Our Journey from Survival to Strength: A World Refugee Day Reflection

By Myra Dahgaypaw, Honorary Delegate

As we observe World Refugee Day on June 20th, we—refugees and asylum seekers—share our collective story of resilience, contribution, and hope.

We didn't choose to leave our homelands. I fled Burma when the military junta's persecution made it impossible to live safely, but my story echoes across continents and communities. Whether we escaped war in Syria, violence in Central America, or oppression in Afghanistan, we share the same impossible decision—stay and face danger or leave everything behind in search of safety.

When we arrived in America, we carried nothing but hope for a future free from fear. That hope, it turns out, was enough to rebuild entire lives.

The refugee resettlement program did not just save lives—it gave resettled refugees the foundation to rebuild them. Refugees learned English in community centers, found their first jobs through local organizations, and slowly began contributing to the communities that welcomed them. America became more than refuge—it became home. Refugees who arrived first then become bridges for others. 

As a community volunteer, I've helped other refugees navigate the complex resettlement process, translating documents, explaining systems, and simply being a familiar face in an unfamiliar place. But this work happens in communities across America. Refugees volunteer at different communities and places including mosques and churches, we mentor newcomers, serve as familiar faces in unfamiliar places. Refugees networks of support extend far beyond any single program—they are community builders by necessity and by choice.

I am also a Refugee Congress Honorary Delegate, which has given me a platform to speak to issues impacting forcibly displaced communities. I’ve engaged with local and national elected leaders to advocate for welcoming policies and protections for refugee communities. I became an advocate because I understand both the desperation that drives people to flee and the hope for safety and welcome that America represents.

Refugee leaders and volunteers understand both the desperation that drives people to flee and the hope that America represents. This understanding makes us powerful advocates, not just for ourselves, but for everyone still waiting for safety.

We have witnessed how quickly policy changes can devastate our communities. Under travel bans, those of us from Burma, Somalia, and other targeted countries continue to see families separated by arbitrary restrictions. We see hope turn to despair in the faces of mothers separated from children, spouses divided by bureaucracy. In our communities, families who had waited over a decade for reunification saw their cases frozen. Children will grow up without knowing their grandparents. As survivors of trauma, many refugees now face new trauma through policy decisions that reduce them to security threats rather than recognizing them as human beings seeking safety.

During the first Trump administration, when refugee admissions dropped from 110,000 to just 15,000, thousands of refugees who had already passed intensive screenings were left in dangerous limbo. They are not just numbers—they are the teachers who will educate American children, the doctors who will serve in underserved communities, the entrepreneurs who will create jobs.

Let us tell you what the refugees have built in America. In Aberdeen, South Dakota, many refugees work in factories making wind turbine blades, contributing to America's clean energy future. In Worthington, Minnesota, refugees work in meatpacking plants, ensuring food reaches families across the country. They run small stores, package ready-to-go meals to eat on the planes and operate restaurants that have become community gathering places. Their businesses do not just serve their own communities—they strengthen entire neighborhoods. You may have eaten at our restaurants, shopped at our stores, or had children who shared classrooms with ours. We start businesses, pay taxes, serve in the military, and contribute more in taxes than we receive in benefits. We are living proof that America's investment in refugees pays dividends.

As we observe World Refugee Day, we celebrate not just our own resilience, but the resilience of all 120 million+ people worldwide who have been forced from their homes. We honor the strength it takes to rebuild, the courage it takes to advocate, and the hope it takes to believe in a better future.

We stand before America not just as people who benefited from generosity, but as Americans who believe the refugee program makes our nation stronger, safer, and more true to its founding ideals. We invite you to join us in this belief.

Contact your elected officials and urge them to protect people seeking safety and to stand for the values that make America a beacon of hope. The question isn't whether America can afford to help refugees—it's whether America can afford to abandon the values that make it great.

We are here. We are Americans. We are your neighbors, your colleagues, your friends. And we are proof that America's refugee program doesn't just save lives—it enriches them.