The results of the 2024 US presidential election are consistent with Donald Trump as the next president of the United States, his term beginning on January 20, 2025. At the International Rescue Committee (IRC), we call on the Trump administration to continue America’s traditions of humanitarian leadership and care for the most vulnerable.

The IRC strongly encourages elected officials to work with civil society groups to strengthen protections and asylum systems. Maintaining the dignity and rights of displaced persons is vital, especially as we reaffirm America’s longstanding bipartisan commitment to support refugees and asylum seekers.

IRC is committed to putting our customers first and providing essential services whenever and wherever they are needed, regardless of the challenges that arise. Currently, almost 300 million people around the world need humanitarian assistance and protection. This includes millions of people who have been forced to flee due to conflict or disaster, including the plague 120 million people displaced and 50 million currently outside their home countries.

Nine-year-old Ashley* waits for her mother, Maria, to serve food at an IRC-supported shelter in Juárez, Mexico. After being forced to leave their home in Honduras due to extortion by gangs, the mother and daughter traveled for months to seek asylum in the US before being turned away at the southern border under Title 42.

Photo: Paul Ratje for IRC

How you can help refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants

Supporting refugees and asylum seekers is not just an act of charity, it is a life-saving opportunity that expands our humanity. These individuals are more than distressed figures; they are parents, children and neighbors seeking the same stability and peace we all value. By understanding their plight and responding with compassion, we can extend a lifeline that encourages hope and resilience.

We hope you recognize that your contributions to refugee and displaced families serve as a significant force for good.

Here’s how you can help:

Donate to trusted organizations

Financial contributions are essential to trusted organizations like the IRC that provide essential services such as healthcare, education and emergency relief. The IRC plays a critical role in assisting people affected by humanitarian crises, including refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants, helping them to survive, recover and rebuild their lives.

Your donation can help refugees and asylum seekers become self-sufficient.

Advocate for policy change

Policy changes at local, national and international levels can have a profound impact on the lives of displaced people. Support refugee-friendly policies by contacting elected officials, raising awareness on social media, and joining advocacy groups to amplify the call for change.

With more than 120 million displaced worldwide, the US must remain steadfast in its bipartisan commitment to receive and maintain resettlement infrastructure.

Take action with IRC.

Yuliia and her family were relocated by the IRC after being forced to leave their home in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Yuliia is working to continue her dental practice in the US and is currently practicing as a registered dental assistant.

Photo: Ariana Drehsler for IRC

Offer your time and skills

Volunteers and interns are vital to the IRC’s mission to provide high-quality comprehensive immigration services to refugees and immigrants. In the US, IRC offices offer a diverse range of volunteer and internship opportunities throughout the year, including English as a Second Language (ESL) support and civics classes.

Learn more about volunteering and internship opportunities.

Educate yourself and others

The legal right to request asylum in the US it is a human right and a critical lifeline for those fleeing persecution or violence. However, the policies implemented by Trump and Biden administrations over the past eight years have created significant barriers to access to this legal right. Deterrence policies such as Title 42 and the “Ban Asylum”not only did they violate US and international law, but they also pushed people into dangerous situations with more 13,000 documented cases of violence against those deported to Mexico under Title 42.

Resettlement of refugees provides a safe and lasting solution for people forced to flee due to war, persecution and disasters. The US has been a global leader in this effort, recognizing over 3.2 million refugees beginning with the Refugee Act of 1980, with support from both Democratic and Republican leaders. This initiative has saved countless lives and significantly boosted the US economy by contributing a net positive impact of $124 billion from 2005 to 2019.

Understanding the complexities of displacement is key to meaningful advocacy. Visit us US electoral center to learn how incoming officials can shape the nation’s direction on these key issues.

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Regardless of who is in office, the commitment to support refugees and asylum seekers is a shared human responsibility. By donating, supporting, volunteering, educating and supporting economic empowerment, each of us can contribute to a more compassionate and inclusive world.

How does the IRC support refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants?

With 29 offices across the United States, we provide critical support to newly arrived refugees through immediate relief, integration services and employment assistance. In addition to helping resettle refugees, we provide support to asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border by providing emergency shelter, legal assistance and access to healthcare.

In 2023 alone, IRC has successfully resettled more than 12,500 people and assisted nearly 50,000 people through our US asylum and cross-border programs, providing humanitarian reception, case management and related services.

IRC remains steadfast in our work – no matter the challenge – to put our customers first and serve them there and when they need us most.

*Last name omitted for privacy