There was breaking news just as we were about to send you this newsletter. The Trump administration published in the Federal Register its intent to set the refugee ceiling at 7,500 for fiscal year 2026. So, while the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is not as tightly shut as it was, it has only barely been reopened.

This number is the lowest in U.S. history and is a precipitous drop from previous years. To give you some context, this cap is a fraction of the last all-time low set by this president during his first administration, which was 11,814 people. The ceiling set by President Biden in the last year of his administration was 125,000 people. During the Bush and Obama administrations, that number was in the 70,000 to 80,000 person range.   

Aside from dashing the hopes of tens of thousands who would otherwise be worthy of entry but for this president's whims, there is real economic damage that will likely result from this anemic number. Research from the last time the president drastically reduced entrance for refugees and asylum seekers from 2017 to 2020 resulted in a disastrous impact on the U.S. economy to the tune of $9 billion.

It is also important to mention that over 100,000 thoroughly vetted people who were ready to come to America, some of whom were actually in transit and denied entry, remain in limbo as litigation continues over the legality of the administration's power to shut things down summarily.

What will happen next? Who can tell? I have stopped trying to anticipate actions from Washington, D.C. these days.

If you are concerned about this drastic reduction in refugee admissions, I urge you to contact your political representatives. 

Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, 
Executive Director

If you have been paying attention to the news, you know that changes are coming to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the federal program that prevents tens of millions of people from going hungry. Similarly, the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), which helps low-income families with their energy needs, is in similar jeopardy.

The budget impasse, which has shut down the federal government for over three weeks, will likely delay SNAP and HEAP benefits for low-income people. Many recently arrived refugees, asylees, and other foreign-born individuals who are legally in the country fall into this category.

If you or people you know need food, Erie County and 211 Western New York have set up a hotline to help you find it. Text FINDFRESH to 898211 to receive information on help and food near you.

For those who have concerns about heat as temperatures drop, here is a link with information.

Having access to non-partisan data is the best way to get a clear understanding of the issues surrounding refugee resettlement, the value of having foreign-born people live in America, or even enforcement actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

You can start by going to our Know the Value or Dispelling the Myths pages on our website. You can also find valuable information at The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a data gathering, data research, and data distribution organization founded in 1989 at Syracuse University.

TRAC’s mission is to “provide the American people — and institutions of oversight such as Congress, news organizations, public interest groups, businesses, scholars, and lawyers — with comprehensive information about staffing, spending, and enforcement activities of the federal government.”

Thanks to Thom Tran, Matt Kirshen, and Corinna Yee for headlining the event with a nod to comedian Tom Irwin for making a surprise appearance to help the cause. Thanks also to our sponsors, the attendees, the IIB team, our board, the team at Buffalo Toronto Public Media (BTPM), and our vendors for making it a great night to remember. Click here if you missed the event but want to see more!

To celebrate the heritage/history months of the groups that make up the American tapestry, we recognize the scientific, economic, cultural, political, and social contributions of influential immigrants and refugees from the groups who have made notable contributions. October was very busy!

Mother Cabrini, canonized Catholic sister and the patron saint of immigrants

Ilio DiPaolo, Buffalo restaurateur and professional wrestler

Dr. Francesco Giacobbe, esteemed medical doctor and co-founder of the Centro Culturale Italiano di Buffalo

Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini, Nobel Prize-winning neurobiologist

Dr. Henryk Arctowski, world-renowned Polish American scientist

Dr. Israel Rabi, Polish American Nobel Prize-winning scientist

Marcella Sembrich, Polish American opera soprano and educator

Billy Wilder, Polish American filmmaker

During Hispanic Heritage Month, which goes from September 15 through October 15, here is who we featured: 

Tom Araya, Chilean American metal vocalist and bassist

Desi Arnez, Cuban American actor and musician

Jaime Escalante, Bolivian American educator

Ana Navarro, Nicaraguan American political strategist and commentator

This month, we joined the chorus of people welcoming 35 New Americans from 22 countries while they took their citizenship oaths at the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services Naturalization Ceremony in downtown Buffalo. Here are the countries from which these new citizens traveled: Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Burma, Canada, China, Congo, Dominican Republic, Germany, India, Iraq, Kosovo, Malaysia, Poland, Somalia, Sudan, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vietnam, and Yemen.

Outstanding people help IIB make Western New York a better place for, and because of, immigrants and refugees. Every month, we take time to acknowledge the contributions of some. Here is the latest spotlight on the people who make IIB great.

We were out in the community, sharing our mission and promoting our Refugees of Comedy 2025 event. Here is Executive Director Jennifer Rizzo-Choi’s interview on BTPM and her interview with Penny Wolfgang on On Target. She and comedian Thom Tran also got to be on WKBW TV with Michael Wooten.

