U.S. Communities Want to Welcome Refugees

On March 20, 2025, more than 300 bipartisan state and local elected leaders nationwide sent a letter to the Trump administration calling for the immediate restart of the U.S. refugee resettlement program, affirming that their communities want to welcome refugees.

On its first day in office, the Trump administration suspended the U.S. refugee resettlement program. Part of its rationale for doing so was an unfounded claim that refugees place a burden on local communities. 

In the letter, elected leaders across the country set the record straight. Our refugee neighbors and the U.S. refugee resettlement program enriches communities and strengthens local economies.

– – – TEXT OF LETTER – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Honorable Secretary Marco Rubio
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

The Honorable Secretary Kristi Noem
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
3801 Nebraska Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016

Dear Secretary Rubio and Secretary Noem:

As elected leaders of our communities at all levels of state and local government, we write today to express our strong support for welcoming refugees. We are deeply alarmed by the Administration’s indefinite suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), a program that has provided a lifeline for people seeking safety, strengthening the social and economic fabric of communities nationwide. For these reasons and more, bipartisan leaders have supported USRAP over these last 45 years. The executive order suspending USRAP misrepresents the concerns of state and local elected leaders, marks an abrupt departure from our American values of welcoming people seeking safety, and impairs our economic growth.

Upon taking office, Secretary Rubio said: “Every dollar we spend, every program we fund and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?”

Our resounding response is: Yes, refugee resettlement makes America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

The U.S. resettlement program is not only critical to global humanitarian efforts, but also a successful and efficient model of public/private partnerships for refugee resettlement around the world. Private sponsorship, a way for local communities to participate directly in resettlement, has inspired thousands of everyday Americans and many employers to raise their hands to personally welcome refugees. In addition, accepting refugees creates goodwill among partner nations, advancing our foreign policy, diplomatic, and national security interests, and as we saw with the Special Immigrant Visa programs, provides a safe pathway for people who supported our troops.

The U.S. resettlement program enjoys broad support among American voters. Refugees undergo significant health and security vetting before entering the United States: They are subject to lengthy and extensive screenings, including in-person interviews, medical screenings, biometric data checks, and multiple interagency background checks.

Locally, we have seen firsthand how refugees enrich our communities – strengthening our economies and civic institutions. As our local employers struggle with labor shortages and declining populations nationwide, humanitarian pathways like refugee resettlement are a boost to our economies. In 2022 alone, refugees paid $36.1 billion in total taxes and held $83 billion in spending power. According to a recent Health and Human Services report, refugees and asylees contributed a $124 billion net positive fiscal impact to our economy. Our communities have benefited directly from their contributions: refugees establish businesses, fill critical gaps in the labor force in healthcare, manufacturing, STEM, and other key industries. Refugees strengthen our cultural and social fabric, ensuring our states – and country – remain economically and socially vibrant.

Republicans and Democrats alike – from Springfield, Ohio to Charleroi, Pennsylvania – welcome our newcomer neighbors who contribute to and enrich our cities and towns across this great nation. As state and local elected leaders, we understand that your suspension of refugee admissions is rooted in a concern for our communities’ wellbeing. We are here to tell you that the U.S. refugee resettlement program unequivocally makes our communities stronger.

As you consider the future of this program in the coming weeks, we urge you to draw upon our nation’s best values, our local economic interests, and restore the refugee resettlement program.

