Refugees give more to their communities than they take, according to the research of an economist at Hamilton College. This composite image shows Capital Region refugees and immigrants at work and study. Clockwise from top left: Gerardo Cabrera, left, of Ecuador and Justin Yamo of Congo study English in a class at the RISSE Center in Albany in 2018 (photo by John-Carl D'Annibale); University at Albany student and Syrian refugee Alma Kolakji is seen in 2024 (photo by Lori Van Buren); Musa Kanneh, born in Sierra Leone, is seen in 2019 at his job in an architecture firm (photo provided); and Law Doh Htoo of Burma works at an Albany hotel in 2018 (photo by Will Waldron).

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that indefinitely paused the U.S. Refugees Admissions Program. The order tries to make the argument that the U.S. can’t absorb large numbers of refugees because of a lack of resources and the need to protect Americans.

Forty years of refugee resettlement illustrate that this rationale isn’t evidence-based at all. We see that firsthand here in Utica.

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Refugees are people who were persecuted or feared persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. They are admitted to the U.S. only after an extensive vetting process. The admission process takes into account the need to........

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