It has been five long years since Ahmad, his sister, and their parents were all together as a family back in Damascus, Syria. Today, as uncertainty swirls about the status of Syrian refugees in the US, Ahmad is not sure when--or where--there will be another family reunion.

This much he does know: He does not plan to go back to his war-torn country any time soon. Now 33 and a cyber security expert working at a US-based company, Ahmad’s dream--the dream of all displaced people--is to find a place to settle and live a decent life.

He goes by Moe, his favorite character from The Simpsons. And it’s thanks to them--along with a hearty diet of American movies, shows, and video games--that Monzer’s English is so good people have a hard time believing he’s from Syria, a country he fled five years ago after being arrested for peacefully protesting the government and its policies.

At the end of January 2018, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is set to decide if they will cancle or continue Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Syria. TPS is a program that allows thousands of Syrians to live and work legally in the United States. 

Washington, DC (January 9, 2018)- The American Relief Coalition for Syria, a coalition of 13 Syrian-American relief organizations, joins with the many other groups calling on the US government to re-designate and renew TPS for Syria. At the end of the month the US government will decide the fate of around 6,000 Syrians with temporary protected status (TPS) living in the United States.

November 1^st, 2017 (Washington, D.C.) -- Over the past weeks, reports have emerged detailing the tragic situation in the besieged Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, with images of emaciated children and stories of starvation bringing to light the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.  Members of the American Relief Coalition for Syria have expressed frustration and grave concern with the lack of humanitarian access for civilians trapped in Eastern Ghouta, which has been under a stifling siege for the past four years.

Washington, DC (September 15, 2017)- News reports this week claim that the US government is considering a huge shift in refugee resettlement policy by capping the number of admitted refugees at 50,000. This change in policy would have a widespread negative impact on current refugee communities within the US and on global perceptions of our country. Members of the American Relief Coalition for Syria from across the country are calling on the Trump administration to reject this historically low number and ensure at least 75,000 refugees will be admitted next year.

This May, I concluded my full academic year internship with the American Relief Coalition for Syria; serving as the Communications/Advocacy/Marketing Intern during the Fall 2016 semester, and continuing on as the Senior Communications/Advocacy Intern for Spring 2017. As a Senior at the George Washington University, I became interested in getting involved with the coalition after witnessing the collaborative and multi-layered humanitarian programs launched by Syrian American diaspora organizations within the United States.

The first Arabs immigrated to the United States in the 1880s. Most of them came from Greater Syria, which is present-day Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and Syria. Typically, immigrants made the journey to escape economic struggles and to pursue the American dream. In recent years, the migration from Greater Syria to the United States has been driven largely by political unrest and religious conflict in the Middle East.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was created in 1951, during the Second World War. The purpose of its creation was to help millions of Europeans who fled their countries and left everything behind. 

Today, the world is still working hard, seeking the protection of refugees and helping them all over the world.