Sincerely,

Carlos Alemán, Council Member, Homewood, Alabama
Elvi Gray-Jackson, State Senator, Alaska
Jesse Kiehl, State Senator, Alaska
Fern Benally, Supervisor, Navajo County, Arizona
Chuck Bongiovanni, Councilmember, Gilbert, Arizona
Lydia Hernandez, State Representative, Arizona
Lauren Kuby, State Senator, Arizona
Sarah Liguori, State Representative, Arizona
Nicole Clowney, State Representative, Arkansas
Nikki Perez, Mayor, Burbank, California
Rosa Thomas, Vice Mayor, Corte Madera, California
Jackie Fielder, Supervisor, City and County of San Francisco, California
Jessie Lopez, Councilmember, Santa Ana, California
Dawn Ortiz-Legg, Supervisor, San Luis Obispo County, California
Deborah Penrose, Councilmember, Half Moon Bay, California
Matt Ball, State Senator, Colorado
Susan Berumen, Commissioner, Gilpin County, Colorado
Isabel Cruz, Council Member, Lakewood, Colorado
Paloma Delgadillo, Council Member, Broomfield, Colorado
Nancy Henjum, Councilmember, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Heidi Henkel, Council Member, Broomfield, Colorado
Cathy Kipp, State Senator, Colorado
Jean Lim, Council Member, Broomfield, Colorado
Kenny Nguyen, Council Member, Broomfield, Colorado
Mike Weismann, State Senator, Colorado
Justin Elicker, Mayor, New Haven, Connecticut
Maria Horn, State Representative, Connecticut
Anne Hughes, State Representative, Connecticut
Eleni Kavros DeGraw, State Representative, Connecticut
Mary Mushinsky, State Representative, Connecticut
Nora Niedzielski-Eichner, Council Member, Norwalk, Connecticut
Matt Riisa, First Selectman, Norfolk, Connecticut
Travis Simms, Jr., State Representative, Connecticut
Laurie Sweet, State Representative, Connecticut
Steven Winter, State Representative, Connecticut
Brianne K. Nadeau, Councilmember, Washington, DC
Eric Morrison, State Representative, Delaware
Madinah Wilson-Anton, State Representative, Delaware
Anna Eskamini, State Representative, Florida
Angie Nixon, State Representative, Florida
Beverly Burks, Mayor, Clarkston, Georgia
Patricia Garrett, Mayor, Decatur, Georgia
Joseph Geierman, Mayor, Doraville, Georgia
Craig Newton, Mayor, Norcross, Georgia
Yterenickia Bell, Council Member, Clarkston, Georgia
James Carroll, Council Member, Clarkston, Georgia
Karla Drenner, State Representative, Georgia
Nabilah Islam Parkes, State Senator, Georgia
Kim Jackson, State Senator, Georgia
Sheila Jones, State Representative, Georgia
Marvin Lim, State Representative, Georgia
Matt Myers, Councilmember, Norcross, Georgia
Mary Margaret Oliver, State Representative, Georgia
Mark Perkins, Council Member, Clarkston, Georgia
Gabriel Sanchez, State Representative, Georgia
Anne Allen Westbrook, State Representative, Georgia
Della Belatti, State Representative, Hawaii
Stanley Chang, State Senator, Hawaii
Luke Evslin, State Representative, Hawaii
Jeanne Kapela, State Representative, Hawaii
Amy Perruso, State Representative, Hawaii
Lauren McLean, Mayor, Boise, Idaho
Spencer Cutler, Council Member, Twin Falls, Idaho
Jimmy Hallyburton, Council Member, Boise, Idaho
Chris Mathias, State Representative, Idaho
Melissa Wintrow, State Senator (Minority Leader), Idaho
Sangeetha Rayapati, Mayor, Moline, Illinois
Marc Ayers, County Board Member, Sangamon County, Illinois
Gail Eisenberg, Supervisor, New Trier Township, Illinois
Laura Fine, State Senator, Illinois
Maura Hirschauer, State Representative, Illinois
Joshua Hughes, Alderman, Litchfield, Illinois
Daniel La Spata, Alderman, Chicago, Illinois
William Rose, Alderman, Rockford, Illinois
Kai Swanson, County Board, Rock Island County, Illinois
Kerry Thomson, Mayor, Bloomington, Indiana
John L. Bartlett, State Representative, Indiana
Jesse Brown, City-County Councilor, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana
Monica Casanova, Trustee, Fairfield Township, Indiana
Elizabeth Lamping, Common Councilor, Beech Grove, Indiana
Andy Nielsen, City-County Councilor, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana
Isabel Piedmont-Smith, Councilmember (Vice President), Bloomington, Indiana
Nick Roberts, City-County Councilor, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana
