State Executive Best Practice Series: Building Sponsorship Infrastructure in States

The ongoing launch of the Welcome Corps program and other expanded sponsorship parole for forcibly displaced people from Ukraine, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela have presented new challenges for states and cities as they seek to accommodate newcomers. While traditional refugees commonly have access to support services through programs run by resettlement agencies, those who come through private sponsorship may not be aware of or not have access to programs. In response, several states have implemented initiatives to raise awareness of available programs and services, while exploring alternative means of providing services to complement or add capacity to overwhelmed resettlement agencies.

On November 30, 2023, the Refugee Advocacy Lab hosted the next in our best practice series for state executive staff and discussed some of the challenges and innovative solutions that states are exploring as they seek to create an infrastructure to support successful sponsorship. Attendance was open to state executive staff, including agency leaders and state refugee coordinators; and the teams from Offices of new Americans/Immigrant Affairs.

Speakers included Ben Cabanaw, Deputy Director, Office of Global Michigan and State Refugee Coordinator, Holly Triska-Dally, North Dakota’s State Refugee Coordinator, and Balqees Mihirig, Policy Advisor at the Lab and Senior Policy Counsel at the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP).