BOISE, Idaho – The annual Idaho Conference on Refugees is meeting in Boise today while the country at large continues to grapple with the Trump administration's immigration ban. The ban was temporarily blocked by a federal judge on Friday, but the wider conversation is raging on. The theme for this year's conference is "Stronger Together," and many of the workshops focus on building bridges between communities.

Janet Kaufman and her colleagues will be discussing their innovative youth camp called Under the Tent of Abraham. The camp brings together children of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. Kaufman says the first year did a wonderful job of fostering understanding between the children.

"The children were so enthusiastic about the camp that they themselves asked if they could see each other over the school year, and not just at the camp," she said. "And so, that inspired us - the leadership - to develop a series of events over the course of the school year."

Kaufman says the children are meeting at the place of worship for each faith this school year. She hopes the camp can become a model for bringing diverse members of the community together.

Also presenting today are Nick Armstrong and his wife, Laura Armstrong, co-directors of Global Community Partners, a ministry in Boise. Armstrong says both sides tend to rely on stereotypes when it comes to the story of Muslims, and he is encouraged by the growing turnout to the conference every year.

"There is such a swelling of support that is starting to take place," he said. "There's so many people that are coming out of the woodwork and beginning to show that they're willing to get involved and willing to help change attitudes towards refugees."

The keynote speaker for the conference is Yasmine Mustafa, a refugee who came to Philadelphia as a young child during the Persian Gulf War. She'll talk about her experiences and eventual success as an entrepreneur in the tech industry. She'll also speak about a concept known as the "birth lottery."

"One of the ways I've been able to share my story with others is by explaining the concept of the birth lottery, about how no one chooses where they're born, they can't control it, they don't influence it," said Mustafa. "And what this ban does is it punishes them for something they had no control over."

Since 1980, there have been approximately 3 million refugees that have been resettled in the United States. according to the UN Refugee Agency. In that time, not one refugee has taken the life of an American in an act of terrorism. The conservative Cato Institute estimates that the likelihood of an individual American being killed in an act of terrorism committed by a refugee is one in 3.64 billion a year. The odds of an individual American being killed in an act of terrorism committed by a tourist are one out of about 1,050,000, about the same likelihood of being killed by lightening.

The vetting system for refugees coming to America is the most stringent of any other category of people coming into the United states. The screening takes a minimum of 18 to 24 months with biometric and biographical data along and a series of stringent interviews crossed checked by five US agencies: The Department of Homeland Security, FBI, The National Counterterrorism Center, The State Department and Department of Defense.

According to Nick Armstrong, the numbers show that the current system is working, "When you consider the rich contributions that refugees have made to our country throughout its entire history and the rich history of being a country that gives refuge to those who are fleeing brutal persecution, isn’t welcoming the most vulnerable people on the planet at the time of the worst global refugee crisis since World War II the right thing to do?"



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Advocates for immigrants are pushing back on a bill signed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in the last few days of the legislative session, modeled on a recent, controversial Texas law.

Senate File 2340 gives local law enforcement officers and judges the authority to deport undocumented immigrants.

Erica Johnson, executive director of the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, argued the bill is an overreach, and said Iowa law enforcement officers are not authorized to enforce it.

"This is a pretty clear intervention into federal territory," Johnson pointed out. "U.S. immigration law is governed by federal law."

Much like the author of the Texas bill, supporters in Iowa blame the Biden administration for failing to slow illegal immigration, so the state has decided to take matters into its own hands.

Johnson contended the bill and other anti-immigrant sentiment during the just-completed legislative session target the very people Iowa, with its dwindling population, will depend on for its future workforce.

"What we need is communities that are safe, where workers have access to dignified, safe workplaces," Johnson emphasized. "The truth of what Iowa's future could be depends on immigrants and immigrant workers in our state, and unfortunately, this law could take us back, away from that possible future. "

Johnson added her organization will pursue legal ways to block the bill from taking effect in July.


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The future of Senate Bill 4 is still tangled in court challenges. It's the Texas law that would allow police to arrest people for illegally crossing the border. But groups are speaking out about the impact of "Operation Lone Star" on the youngest migrants. Governor Greg Abbott continues to bus migrant families to other states, many with young children - more than 100,000 families so far.

Robert Sanborn, CEO of Children at Risk, works to improve the quality of life for boys and girls in Texas, and contends the policy has put trauma on top of trauma.

"We never want children to be political pawns. We don't want maximum chaos on the backs of children. We want children to grow up and be assets for our community," he contended.

Sanborn points out that 2.2 million children in Texas are immigrants, and said it would be less stressful for kids if families were not bused in the middle of the night, and if they were allowed to pick their destination.

When immigrants arrive at the border, they are evaluated to determine if they're eligible for asylum.

Beatriz Zavala, clinical coordinator at El Paso-based Humanitarian Outreach for Migrant Emotional Health, or "HOME," said the children in this situation are at higher risk for mental health disorders.

"What is particularly troubling is the profound disregard for the stability and protection these families need. The impact on their mental health is undeniable. These are not just statistics. These are children, real children," she said.

As part of Operation Lone Star, families have been bused to Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. The governor has said the practice is needed to keep the Texas-Mexico border safe.


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Legislation in Albany would create the first right to counsel for people in immigration court.

The Access to Representation Act would provide immigrants the right to an attorney in their New York immigration cases, ending the tendency to represent themselves if they cannot afford one.

Estimates show a backlog of more than 330,000 immigration court cases, and fewer than half have attorneys. Studies show without legal counsel, migrants are less likely to remain in the U.S.

Marlene Galaz, director of immigrant rights policy for the New York Immigration Coalition, described what the bill would do.

"It has a six-year ramp-up to start implementing and building infrastructure," Galaz outlined. "Having a pipeline between law schools for law students to go into immigration practice, and getting to nonprofits and so on."

Galaz noted most opposition centers around the $150 million to fund the program but pointed out the total expenditure is less than 1% of the state's $229 billion budget. She added anti-immigrant rhetoric has also damaged support for the bill. Currently, it is in the state Senate Finance Committee.

The New York City Comptroller's office said enacting the bill would benefit the state financially. It could keep about 53,000 people from being deported, which would result in almost $8.5 billion in local, state and federal taxes over the next 30 years.

Galaz emphasized the influx of migrants has saturated the court system, leading to what could have been an avoidable backlog.

"I firmly believe that if these investments had been made when we first asked for them, I believe, like, three years ago, then we wouldn't be struggling," Galaz contended. "We would have had the infrastructure built to address an increase in welcoming our newest neighbors."

A Vera Institute survey showed 93% of New Yorkers across party lines and regions support access to attorneys for all people, including those in immigration court, and government-funded attorneys for them.


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