Washington
Update
April 2003
New House Caucus Seeks to Ensure Refugees Aren't Forgotten
By Lynette Engelhardt Stott, LIRS
Director for Government Relations
Working to ensure that the plight of refugees
is not lost in the post-September 11 climate, a bipartisan group
of U.S. Representatives is poised to announce the creation of
a congressional Refugee Caucus at a Capitol Hill event in April.
The Bipartisan Congressional Refugee Caucus
will be co-chaired by Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL-18), Chris
Smith (R-NJ-4), John Conyers (D-MI-14), and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-16).
These co-chairs serve on key House committees with jurisdiction
over the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Reps. Ros-Lehtinen
and Smith both serve on the International Relations Committee,
with Rep. Smith as vice-chair. Reps. Conyers and Lofgren both
serve on the House Judiciary Committee, with Rep. Conyers as
the ranking Democrat.
LIRS is excited about the potential for a
caucus—an informal group of members of Congress who share
an interest in the same policy issues—focused on refugees.
The Refugee Caucus will provide members of Congress an opportunity
to learn more about refugees and also to advocate on their behalf.
As reported previously in FYI, the need for congressional leadership
on the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program is great. As of the end
of February, only 6,749 refugees had been resettled in the United
States in fiscal year 2003.
The four co-chairs sent a “Dear
Colleague” letter to all House members March 13, inviting
them to join the caucus. The letter said, “We believe
that the Bipartisan Congressional Refugee Caucus can serve as
an excellent vehicle for us to express our support for refugee
protection to the Administration, inform our colleagues in Congress
about issues of importance to refugees, and educate the general
public about both the plight that refugees face and the urgent
need for the United States to provide assistance to them.”
The caucus intends to host a number of activities
including briefings for members of Congress and their staff,
press conferences, and meetings with experts on refugee matters.
We urge readers to contact your representatives
immediately and ask them if they have joined the Bipartisan
Congressional Refugee Caucus. Thank representatives who have
already joined the caucus. Urge those who have not yet joined
to become founding members and work to increase the number of
refugees being resettled in the United States. To join the caucus,
representatives should contact Frederick Ratliff in Ros-Lehtinen’s
office or Kristin Wells with the House Judiciary Minority Counsel.
A
sample letter is available for your convenience, as well
as a
list of caucus members. To find your representative's contact
information, enter your ZIP code in the light blue box at the
top of the right hand column on this page.
As always, contact me at 202/626-7934 or lstott@lirs.org
with any questions.
Read
past Washington Updates.
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