Samantha Stratton, Clerk-Treasurer, Beech Grove, Indiana
Shelli Yoder, State Senator (Minority Caucus Leader), Indiana
Sydney Zulich, Councilmember, Bloomington, Indiana
Chris Hoffman, Mayor, North Liberty, Iowa
Mazahir Salih, Mayor Pro Tem and Council Member, Iowa City, Iowa
Jon Brantner, Council Member, Shenandoah, Iowa
Charles Michael Knudson, Council Member, Coralville, Iowa
Joshua Moe, Council Member, Iowa City, Iowa
Jo Ella Hoye, State Representative (Minority Whip), Kansas
Pat Pettey, State Senator, Kansas
Alexis Simmons, State Representative, Kansas
Mary Ware, State Senator, Kansas
Matthew Wells, Commissioner, Kansas
JP Lyninger, Metro Councilmember, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
Josie Raymond, Metro Councilmember, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
David Morse, Mayor, Westbrook, Maine
Mana Abdi, State Representative, Maine
Pious Ali, Councilor, Portland, Maine
Deqa Dhalac, State Representative, Maine
Gary Friedmann, State Representative, Maine
Rafael Macias, State Representative, Maine
Marc Malon, State Representative, Maine
Brian McCambridge, Council Member, Westbrook, Maine
Jennifer Munro, Council Member, Westbrook, Maine
Laurie Osher, State Representative, Maine
Wes Pelletier, Councilor, Portland, Maine
David Rollins, State Representative, Maine
Denise Tepler, State Senator, Maine
Sophie Warren, State Representative, Maine
Natalie West, Council Member, South Portland, Maine
Sam Zager, State Representative, Maine
Wala Blegay, County Council Member, Prince George’s County, Maryland
Eric Olson, County Council Member, Prince George’s County, Maryland
Lisa Rodvien, County Councilmember, Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Zac Bears, Council Member (President), Medford, Massachusetts
Jamie Eldridge, State Senator, Massachusetts
Rachel Gordon, Council Member, Greenfield, Massachusetts
Vanna Howard, State Representative, Massachusetts
Robert Logan, Councillor, Waltham, Massachusetts
Nicole McClain, Council Member, Lynn, Massachusetts
Steven Owens, State Representative, Massachusetts
Lindsay Sabadosa, State Representative, Massachusetts
Maria Scibelli Greenberg, Councilor, Newton, Massachusetts
Christopher Taylor, Mayor, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Noah Arbit, State Representative, Michigan
Erin Byrnes, State Representative, Michigan
Mary Cavanagh, State Senator, Michigan
Stephanie Chang, State Senator, Michigan
Emily Dievendorf, State Representative, Michigan
Carol Glanville, State Representative, Michigan
Andy LaBarre, Commissioner, Washtenaw County, Michigan
Laurie Pohutsky, State Representative, Michigan
Katie Scott, Commissioner, Washtenaw County, Michigan
Christina Trigg, Commissioner, Benzie County, Michigan
Irene Fernando, Commissioner, Hennepin County, Minnesota
Rachel James, Councilmember, Columbia Heights, Minnesota
Rob Kupec, State Senator, Minnesota
Liz Lee, State Representative, Minnesota
Elliott Payne, Council Member (President), Minneapolis, Minnesota
Dwayne Voegeli, Commissioner, Winona County, Minnesota
Hillman Frazier, State Senator, Mississippi
Elizabeth Fuchs, State Representative, Missouri
Megan Green, Alderwoman (President), City of St. Louis, Missouri
Kip Kendrick, Presiding Commissioner, Boone County, Missouri
Anne Schwietzer, Alderwoman, St. Louis, Missouri
Bill Cole, Mayor, Billings, Montana
Connie Keogh, State Representative, Montana
Michelle Mize, Council Member, Laurel, Montana
Andrea Olsen, State Senator, Montana
Thomas Duden, Council Member, Lincoln, Nebraska
Megan Hunt, State Senator, Nebraska
Sandra Washington, Council Member (Chair), Lincoln, Nebraska
Christa Yoakum, Commissioner, Lancaster County, Nebraska
Howard Watts, Assemblymember, Nevada
Susan Almy, State Representative, New Hampshire
Peter Bixby, State Representative, New Hampshire
Suraj Budathoki, State Representative, New Hampshire
Eric Hoffman, Councilor, Laconia, New Hampshire
Heath Howard, State Representative, New Hampshire
Allison Knab, State Representative, New Hampshire
Jessica LaMontagne, State Representative, New Hampshire
Dan LeClerc, State Representative, New Hampshire
