Talking Points for Refugee Resettlement Advocacy

Please remember that advocating and lobbying are two different activities, and as a 501c3, we cannot ask for money from anyone in government.

Samaritas strongly believes we need to uphold America’s legacy of welcoming refugees. For more than 75 years we have been serving refugee children and families, and we will continue to do so as long as there is a need.

Refugee Resettlement is a lifeline that the US provides for the most vulnerable refugees at a time of unprecedented global crisis:

The majority of refugees are hosted in developing countries; resettlement is a relatively modest – yet lifesaving – way for America to demonstrate its support for people fleeing persecution and the countries hosting them.
Welcoming refugees sets a positive example for other countries to follow, helping to ensure pro-refugee policies in countries hosting the majority of refugees, thereby discouraging premature and unsafe return that only further cycles of violence, instability, and displacement.

Refugees strengthen the economy. While the primary purpose of refugee resettlement is humanitarian, it also has positive economic effects.

Legal international immigration was the sole reason Michigan grew in population since 2020 – by 164,465 residents – and in 2024 accounted for the largest one-year gain in the last century, reaching a historic high of 10.1 million. [Detroit News]
Refugees have contributed more than $63 billion into the U.S. economy, and provide a $300M positive benefit to the SE Michigan economy.
Refugees contribute more in taxes over the course of their first 20 years in the US than they receive in benefits.
Refugees are reliable and enthusiastic employees: they have a 7-15% lower turnover rate than the overall workforce in key industries. Turnover rates are as low as 4 percent among refugees in the manufacturing industry.
Refugees are also job creators, with entrepreneurship rates nearly 30% higher than among the US-born population.
With support from Samaritas, 86 percent of refugee families become self-sufficient within 8 months of their arrival.

Welcoming refugees is who we are as Americans.

Resettlement is a bipartisan tradition: Democratic and Republican presidents have, on average, committed to welcoming 95,000 refugees annually.
America has always welcomed people from around the world who yearn for the chance to rebuild their lives in safety, freedom, and dignity.
Welcoming refugees sends a powerful signal to the world about America’s values of tolerance and acceptance.
In the 40 plus years since the Refugee Admissions Program was established, the U.S. has welcomed more than 3 million refugees from around the world.

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www.samaritas.org/refugee-crisis