It’s not an immigrant invasion. It’s people fleeing for their lives — and freedom.

On World Refugee Day, falling on June 20, it is imperative to acknowledge the projected 139 million individuals who are anticipated to be displaced by 2025. Last year, over 122 million people across the globe were forced out of their homes due to conflicts, calamities, and persecution.

The United Nations Refugee Agency reveals that a significant 40% of the displaced individuals, approximately 50 million, are children. Cutting off U.S. foreign aid will only exacerbate their plight.

While the number of people being displaced is at an all-time high, the Trump administration has myopically shut the door to freedom for millions. The administration has halted all funding for recent refugees resettling in the U.S., including the longstanding U.S. Refugee Admission Program that has been in operation for 45 years. Congress has remained passive, neglecting its duty to invest in these crucial programs and oversee their proper functioning by the executive branch. Furthermore, more than 10,000 refugees who have undergone screening and approval to resettle in the U.S. now find themselves in limbo.

No one chooses to become a refugee or asylum-seeker. Those compelled to flee their homes often languish in camps for years before being granted entry to a new nation. In the interim, they face uncertainty and upheaval in their lives. The asylum process necessitates individuals to arrive in or be present in the new country before applying for protection.

The history of the United States reflects a willingness, within limits, to welcome refugees and asylees seeking safety and opportunities for a better life. In reciprocation, newcomers have contributed to the greatness of America. Federal and state programs in both large and small cities have organized mechanisms for refugee resettlement, often in collaboration with eager local faith and community groups. As they acclimate to a new environment, learn a new language, adapt to a different culture, and regain stability, refugees enrich our communities with their diversity and skills.

During my upbringing in rural Ohio, our community embraced a Vietnamese family who had escaped the turmoil of Southeast Asia. Sponsored by our church under the refugee resettlement program at the time, the family of seven, including five children close in age to my siblings and me, became our neighbors. Over time, they became productive, tax-paying U.S. citizens and enduring friends of our family. Even after establishing themselves anew and residing in different homes, they continued to share homemade egg rolls with us every Christmas, expressing gratitude beyond measure. Today, one of the children is my father’s dentist and volunteers dental services at a local correctional facility. I am forever grateful for the exposure to the wider world that their openness offered me and the enduring international friendship formed early on. It is only as an adult that I comprehend the hardships their family endured to reach our small Ohio town and the profound gratitude they hold for their new home in our nation. While the parents have passed on, their descendants now call this country their own, deeply intertwined with the fabric of their community.

My own faith community, the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, fled persecution in England due to their religious convictions and persist in advocating ardently for freedom of belief, a foundational principle in the establishment of the United States. From their roles in abolitionism, suffrage movements, civil rights advocacy, and peace promotion, Quakers have left an indelible mark on U.S. history, having found refuge on this land in past eras. The Quaker belief in the presence of the divine in every individual continues to inspire a dedication to freedom and human rights for all, irrespective of their origin or manner of arrival in the country.

This year, marking the 45th anniversary of the United States Refugee Act of 1980 and observing World Refugee Day, Congress should champion freedom, human dignity, and the pursuit of making America great again. A crucial initial step involves committing to substantial funding for refugee programs and collaborating with the administration to reinstate the U.S. Refugee Admission Program.

(Bridget Moix serves as the general secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation and leads two other Quaker organizations, Friends Place on Capitol Hill and the FCNL Education Fund. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Religion News Service.)