Good afternoon and welcome to the Lab Brief.

Before sharing what the Lab and our partners have been working on, we want to express our solidarity with members of our community who are grieving recent events globally and here at home. Your work toward a more inclusive world gives us hope in this time of darkness. 

Lab Highlights

#LetAsylumSeekersWork Campaign

The Refugee Advocacy Lab and Refugees International joined the Asylum Seekers Advocacy Project, AILA, and 40+ local and national organizations on October 19th to launch the #LetAsylumSeekersWork campaign. This campaign brings together business leaders, faith leaders, local elected officials, people seeking asylum, and community leaders across the country to urge members of Congress to pass the bipartisan House Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act (ASWAA), which would bolster the workforce by allowing people who have pending asylum applications in the United States to access work permits sooner. Two weeks after the campaign launch, we’ve seen more than 450 people take action, reaching members of Congress from TK states and Washington, DC. 

Our Community of Supporters

RESOURCES

Improving Mental Health Access

As a follow up to the mental health policy guide that IRAP, CVT and the Lab released in May, we published To Improve Mental Health Access, Remove Unnecessary Licensing Barriers for Internationally Trained Newcomers, specifically focused on barriers to mental health licensing. The blog outlines various legislative efforts and policy initiatives across the country that help improve access to the profession for behavioral health professionals trained outside of the United States. 

EVENTS

What It Means To Welcome: Refugee Perspectives

In celebration of Welcoming Week 2023, members of the Refugee Storytellers Collective hosted “What It Means To Welcome: Refugee Perspectives.” During this webinar, Pierre Uwimana, Isabel Kayembe,  Khalil A. Arab, and Bahati Kanyamanza shared reflections from their experiences finding belonging in their new communities and provided advice to everyday Americans on welcoming newcomers.

State Spotlight

To highlight the work of hundreds state and local elected officials across the country who are champions of inclusion, the Lab uplifts a different initiative in each edition of The Lab Brief.

MAINE

Maine State Representative Amy Roeder championed a bill during the 2023 legislative session that would expand in-state tuition access to asylum seekers, asylees, and refugees at public colleges and universities. This bill will be reintroduced next session as Representative Roeder knows that:

“Providing better access to higher education is one way my state can help asylees and refugees.”

Are you an elected official working at the state and local level to promote the inclusion of displaced people in your community? Share your work with us to be featured in The Lab Brief! Email info@refugeeadvocacylab.org.

Stay in Touch

Thanks for reading!

Are you interested in state advocacy or Lab resources? Reach out.

The Refugee Advocacy Lab partners with varying groups on different activities, and as such, partnership with the Lab does not necessarily imply a partner’s support for any specific activity or policy. Similarly, the Lab does not necessarily support or endorse specific activities or positions of partner organizations.

 

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