Center for Refugee Policy

What We Do

HIAS’ Center for Refugee Policy is dedicated to producing knowledge and generating new ideas to inform and educate policymakers and other stakeholders on issues related to the advancement of refugee rights across the globe.

Focused on practical responses to gaps in refugee rights and protection, the Center publishes research and policy analysis, generates new policy-relevant ideas, and brings new voices to the public conversation.

Publications

Mar 14, 2024

Forgotten Crises: Displacement in Latin America

Mar 14, 2024

Fact Sheet Forgotten Crises LAC Region. In Latin America, millions of people experience displacement — including many from Venezuela. This fact sheet considers the impact of this displacement and details HIAS' response to the crisis.

Fact Sheet Forgotten Crises LAC Region.

Mar 14, 2024

Forgotten Crises: Displacement from Sudan to Eastern Chad

Mar 14, 2024

Forgotten Crises: Displacement from Sudan to Eastern Chad Since April 2023, conflict in Sudan has killed tens of thousands and caused almost 2 million more to flee elsewhere for safety. This fact sheet examines the humanitarian impact of Sudan's violence on neighboring Chad and details HIAS' response to the crisis.

Forgotten Crises: Displacement from Sudan to Eastern Chad

Dec 13, 2023

Localization: Why Language Matters

Dec 13, 2023

Localization: Why Language Matters Localization means empowering local populations — responders, program participants, and the surrounding impacted communities — to lead and deliver humanitarian aid. This explainer provides an overview of the concept of localization, its importance, and how HIAS sees localization as one of its priorities.

Localization: Why Language Matters

Oct 19, 2023

Private Sponsorship Programs for Refugees and the Road Ahead for Welcome Corps

Oct 19, 2023

Thumbnail for the explainer At the beginning of 2023, the Biden administration launched Welcome Corps, the first private sponsorship program for refugee resettlement that the United States has implemented since the 1990s. This explainer provides an overview of private sponsorship, how it is different from traditional resettlement and other programs, and the road ahead for Welcome Corps.

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Oct 6, 2023

Welcome Circles in Europe for People Fleeing Ukraine

Oct 6, 2023

Thumbnail image for the report In response to mass displacement from Ukraine, HIAS Europe launched the Welcome Circles program in May 2022 to enable the community-based reception and integration of people displaced from Ukraine in 12 countries across Europe. This fact sheet evaluates the program’s successes, challenges, and opportunities for growth based on feedback from Welcome Circles beneficiaries, volunteers, and coordinators.

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Jul 5, 2023

The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program

Jul 5, 2023

Thumbnail for an explainer titled This explainer provides an overview of how the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) admits, resettles, and integrates refugees in the United States, and the role refugee resettlement agencies like HIAS play in this program.

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May 17, 2023

New Migration Management Policies in the Aftermath of Title 42

May 17, 2023

New Migration Management Policies in the Aftermath of Title 42 This policy brief analyzes new U.S. migration management policies, their pros and cons, and the implications and legal precedent they will set for asylum, complementary pathways, and border management for the United States and other countries.

New Migration Management Policies in the Aftermath of Title 42

Apr 11, 2023

Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Ukraine

Apr 11, 2023

Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Ukraine Ukraine has, for many years, been both a transit and destination country for people fleeing persecution and violence in other parts of the world. In 2021, approximately 5,000 asylum seekers and refugees were seeking refuge in Ukraine or were in transit to the EU. While heterogeneous, they share common vulnerabilities.

Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Ukraine

Who We Are

Guillermo Cantor
Senior Director

 

Sijuwade Falade
Policy Analyst

 

Melissa Katsoris
Editorial Manager

Melissa Crow
Director of Litigation, Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, UC Law San Francisco

 

Daniel Fainstein
Dean and Professor of Jewish Studies, Universidad Hebraica, Mexico City

 

Elizabeth Ferris
Director, Institute for the Study of International Migration, Georgetown University

 

David Fitzgerald
Professor, Gildred Chair in U.S.-Mexican Relations, University of California, San Diego

 

Judith Freidenberg
Researcher, Instituto de Desarrollo Económico y Social, Buenos Aires
Professor Emerita, University of Maryland, College Park

 

Rose Jaji
Senior Researcher, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Bonn

 

James Loeffler
Professor and Jay Berkowitz Chair in Jewish History, University of Virginia

 

Drocella Mugorewera
The Diversity Trust Builder and Founder of Diversity in Action Global Movement
Member of Board of Directors for the Refugee Congress and Honorary Delegate from Tennessee

 

Matthieu Tardis
Co-Director, Synergies Migrations, Paris

 

Julia Zelvenska
Head of Legal Support and Litigation, European Council on Refugees and Exiles, Brussels

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