Honoring Journeys and Embracing Stories On International Migrants Day 2025

During a time when those standing at the bully pulpit seek only to divide and instill fear about immigrants who call the United States their home, it’s important that we remember that we’re talking about people, all of whom have their own unique stories, perspectives, hopes and contributions to the communities that have welcomed them.

It’s the main message of this year’s International Migrants Day, which is observed every Dec. 18 and recognizes migrants all around the world. This year’s theme, “My Great Story: Cultures and Development,” seeks to highlight “how human mobility drives growth, enriches societies, and helps communities connect, adapt, and support one another,” said the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration. “In 2025, this message is more urgent than ever as migration continues to shape economies, communities, and global development.”

Here in the United States, Desange Kuenihira is among former refugees working to instill hope in individuals who are facing hardships in their own home countries today. Kuenihira knows first-hand what they’re experiencing and feeling, after she fled deadly conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and sheltered in a Ugandan refugee camp before being resettled in Utah. 

“The experience was arduous and could have broken anyone,” Kuenihira wrote for USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. “But in the face of all this, I discovered a strength within myself that I didn’t know existed. I realized that resilience isn’t just about surviving—it’s about thriving in spite of the obstacles, about finding hope in even the darkest moments.”

“Adapting to a new life was not easy,” she continued. “The differences in culture, customs and even day-to-day expectations were daunting. But each challenge taught me something valuable. It taught me how to be resourceful, how to be patient, and how to stay hopeful in the face of adversity.” She’s transformed that adversity into unDEfeated, her non-profit uplifting “Uganda’s most vulnerable by enhancing education for underprivileged youth, and providing support for families, and single working mothers.”

Now an American citizen, Kuenihira also authored “Undefeated Woman,” a memoir “chronicling her refugee journey from the daily struggles of life in a refugee camp in Uganda to resettling in the United States,” USA for UNHCR said. Earlier this year, Desange was also named USA for UNHCR’s 2025 Refugee Storyteller Celebration winner, and was a World Refugee Day featured storyteller.

The more than three million refugees who, like Kuenihira, who have been resettled in the U.S. since 1975 do so much more than enrich our country with their aspirations and traditions, they enrich it literally. One Health and Human Services study from 2024 found that refugees and asylees are net contributors to the U.S. economy, paying an estimated $581 billion in revenue to local, state, and federal economies. “They contributed an estimated $363 billion to the federal government through payroll, income, and excise taxes, and $218 billion to state and local governments, through income, sales, and property taxes.”

Refugees also “enter the workforce at high rates, often filling labor shortages in critical industries,” the International Rescue Committee said earlier this year, and strengthen communities through their resilience and skills. “In cities like Buffalo, NY, and Fargo, ND, refugee entrepreneurs have revitalized entire neighborhoods, turning abandoned storefronts into thriving small businesses that create jobs and boost local economies.”

In fact, immigration overall benefits all of us. Immigrants are natural-born entrepreneurs who outpace U.S.-born Americans when it comes to starting a small business. Immigrant-led businesses employed nearly eight million Americans, according to data from the New American Economy. Immigrant entrepreneurs have been a critical component of our nation’s economic growth, boasting $1.3 trillion in total sales, said the New American Economy. And, future GDP growth depends on neighbors like Delinec Fernández, a Venezuelan immigrant who also now calls Indiana her home and established the state’s first Venezuelan bakery. 

Sweet Deli Venezuelan Bakery got its start as a way to bring in some income during the COVID-19 pandemic, she told BORGEN Magazine. “Today, the bakery serves not only as a cultural bridge but also as an economic engine.”

“Migration has always been a force that binds the world together,” UN Women said ahead of International Migrants Day. “Across borders and generations, the movement of people has driven cultural exchange, strengthened communities, and energized economies. At the heart of this story are women.”

“Whether migrating themselves, supporting loved ones from afar, or adapting to the changes migration brings to their households, women play a vital and often invisible role. Their earnings sustain families. Their care work supports entire communities. Their leadership helps societies adapt and flourish.”

“As we mark this day, UN Women honours the strength, leadership, and courage of migrant women and girls everywhere,” the statement continued. “Their stories are stories of hope, transformation, and global connection. Their contributions are essential — to families, communities, and the shared future we are building together.”