U.S. seeks citizens willing to sponsor refugees

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of State launched the Welcome Corps program, which will mobilize American citizens to help refugees transition to life in the United States. During the program's first year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken hopes to have at least 10,000 citizens sponsor at least 5,000 refugees from around the world.

How will the program work? Five or more American citizens can form a group to apply and privately sponsor one or more refugees during their first 90 days in the country. Groups would be responsible to raise their own money and provide social support, such as greeting refugees at the airport, finding them housing, and enrolling children in school. A consortium of nonprofit groups will help vet the sponsors, provide training, and monitor the program. At first, private sponsors will be matched with already-approved refugees, but later on, sponsors could identify people they wish to sponsor and refer them to the program. 

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report from WORLD Magazine about a Ukrainian refugee family seeking asylum in the United States.