In August, Rainbow Railroad led a delegation for the 2026 We Are All America Advocacy Days. We Are All America is one of the United States’ largest grassroots networks, drawing together immigrant rights and refugee resettlement movements to advance human rights. During their summer Advocacy Days, they support people with lived experience, refugee leaders, allies, and advocates to raise awareness among state, Senate, and Congressional leaders about the challenges refugees are facing in the United States.
For this year’s Advocacy Days, Rainbow Railroad, represented by US Policy and Advocacy Officer, Oliver Williams, led a delegation of five constituents from the state of Washington. This small group of advocates and people with lived experience met with two senators and three members of Congress. In their conversations with elected representatives, they championed restoring and strengthening the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), in particular for LGBTQI+ people who are seeking pathways to safety.
The US Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
Rainbow Railroad shared key data from our 2025 Annual Report directly with congressmembers, including that the 20,215 requests for help we received in 2025 represent a 51% increase from the year before. Of these requests, 60% came from transgender people. And globally, more than half of the individuals we supported told us they faced life-threatening violence.
Lastly, 2025 marked the second consecutive year that the United States was the largest single source of requests for help. We received 427 requests for help from non-US citizens living in the US, an exponential increase from 38 in 2023 and 94 in 2024. All this points to the challenges LGBTQI+ people face internationally, but also within the country, as they seek safety from persecution.
At the end of this summer’s Advocacy Days, the coalition was able to secure a Senate oversight letter to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE that covered the key issues raised in our meetings. More than 300 participants and 59 organizations participated, though Rainbow Railroad was just one of a handful of LGBTQI+ nonprofits present. This year’s participants represented 43 states. Rainbow Railroad participated in some of more than 140 meetings with Members of Congress. Crucially, 154 refugees and immigrants shared their lived experience directly with lawmakers.
You can read the final report from Advocacy Days here. We will continue to advocate for pathways to safety for LGBTQI+ people, and policy change within the United States to ensure that those who are here feel safe at home.