July 2026 Newsletter

Volunteers Needed!

We have a pressing need for help in three areas:

• Health insurance expertise to assist the Medical Support Committee in researching insurance, including Medicare/Medicaid, and provider resources for health maintenance and preventative care

• Bookkeeping experience to work with the Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer

• Manage furniture donations to help furnish apartments for refugees moving to the New York area from other parts of the U.S., including donor logistics, managing virtual inventory, and supporting deliveries by other volunteers

To volunteer, please contact info@neighborsforrefugees.org or complete our volunteer form in the “get involved” tab on our website.

Good News!

Three of our families have welcomed new babies, and several families have started new jobs, including:

• Environmental Services at Montefiore Einstein Hospital

• Jacob Javitz Center in NYC

• Certified Medical Assistant at Northwell Health

• Health Aide in a private home

• White Plains Hospital

• Dietary Services in a Westchester high school

• Nursing home - soon after passing Certified Nursing Assistant exam

• A Bronx-based nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to empowering people with disabilities

Two of our young people have begun or will begin college at:

• Westchester Community College courses toward an IT degree

• Baruch College in pre-med studies

On the Legal Defense Front

We have supported and completed initial risk assessments for 26 of our families, resulting in a range of plans and outcomes, including:

• Limited risk, stay diligent

• No travel to avoid risk of detention

• Five immigration, asylum, or ICE check-in meetings (in some cases we supported advance preparation of a habeas petition). So far, none of our families have been detained as a result of these meetings. We expect that all of our families will be subject to ICE check-in, Immigration Court, or Federal Court hearings - for which legal counsel, advance prep, and possibly habeas petitions will be required.

More Updates

Health Insurance Update

We continue to monitor how the ongoing disenfranchisement of refugees from subsidized health insurance is affecting families. So far, there has been less disruption than we expected. That said, many families may quickly find themselves on very thin ice. They are vulnerable to changes in employment; increases in health insurance premiums, deductibles, and co-pays; and personal health conditions.

The next shoe to drop will be the imposition of strict eligibility requirements for federally funded Medicaid and Medicare in October, which may impact our families.

Interfaith Council of New Americans Westchester (ICNAW)

Progress continues as we engage with ICNAW’s member congregations and integrate volunteers, financial support, and risk assessment for nine refugee families.

Job Search

A former physician in Afghanistan aims to leverage his extensive experience in a medical provider setting. His priority is to land a paying job, in the absence of which he will volunteer in a medical setting.  

Food Insecurity

We are providing $15,000 in Stop&Shop gift cards to refugee families in need, both our clients and those served through other agencies.

Advocating for Refugees

With reference to emails we sent earlier this week, please join us to:

• Protect Afghan allies’ right to work (comments must be filed by August 4, next week)

• Stop the asylum “no-interview” rule (comments must be filed by September 28)

• Support House passage of the bipartisan Afghanistan Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Act (H.R. 9899)

  
  

More Updates to Follow Soon!

Please be on the lookout for additional updates:

• Celebrating United Way’s grant to support our Legal Defense Fund

• Encouraging supporters to weigh in on the federal government’s proposed regulations to seriously curtail refugees’ continued access to Employment Authorization

• Our mid-year report on how we’ve invested your financial support to help Neighbors’ refugee families

Connect with Us

To stay connected with Neighbor for Refugees, please click here to visit our news page for the latest updates and follow us on social media. Thank you for helping us uplift those who need it most. Please share this newsletter with your family and friends.