Refugee Congress is a left-of-center refugee advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. The organization was incorporated in 2017 after the creation of its Refugee Advisory Board and the establishment of its first board of directors. ¹ Refugee Congress is fiscally sponsored by the Church World Service (CWS), a faith-based organization that provides humanitarian aid and disaster relief for communities impacted by poverty, hunger, and displacement. ²

After then-President Joe Biden ordered the withdrawal of the U.S military personnel from Afghanistan in August 2021, Refugee Congress published a press release on August 17, 2021, calling for the Biden administration to develop a “clear plan to bring the remaining tens of thousands of Afghan allies and their families to safety.”  ³

Refugee Congress is a member of Refugee Council USA, a partner of the Refugee Advocacy Lab and Refugee Storytellers Collective, an advisory committee member of the Welcome with Dignity campaign, a founding partner of the U.S. Refugee Advisory Board, and a steering committee member of We Are All America. ⁴

Background

Refugee Congress is a left-of-center refugee advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. The organization claims to have been created and led by refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. ¹

The organization was unofficially established in 2011 after the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) invited refugee “delegates” for a convening regarding refugees and asylum seekers. ¹ UNHCR is a central United Nations refugee-relief agency that claims to be the chief protector and spokesman for the majority of the world’s refugees. ^{5 6}

Refugee Congress was officially incorporated in 2017 after the creation of its Refugee Advisory Board and the establishment of its first board of directors. The organization hired its first full-time executive director in 2019. ¹

Refugee Congress is fiscally sponsored by the Church World Service (CWS), a faith-based organization that provides humanitarian aid and disaster relief for communities impacted by poverty, hunger, and displacement. ²

In 2018, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) named CWS as one of several charitable nonprofit groups referred to as voluntary agencies (or “volags”) that had received federal grants from the U.S Department of State for the purpose of assisting refugees to resettle in the United States. ⁷

Activities

Afghanistan Withdrawal

After then-President Joe Biden ordered the withdrawal of the United States military from Afghanistan in August 2021, Refugee Congress published a press release on August 17, 2021, calling for the Biden administration to evacuate “Afghan allies” ³ and to develop a “clear plan to bring the remaining tens of thousands of Afghan allies and their families to safety.” ³ Refugee Congress’ board chair, Lourena Gboeah, added that “the U.S. must keep its promise to protect our Afghan allies and their loved ones by any means necessary.” ³

Coalitions and Partnerships

Refugee Congress is a member of Refugee Council USA, a left-of-center nonprofit coalition of over 40 refugee and pro-immigration advocacy groups. It supports partners in “equity-focused” policies to support refugees and claims that policies taken by the Trump administration are “conditioning the public to accept mass state violence as our democracy fades in the background.” ^{8 9 10}

Refugee Congress is also a partner of the Refugee Advocacy Lab and Refugee Storytellers Collective, an advisory committee member of the Welcome with Dignity campaign, a founding partner of the U.S. Refugee Advisory Board, and a steering committee member of We Are All America, also known as We Are All U.S., a pro- immigration campaign of the National Partnership for New Americans, which claims to be led by refugees. As of March 2024, the campaign has a presence in 25 states, particularly California, Tennessee, Florida, Maine, Minnesota, and Louisiana. ^{4 11}

Refugee Congress is also a coalition member of Evacuate Our Allies, a coalition of veteran groups, human rights organizations, religious groups, and refugee organizations advocating for the relocation and resettlement of at-risk Afghans after the United States military withdrawal in August 2021. ^{12 13}

Leadership

Nili Sarit Yossinger is Refugee Congress’s inaugural executive director. Prior to working at Refugee Congress, Yossinger was a research project manager at the Institute for the Study of International Migration, and the Senior Vice President’s Office for Research at Georgetown University. Yossinger also worked with the United Nations Refugee Agency in D.C., the Capital Area Food Bank, and activist group Human Rights First. ¹⁴

Funding

Refugee Congress received a grant of $200,000 from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation in 2023. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation created by Hilton Hotels founder Conrad N. Hilton. ¹⁵

1. “About — Refugee Congress.” Refugee Congress. Accessed April 22, 2025. https://refugeecongress.org/about-refugee-congress.
2. “About CWS.” Church World Service. Accessed April 22, 2025. https://cwsglobal.org/about/
3. Congress, Refugee. “Refugee Congress Calls on the Biden Administration to Act Swiftly on the Crisis in Afghanistan — Refugee Congress.” August 17, 2021. Accessed April 22, 2025. https://refugeecongress.org/news-updates/refugee-congress-calls-on-the-biden-administration-to-act-swiftly-on-the-crisis-in-afghanistan.
4. “Our Work — Refugee Congress.” Accessed April 22, 2025. https://refugeecongress.org/our-work.
5. “Where we work.” UNHCR US. Accessed April 22, 2025. https://www.unhcr.org/us/about-unhcr/where-we-work.
6. “UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.” UNHCR US. Accessed April 22, 2025. https://www.unhcr.org/.
7. Rush, Nayla. “’Private’ Refugee Resettlement Agencies Mostly Funded by the Government.” Center for Immigration Studies. August 10, 2018. Accessed April 22, 2025. https://cis.org/Rush/Private-Refugee-Resettlement-Agencies-Mostly-Funded-Government
8. ^[1] “Members.” Refugee Council USA. December 13, 2023. Accessed April 22, 2025. https://rcusa.org/members/.
9.  “About Us.” Refugee Council USA. December 13, 2023. Accessed April 22, 2025. https://rcusa.org/about/
10. “Global and Nationwide Impacts.” Refugee Council USA. March 4, 2025. Accessed April 22, 2025. https://rcusa.org/policy-center/global-and-nationwide-impacts/.
11. “Who we are.” We Are All America. Accessed April 22, 2025. https://weareallus.org/who-we-are/
12. “Home.” Accessed April 22, 2025. https://www.evacuateourallies.org/home.
13. “Evacuate Our Allies.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 22, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/company/evacuateourallies/
14. Conin, Nick. “Nili Sarit Yossinger — Refugee Congress.” March 4, 2021. Accessed April 22, 2025. https://refugeecongress.org/leadership-team-profiles/31bdhvxbo4z0uvmv1nj4vw7iyaf32t-a5esh.
15. “Refugee Congress.” Hilton Foundation. Accessed April 22, 2025. https://www.hiltonfoundation.org/grant/refugee-congress/.