One of the other TV stations covering the event was WGRZ TV. Here is their coverage of the event.

We are excited to have students from Buffalo State University’s Psychology Department join New Americans for our Conversation Club and Employment Buddies activities! These students are using the opportunity to volunteer with us as part of a service-learning course, which will give them insight into the diverse backgrounds of our New American neighbors. Their participation gives our clients consistent, friendly faces to meet with to further develop their language skills and continue their job search.

We are always looking for volunteers to help us in various capacities so if you're interested in volunteering at IIB, please let us know.

The Employment Services team recently offered a successful career fair in collaboration with the Buffalo Public Schools Adult Education Division at the Northwest Community Center.

Employers attending the fair included Buffalo Lodging, ECMC, Buffalo Public Schools, and the New York State Department. Many of our clients expressed enthusiasm about the job opportunities available and engaged directly with these organizations. The Employment Team continues to support clients in applying to these positions and in maintaining strong partnerships with local employers.

Organizing and participating in events like this is a key part of our mission, allowing us to connect with Buffalo’s diverse communities, share our services, and showcase the work we are doing across the city.

Additionally, our two-week Job Club sessions will continue, providing clients with job readiness training and guidance to advance their careers.

Get more information, if you are foreign-born and seeking employment or no someone who is, we are happy to assist and are currently welcoming walk-in clients.

We have seen a few new arrival families from Afghanistan and are happy to help them adjust to their new homes by connecting them with local resources, furnishing their homes, and providing the support they need.  Because the Taliban persecuted them for helping the United States during its military action in that country, the government granted these Afghans Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). While the Trump administration never technically disallowed entry, it canceled all financial support for them to get here.

Those granted SIV status and able to get to the United States on their own have been allowed in. Three families arrived in the last month! One family was able to get to Germany and then fly here from there. Another went to Pakistan before coming here. Yet another family got to Canada before coming here. 

Working in collaboration with our legal team, our NAI team has also been helping clients prepare for Green Card applications. We are also assisting clients to prepare for winter by registering them for HEAP and accepting donations of items such as shovels, winter weather clothing, and anti-draft household goods.

Additionally, we are helping clients budget and plan for the upcoming SNAP Food Assistance shortages by working with our partners at FeedMore WNY and other local food banks. 

Learn more about how our New American Integration team helps support our newest neighbors.

In October, we welcomed two groups of visiting professionals from around the world, who explored Niagara Falls and enjoyed home hospitality with local families in addition to meeting with professionals in their fields.

We held training sessions on effective global communication for UB psychiatric residents at Jericho Road Community Health Center, students in D'Youville University's Physical Therapy program, patient navigators and clinicians at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and high school students at Emerson School of Hospitality. We also participated in the Univera Community-Based Organizations Summit, which brought together local organizations and Univera Healthcare leaders to explore shared goals and innovative strategies to improve health outcomes across our region.

We continue to plan for upcoming health literacy sessions for refugees, both in-house and in partnership with Buffalo Public Schools' Adult Education division.

Finally, we're gearing up for Model UN 2026 on Tuesday, March 17! This year's conference will feature two new committees, bringing the total to nine, to accommodate the growing number of students and schools participating! Please get in touch with [email protected] if your students are interested in joining this lively, life-changing competition.

Learn more about how our International Exchanges and Education team contributes to greater knowledge and understanding in our community.  

IIB linguists are the best in the business. If you are multilingual, join our team! Right now, we are looking for interpreters of Afar, Karen, Kinyarwanda, Pashto, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tamil, Tigrinya, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. We are also looking for a Pashto translator. Click to apply.

Our Interpreting team recently received 1,223 requests for interpreting services in 43 languages. The most requested languages were Arabic, Bengali, Burmese, Dari, Pashto, Rohingya, Somali, Spanish, and Swahili. 

As Buffalo’s schools ramped up the 2025-2026 school year, the Interpreting team continued onsite interpretation as well as on-demand phone and audio/video remote services in over 90 languages. These invaluable services provide comprehensive language access to limited English speakers in WNY and beyond.

Our Translation team completed 97 individual projects last month. Most were translated into Buffalo’s top 10 languages to serve the area’s richly diverse schools, government agencies, tourist attractions, and local employers throughout WNY. Individual projects included, but were not limited to, personal documents, human resources documents such as employee onboarding materials, legal documents, and genealogy research.

Date Change: We moved our Legal Linguist Training to Saturday, December 6, so if you want to learn legal interpreting for our courts. The International Institute of Buffalo is offering training called Introduction to Court Interpretation.

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