The Turkish Coalition of America’s Fourth Annual Turkish American Youth Leadership Congress took place in Washington, DC from October 26-29, 2017. Twenty three young Turkish American college students, graduate students, and young professionals enjoyed a weekend of networking and meetings with experts and government officials, and they came away inspired to become involved in politics and take a more active role in the Turkish American community.

By Murat Güzel - * Malatya, the town where I was born, hosts one of the 25 refugee camps across the plains of southeastern Turkey. With our NATO allies, the United States has helped provide 2,083 shipping containers in Malatya alone that serve as homes for 7,625 refugees. In the dusty summer heat and in the windy, rainy winter, they serve as shelter for men, women, and children who have escaped the Syrian conflict. A small commitment of our tax dollars early in a refugee crisis is an investment in the future. According to NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center, the Turkish government and private sector have diligently clothed, fed, and housed over 3.1 million people fleeing conflict. This makes Turkey the host country with the largest refugee population in the world.

Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci said Tuesday he hoped the visa row between Turkey and the U.S. gets resolved soon since it hinders trade. The Turkey-U.S. visa row was sparked on Oct. 8, when the U.S. Embassy in Ankara announced the suspension of non-immigrant visa services to Turkish nationals, following the arrest of a local employee at the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, prompting a tit-for-tat response from Ankara. Speaking at a meeting with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce committee in capital Ankara, Tufenkci said: "I hope the visa suspension will be removed shortly and negotiations will be concluded positively, and contribute to increasing trade volume between the two countries."

Responding to TCA's call for outreach to elected officials, four Turkish Americans joined members of Congress and industry representatives in Chicago, IL at the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) PAC Chicago Retreat on October 20-21, 2017. Eleven Congressional Black Caucus members attended, including Assistant Democratic Leader Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC/6th), Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY/5th), Foreign Affairs Committee Member Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL/2nd), Turkey Caucus members Reps. GK Butterfield (D-NC/1st), Danny Davis (D-IL/7th), Hank Johnson (D-GA/4th), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI/14th), Stacey Plaskett (D-VA/AL), Bobby Rush (D-IL/1st), and Reps. Joyce Beatty (D-OH/3rd) and Gwen Moore (D-WI/4th). The four Turkish American participants were Cem Karsan, Elhan Orhon, Dr. Hande Ozdinler, and Hakan Akgun, all of Chicago, IL.