Contact Information:
Louisa Tavlas
Director of Communication
571-527-6403
ltavlas@niskanencenter.org
The Niskanen Center

Washington D.C. – April 26, 2016. Today, the Niskanen Center released a new paper describing the U.S. private sector’s strong tradition in supporting refugee resettlement. The paper, “Private Refugee Resettlement in U.S. History,” provides a detailed history of the successful resettlement of refugees using private funds, and calls for the urgent reinstatement of a private refugee program in the wake of the current global refugee crisis.

“The United States has demonstrated great generosity toward refugees throughout its history, with the private sector playing the leading role,” said David Bier, Niskanen Center’s director of immigration reform. “The history should inspire the federal government to create the opportunity for Americans to sponsor or fund the resettlement of refugees fleeing violence and persecution abroad.”

The concept of private refugee sponsorship has been endorsed by nine U.S.-based Syrian, Arab, and Muslim American organizations last year in a letter to the president coordinated by the Niskanen Center. “Since we launched this project, Americans from all walks of life have contacted us to describe their desire to sponsor refugees,” Mr. Bier said. “It’s time that we unleashed American philanthropy to save many more lives.”

The full paper can be accessed here. It builds on a Niskanen Center report released last month that details how a privately funded refugee program could work in the United States.

The Niskanen Center is a libertarian 501(c)(3) advocacy organization established in 2014 that works to change public policy through direct engagement in the policymaking process.

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