But there was also a lot of movement on policies related to refugee resettlement and immigration.

In his first 100 days in office, President Biden made considerable progress as far as implementing changes to legal immigration policies and reducing barriers to access. Still, there’s always plenty more to be done, as summarized in this piece from the American Immigration Council.

The Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act was also passed after a rise in hate crimes and anti-Asian violence during the pandemic. This bill marks a notable denouncement of anti-Asian racism and makes some inroads to gathering better information about hate crimes in general.

The International Olympic Committee announced that 29 refugee athletes will be competing in this summer’s games in Tokyo, the second time a Refugee Team has participated in the Olympics. 

And finally, at the forefront of our minds these days, President Biden raised the annual refugee admissions cap from 15,000 to 62,500 at the beginning of May.

So as we gear up to resettle a lot more refugees this summer, we look forward to all the changes to come and being a safe harbor for all!

Join agencies across the state as we celebrate and honor refugees around the world!

World Refugee Day was held globally for the first time on June 20, 2001, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees—the United Nations treaty that essentially defined who a refugee is. Now each year June 20 is a day dedicated to honoring refugees and an “occasion to build empathy and understanding and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives,” as explained on the UNHCR World Refugee Day site.

Resettlement agencies and service providers across the state have big plans for June 20 and are seizing the opportunity to embrace this year’s theme: Together we heal, learn and shine. Below is a snapshot of events happening in Missouri.

For a more complete list of events, click the button below.

AGENCY SPOTLIGHT: Evolving with the pandemic

As the pandemic continues to evolve, agencies across the state have adapted to meet the needs of their communities, hosting vaccine information events and vaccine clinics.

Despite the ever-present pandemic, service providers have continued to support their clients in myriad ways. For instance, JVS’ Youth Mentoring program collaborated with one of their participants to find a bike to help them get to and from soccer practice, and they’re celebrating four graduating seniors.

So we’re happy to report there’s plenty of good things in the mix, and we’ll continue to showcase the excellent work of resettlement agencies and service providers across the state.

RESOURCES: Read, Watch, Explore

OPPORTUNITIES: Get involved

Resettlement agencies and service providers across the state are building capacity in anticipation of an increase in refugee arrivals. So keep checking the agencies’ job sites for plenty of opportunities to come! 

on what you may have missed in our previous newsletters here.