In April 2023 a war broke out in Sudan between the national army and the rapid support forces militia. Its impact has been devastating on many levels, with thousands killed in addition to large destruction to buildings and infrastructure. But the severe consequences were in forcibly displacing about 11.8 million people, according to a recently published number.
To address this crisis, the U.S. has been working on many solutions. One is Welcome Corps, a refugee immigration program launched by the U.S. State Department in 2023, helping many Sudanese refugee families to come to the U.S. and live legally. The second is the Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which gives Sudanese already in the U.S. the right to live and work for a certain period. These programs could be stopped in January as part of Donald Trump’s immigration policies, leaving many Sudanese refugees stranded, and facing an unknown future.
Sudanese refugees, who fled to neighboring countries, were lucky to escape death but they are living in harsh and unbearable conditions. For instance, in Chad refugee camps are overcrowded and running out of aid. In Ethiopia, refugees are at risk as they are under fire in the fight between the government and militias. Even worse, In Egypt, refugees are mistreated by security forces, detained, and deported back to Sudan.
Thankfully, in March of this year, the U.S. started taking practical steps to handle this crisis when Julieta Valls Noyes, the Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees, and Migration, announced more than $47-million in humanitarian assistance to support refugees in Sudan and countries that host them. In June 2024, Samantha Power, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, announced a plan to provide more than $315 million in additional humanitarian assistance through USAID and the U.S. Department of State. This was followed by another $200 million pledge by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Moreover, the Department of Homeland Security extended the temporary protected status and the employment authorization for sudanese.
There are however more steps that if taken will have a considerable impact on Sudanese refugees.
There should be no justifiable security concerns about shutting down the Welcome Corps program, considering its strong admission criteria where applicants undergo strict security and background vetting. The program also ensures that refugees, when arriving, will have a smooth onboarding and can handle the difficulties of integration into society. Moreover, the Welcome Corps program presently requires Sudanese to be registered as refugees on or before September 30, 2023. Still, given that most Sudanese could not leave the country in the first months of the war, this condition is practically hard to fulfill. Removing this barrier will therefore significantly impact many who are now excluded from this opportunity.
Considering the ongoing war in Sudan, the next U.S. administration should extend the Temporary Protected Status, which will end in April 2025, for Sudanese who are inside the U.S. This move will relieve them from any fear of being sent back home, where they will lack basic access to life and security needs. Ideally, those TPS holders should be provided with a path to citizenship, as immigration justice groups are demanding.
In June 2024, a group of Democrat U.S. Congress members, co-led by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA), sent a letter to President Biden requesting to open a humanitarian path for Sudanese to come to the U.S. This proposal, if approved, will help fundamentally solve the problems of many stranded refugees and set a clear path for them.
Most importantly, the Trump Administration shouldn’t include Sudanese in any list of banned countries that prohibit them from entering the U.S. even if they are coming legally. This issue should be looked at from purely humanitarian grounds and not part of any political deal as was the case in 2017.
These immigration programs are critical and should continue to exist to provide a haven and a new home for helpless Sudanese refugees. By making this decision, the U.S. will show its commitment to supporting refugees around the world, and that it upholds its values as a nation built on immigrants and fostering and growing because of them.
