Refugee Council USA (RCUSA) is a left-of-center nonprofit coalition of over 40 refugee and pro-immigration advocacy groups, including Global Refuge, Human Rights First, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief USA, National Partnership for New Americans, Refugees International, United Welcoming America, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. ¹

RCUSA supports partners in “equity-focused” policies to support refugees and argues that Trump administration actions to restrict immigration and reduce refugee resettlement is “conditioning the public to accept mass state violence as our democracy fades in the background.” ^{2 3}

History and Activities

Refugee Council USA was founded in 2000 and received tax-exempt status in 2021. ^{4 2}

Refugee Council USA is a refugee-advocacy organization comprised of a coalition of more than 40 U.S.-based nonprofit organizations. The purpose of the organization is to expand resettlement and asylum in the United States, to promote left-of-center “equity-focused” policies and programs focused on refugees, and to promote refugees as advocates and leaders. ^{5 2}

RCUSA focuses on helping members and partners conduct advocacy, communicate strategically, and coordinate programs. ⁶

The organization operates through working groups comprised of member organizations and RCUSA staff. There are seven working groups and committees at RCUSA: the Advocacy Committee, Anti-Racism, Climate Displacement, Gender Based Violence, the Communications Committee, the Resettlement Committee and the Sponsorship. These groups focus on perceived “anti-Blackness,” “inequity,” the impacts of climate change, and other left-of-center focus areas. ⁷

RCUSA also has a policy center focused on countering Trump administration restrictions on immigration as well as refugee and asylum fraud. The purpose of the policy center is to advocate for “inclusion” and defend refugee rights. As part of its policy center work, RCUSA publishes documents on what it argues are the harmful impacts of Trump administration immigration policies, which it argues condition “the public to accept mass state violence as our democracy fades in the background.” ^{8 3}

Additionally, RCUSA provides educational information to refugees, including a refugee arrivals dashboard, information on the resettlement process, and information on the asylum process. ⁹

RCUSA also promotes refugee leaders with the goal of helping refugee direction influence national and international policy. This includes hosting a US Refugee Advisory Board to help current and former refugees influence policymaking bodies as well as creating the refugee storytellers collective to promote positive stories of what refugees and asylum seekers contribute to society. ¹⁰

Leadership

The executive director of Refugee Council USA is John Slocum. Slocum is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and an associate senior researcher at CIDOB. He was previously a program director for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. ^{11 12}

Members of the Board of RCUSA include representatives from Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, Refugees International, the Refugee Assistance Project, Welcoming America, and the Harvard Kennedy School. ¹²

Members

Full members of the Refugee Council USA Coalition include Amnesty International, Center for Community Advancement, Center for Migration Studies, Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Climate Refugees, Church World Service, Every Campus A Refuge, Global Refuge, Human Rights First, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief USA, Jubilee Campaign, National Partnership for New Americans, Oxfam, Rainbow Railroad, Refugees International, United Stateless, Welcoming America, and World Relief. ¹

Other participating members include the International Catholic Migration Commission, Episcopal Migration Ministries, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. ¹

Financials

According to tax filings, in 2022 Refugee Council USA reported revenue of less than $50,000. ¹³

1. “Members. Refugee Council USA. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://rcusa.org/members/.
2. “About Us.” Refugee Council USA. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://rcusa.org/about/.
3. “Global and Nationwide Impacts.” Refugee Council USA. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://rcusa.org/policy-center/global-and-nationwide-impacts/.
4. “Refugee Council USA.” Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service. Letter of Determination dated June 29, 2022.
5. “Refugee Council Usa.” Refugee Council USA. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://rcusa.org/.
6. “Impact Areas.” Refugee Council USA. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://rcusa.org/impact-areas/
7. “Committees & Working Groups. Refugee Council USA. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://rcusa.org/working-groups-and-committees/.
8. “Policy Center.” Refugee Council USA. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://rcusa.org/policy-center/.
9. “Resources.” Refugee Council USA. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://rcusa.org/resources-all/?current-page=1.
10. “Constituent Leadership. Refugee Council USA. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://rcusa.org/impact-area/constituent-leadership/.
11. “Staff & Boad.” Refugee Council USA. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://rcusa.org/staff-and-board/.
12. “John Slocum.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jslocum101/details/experience/.
13. IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search results for EIN 87-1437940. Queries conducted April 11, 2025.