburbs rallied to apply on his family’s behalf. For the first time in years, he has real hope of holding his daughter again.

Thousands of individuals from every demographic are stepping up to welcome newcomers they don’t yet know and reunite families who were separated by violence. These sponsors understand that this act of welcome can change the lives of refugees and their own.

I have the privilege of working with sponsors from every demographic. Some are veterans of the Army wanting to give back to people like those they worked alongside on tours. Many are second- or third-generation immigrants paying forward the welcome their parents received. Others are young professionals, retired teachers, Republicans and Democrats, and religious and nonreligious people who are experienced in cross-cultural communication and jumping in for the first time.

No matter where sponsors come from, they all have the same hope — to help someone in need of welcome and belonging. This is a core American value that lives on strongly in our nation. And it’s a value that welcoming newcomers only strengthens. We are a nation that takes in the vulnerable and gives hope for a new future. Our local communities and economies benefit, diversify and grow when we welcome refugees.

In the new presidential administration, the Welcome Corps program and refugee resettlement will be called into question. This poses a threat to thousands of refugees who will remain in vulnerable positions waiting for resettlement overseas. Additionally, thousands of Americans might be deprived of the right to welcome newcomers to their communities if the Welcome Corps program is discontinued.

As a nation, we must understand who refugees are and recommit to giving sanctuary to those fleeing persecution. Together, we can remain a nation that extends welcome and belonging in our communities, giving hope to the vulnerable around the world.

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Carissa Zaffiro works at a Chicagoland nonprofit where she mobilizes the Christian community to welcome and befriend refugees.

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