Russell Muirhead, State Representative, New Hampshire
Terri O’Rorke, State Representative, New Hampshire
David Paige, State Representative, New Hampshire
Loren Selig, State Representative, New Hampshire
Dale Swanson, State Representative, New Hampshire
Rob Lewandowski, Borough Commissioner, Collingswood, New Jersey
Morgan Robinson, Borough Commissioner, Collingswood, New Jersey
Raúl Torrez, Attorney General, New Mexico
Tim Keller, Mayor, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Alan Webber, Mayor, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Tammy Fiebelkorn, City Councilor, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Adam Johnson, Commissioner, Santa Fe County, New Mexico
Robert Cantelmo, Mayor, Ithaca, New York
Paul Feiner, Town Supervisor, Greenburgh, New York
Rachel Barnhart, County Legislator, Monroe County, New York
Mo Brown, County Legislator, Onondaga County, New York
Tiffany Cabán, Council Member, Queens, New York
Jeffrey Elder, County Legislator, Niagara County, New York
Patricia Fahy, State Senator, New York
Ginnie Farrell, Councilmember (Majority Leader), Albany, New York
Andrew Gounardes, State Senator, New York
James Granville, Councilmember, Aurora, New York
Manna Jo Greene, County Legislator, Ulster County, New York
Mitch Gruber, Councilmember, Rochester, New York
Limina Grace Harmon, County Legislator, Ulster County, New York
Susan Hughes-Smith, County Legislator, Monroe County, New York
Liz Krueger, State Senator, New York
Stanley Martin, Councilmember, Rochester, New York
Marcela Mitaynes, Assemblymember, New York
Steven Raga, Assemblymember, New York
Phil Ramos, Assemblymember, New York
William Reinhardt, County Legislator, Albany County, New York
Gustavo Rivera, State Senator, New York
Linda Rosenthal, Assemblymember, New York
Thomas Schnurr, Town Board Member, Bethlehem, New York
MaryJane Smisky, Assemblymember, New York
Phara Souffrant Forrest, Assemblymember, New York
Claire Valdez, Assemblymember, New York
Eric Ager, State Representative, North Carolina
Mary Belk, State Representative, North Carolina
Natalie Beyer, Board of Education, Durham, North Carolina
Kanika Brown, State Representative, North Carolina
Jessica Carda-Auten, School Board Member (Vice Chair), Durham, North Carolina
Maria Cervania, State Representative, North Carolina
Tracy Clark, State Representative, North Carolina
Jane Harrison, Council Member, Raleigh, North Carolina
Pricey Harrison, State Representative, North Carolina
Wendy Jacobs, Commissioner, Durham County, North Carolina
Julie Mayfield, State Senator, North Carolina
Mujtaba Mohammed, State Senator, North Carolina
Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, Commissioner, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Caleb Theodros, State Senator, North Carolina
Julie von Haefen, State Representative, North Carolina
Tim Mathern, State Senator, North Dakota
Georgine Welo, Mayor, South Euclid, Ohio
Crystal Lett, State Representative, Ohio
Linda F.R. Omobien, Council Member, Akron, Ohio
Casey Weinstein, State Senator, Ohio
Mary Boren, State Senator, Oklahoma
Farrah Chaichi, State Representative, Oregon
Lisa Fragala, State Representative, Oregon
Zach Hudson, State Representative, Oregon
Daniel Nguyễn, State Representative, Oregon
Ed Gainey, Mayor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Brenda Landis, Borough Councilor and Deputy Mayor, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Mayme Baumann, Supervisor, Uwchlan Township, Pennsylvania
Kendra Brooks, Councilmember (Minority Leader), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Amanda M. Cappelletti, State Senator, Pennsylvania
Carolyn Comitta, State Senator, Pennsylvania
Jamie Gauthier, Councilmember, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
John Hellmann, Supervisor (Vice-Chair), West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania
Joseph Hohenstein, State Representative, Pennsylvania
Gilda Kramer, Commissioner, Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
Jim Lee, Commissioner, Springfield Township, Pennsylvania
Martin Miller, Commissioner, West Norriton Township, Pennsylvania
