PRESS STATEMENT

ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE

JANUARY 19, 2024

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Welcome Corps, the private sponsorship program within the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.  In its first year, the Welcome Corps mobilized more than 15,000 Americans to welcome more than 7,000 refugees from around the world to our country.  These refugees are now beginning to settle into communities across the United States, with nearly 100 arriving since we first welcomed privately sponsored refugees on World Refugee Day in June.

From the neighbors in San Diego who came together to help a refugee family from East Africa settle in to their new community, to former refugees in Texas who wanted to give others the same opportunities they had after fleeing persecution in Sudan, the Welcome Corps is transforming the way refugees are resettled. The launch of the Welcome Corps on Campus in July 2023 has positioned U.S. colleges and universities to play a leading role in resettling refugee students, and the forthcoming Welcome Corps at Work program will match skilled refugees with U.S. employers across dynamic industries such as hospitality, healthcare, and technology.

In its second year, the Welcome Corps will continue to harness the spirit and generosity of the American people, inviting sponsors to answer the call to welcome refugees and change lives, including their own. The Welcome Corps is furthering the American tradition of being good neighbors, guides and friends to newcomers joining our communities, and we look forward to its ongoing success.

To learn more about the Welcome Corps, to sign up for updates, or to find information about becoming a sponsor, please visit WelcomeCorps.org.