This month’s shared offering is the Refugee Center, who UJCUC supported for more than 35 years when they occupied our building. Over the years, the Refuge Center, formerly known as the East Central Illinois Refugee Mutual Assistance Center (ECIRMAC), expanded its services from helping resettle Vietnamese refugees to providing assistance to ALL immigrants; political asylees; and refugees, regardless of country of origin.
Now, they have been called upon to resettle refugees from Afghanistan. The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan that occurred after the U.S. withdrew its troops has caused hundreds of thousands of Afghans to flee their country. They are at risk of being targeted for their work or association with coalition forces (including the U.S.) and Afghanistan’s former government.
The Refugee Center already has helped 11 men and two families, including the family of nine hosted by UUCUC’s Immigration Justice Task Force (IJTF) last month. While the federal government is providing financial assistance for resettlement, it is not enough to meet all needs. Plus, the Refugee Center has been to increase the number of Afghans they agreed to resettle from 30 to 65, taxing both financial resources and staff.
By participating in this month’s shared offering, you can help provide much-needed financial support for Afghans at-risk — at a time when it is most needed. Watch the E-News for other ways to support newly-arriving Afghan families, as the IJTF continues to partner with the Refugee Center. This will include advocacy for the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would give Afghans permanent resident status; helping to identify both temporary and permanent housing; donating household items for their use; and potentially sponsoring an Afghan family.