Nicolas O’Rourke, Councilmember (Minority Whip), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Susanna Ratsavong, Commissioner, Springfield Township, Pennsylvania
Nikil Saval, State Senator, Pennsylvania
Pamela Thompson, Supervisor, Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania
Lindsey Williams, State Senator, Pennsylvania
Jayne Young, Borough Councilperson, Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
Jennifer Boylan, State Representative, Rhode Island
Dawn Euer, State Senator, Rhode Island
Leonela Felix, State Representative, Rhode Island
Rebecca Kislak, State Representative, Rhode Island
David Morales, State Representative, Rhode Island
Teresa Tanzi, State Representative, Rhode Island
Meghan Smith, Council Member, Spartanburg, South Carolina
Jamie Smith, State Senator (Assistant Minority Leader), South Dakota
Aftyn Behn, State Representative, Tennessee
John Ray Clemmons, State Representative, Tennessee
Jeff Preptit, Metro Council Member, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee
Zulfat Suara, Metro Council Member, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee
Terry Vo, Metro Council Member, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee
Jené Butler, Council Member and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem, Murphy, Texas
Iliana Holguin, Commissioner, El Paso County, Texas
Erin Mendenhall, Mayor, Salt Lake City, Utah
Gay Lynn Bennion, State Representative, Utah
Nate Blouin, State Senator, Utah
Sharla Bynum, Council Member, South Salt Lake City, Utah
Jennifer Dailey-Provost, State Representative (Minority Whip), Utah
Luz Escamilla, State Senator (Minority Leader), Utah
Karen Kwan, State Senator, Utah
Dannielle Larkin, Council Member, St. George, Utah
Ernesto Lopez, Council Member, Logan, Utah
Verona Mauga, State Representative, Utah
Hoang Nguyen, State Representative, Utah
Jen Plumb, State Senator (Assistant Minority Whip), Utah
Alejandro Puy, Council Member, Salt Lake City, Utah
Kathleen Riebe, State Senator (Minority Whip), Utah
Angela Romero, State Representative (Minority Leader), Utah
Carol Spackman Moss, State Representative, Utah
Andrew Stoddard, State Representative, Utah
Raymond Ward, State Representative, Utah
Angela Arsenault, State Representative, Vermont
Conor Casey, State Representative, Vermont
Ela Chapin, State Representative, Vermont
Will Greer, State Representative, Vermont
Troy Headrick, State Representative, Vermont
Bram Kleppner, State Representative, Vermont
Chloe Tomlinson, State Representative, Vermont
Tanya Vyhovsky, State Senator, Vermont
David Yacovone, State Representative, Vermont
Dany Fleming, Vice Mayor, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Nasser Alsaadun, Council Member, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Jennifer B. Boysko, State Senator, Virginia
Matt de Ferranti, County Board Member (Vice-Chair), Arlington County, Virginia
Barbara Favola, State Senator, Virginia
William D. Miracle, Council Member, Bridgewater, Virginia
Sam Rasoul, Delegate, Virginia
Saddam Azlan Salim, State Senator, Virginia
Vivian Watts, Delegate, Virginia
John Boyd, Councilmember, Kent, Washington
Clark Gilman, Councilmember and Mayor Pro-Tem, Olympia, Washington
Marli Larimer, Councilmember, Kent, Washington
Teresa Mosqueda, County Councilmember, King County, Washington
Jamie Pedersen, State Senator, Washington
Shaun Scott, State Representative, Washington
Janet St. Clair, Commissioner, Island County, Washington
Robert Vanderpool, Councilmember, Olympia, Washington
Emmett Pepper, Council Member, Charleston, West Virginia
Chelsea Steelhammer, Council Member, Charleston, West Virginia
Tia Rumbaugh, Council Member, Huntington, West Virginia
John S. Ellington, Alderperson, Baraboo, Wisconsin
Larry Mboga, Council Member, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Vincent Miresse, State Representative, Wisconsin
DJ Nichols, Council Member, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Mark Spreitzer, State Senator, Wisconsin
Matt Veldran, Supervisor, Dane County, Wisconsin
Michal Verveer, Common Council Alder, Madison, Wisconsin
Beverly Leichtnam, Councilmember, Sheridan, Wyoming