Welcome to the January 2026 issue of CVT World, CVT’s periodic compilation of the latest news, stories and public activities from our team.

CVT Welcomes A New President and CEO: Sonya Funna Evelyn

A note of good news: Sonya Funna Evelyn has joined CVT as president and CEO, a role she started on January 26. Ms. Funna Evelyn comes to CVT from her recent position as vice president for sustainable development at ADRA International, a global humanitarian organization that serves 26 million people each year. With a background in clinical psychology, Sonya has led teams of technical, business development and program experts working in countries around the world.

Julia Classen, CVT board chair, said, “Her extensive background and track record of developing and launching successful international initiatives are more than simply impressive: her work has changed lives on a global basis.” Sonya commented, “Over many years of doing this work, I have met a lot of people from all walks of life and most of us want the same things: to feel safe, have access to opportunities that improve our lives, and live in communities where we feel we belong. This work is complex, and it is necessary. I am honored to join this talented team and to ever more closely support this critical global need, at this time.” Read more here.

This work is complex, and it is necessary. I am honored to join this talented team and to ever more closely support this critical global need, at this time.”

-Sonya Funna Evelyn, CVT president & CEO

One Year Later: A Message to Honor Clients and Staff

January 24 was the one-year anniversary of the day CVT began receiving orders from the U.S. government to immediately stop clinical work overseas. On this solemn day, we recognize the deep impacts on our clients, who lost their care. And importantly, we honor the more than 400 esteemed colleagues who lost their jobs. Our colleagues are highly skilled and dedicated to helping survivors of torture rebuild their lives. We think of their contributions every day, and we miss their brilliance, their kindness and their unending wisdom.

Militarized ICE & Border Patrol Immigration Enforcement in Minnesota

As the Trump administration unleashes highly militarized ICE enforcement operations in Minnesota, and across the United States, CVT’s clients and staff have had wide-ranging impacts, including five clients being detained and flown to a detention facility in Texas. CVT has responded with news media interviews and an extensive volunteer program delivering groceries for clients who cannot leave their homes for fear of being detained. Here are some highlights from recent weeks:

“Executions in the streets. Abductions by masked security forces at gunpoint. Mass detention in an abusive and unaccountable system. Disinformation campaigns to justify it all. These are the tools and tactics of the world’s most repressive regimes,” writes Scott Roehm, senior director of global justice and accountability, in this statement after the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti by U.S. Border Control agents in Minneapolis. Scott writes, “Whether to stand up and say ENOUGH isn’t a choice about politics. It’s about ending up on the right, or wrong, side of history.”

Whether to stand up and say ENOUGH isn’t a choice about politics. It’s about ending up on the right, or wrong, side of history.”

-Scott Roehm, senior director of global justice & accountability

CVT issued this press release with information about Minnesota-based clients who were detained by ICE. All individuals have lawful immigration status; all are asylum seekers with work permits. One client was detained while going into her workplace; the ICE agents tackled her in the snow in front of her co-workers. “Survivors recognize these actions. This is the kind of harsh and militaristic environment they fled,” said Sara Nelson, program manager.

Pioneer Press: Alison Beckman, senior clinician for external relations, is quoted in this article by Frederick Melo in the Pioneer Press, titled “For Some Refugees, Immigration Actions in Twin Cities Are Familiar.” Ally said that clients are not able to leave their homes out of fear of the unjustified militarized ICE enforcement, noting, “This is exactly what our clients have fled from.” This article was picked up by Yahoo News.

KARE11 News: Sara Nelson spoke to Raya Quttaineh on KARE11, the Twin Cities NBC affiliate, in this story about the clients who were detained, mentioning that one client called her social worker from the ICE van. “The social worker could hear the client trying to explain to them that she was an asylum seeker, trying to show them her asylum receipt that shows that she applied and that her paperwork’s in order. And she was saying, ‘Sir, sir, why are you arresting me?’ And she could hear them laughing in the background, and they just wouldn’t answer any questions,” Sara said.

. . . she was saying, ‘Sir, sir, why are you arresting me?’ And she could hear them laughing in the background, and they just wouldn’t answer any questions.”

-Sara Nelson, program manager

Prior to that, CVT issued this statement in response to the ICE shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis that took place Jan. 7. The statement reads in part: “This devastating loss of life would not have happened but for this unprecedented, unjustified and overly militarized deployment across the country and now in Minneapolis . . . Over four decades, CVT has worked with survivors of torture from 88 different countries. This type of militarized enforcement is among the exact kinds of oppressive environments our clients have fled.”

This article by James Walsh in the Minnesota Star Tribune article mentions CVT’s having a social worker connection to a person who was taken by ICE and flown to Texas.

MinnPost: Sara Nelson was featured in this article in MinnPost that focused on how mental health is being impacted in Minnesota. Sara noted that clients who had already completed services called her again last week in the wake of the deadly ICE shooting.

KARE11 News: Alison Beckman spoke on the Sunday morning newscast on KARE11. Ally spoke about the impacts of the intensified ICE enforcement in Minnesota, sharing the perspective of clients and community members as militarized presence and arrests increase and a woman was shot to death by an ICE agent. Ally comments, “This is the very thing that they fled in their home countries and they’re starting to see it play out in front of them.”

This is the very thing that they fled in their home countries and they’re starting to see it play out in front of them.”

-Alison Beckman, senior clinician for external relations

LBC News, UK: Ally also spoke on London radio about the impacts on clients of the militarization of immigration enforcement and the deadly shooting. She spoke about why the flood of masked, armed officers making arrests brings back the kind of oppression clients fled. She commented, “We’ve had people who’ve been stable for quite some time who are suicidal again, who are not leaving their homes, who are absolutely terrified.”

New Immigration Restrictions Further an Agenda of Cruelty

CVT published this statement as the Trump administration announced it will restrict immigration visas for 75 countries. Yumna Rizvi, senior policy analyst, comments that “ . . . this needlessly creates panic and alarm and puts thousands in limbo, including those fleeing from torture and persecution. The president uses cruel and deceptive claims like this to vilify immigrants and perpetuate harm.”

CVT Welcomes Four New Board Members

Please join us in welcoming four new members to CVT’s board of directors: Karthik Gunasekaran, Violeta Hernández Espinosa, Amanda McAllister Novak and Debarati Sen. “I’m delighted to announce the addition of these notable and distinguished new members to the CVT board, whose expertise and leadership are uniquely suited to this moment. CVT is in the process of taking on exciting new opportunities for strategic growth, and these individuals bring ideal strengths and experience,” said Julia Classen. Read the release here and check out webpages for everyone here.

Guantánamo Detention Facility is 24 Years Old

Ahead of the 24th anniversary of Guantánamo’s opening, 116 organizations signed this statement led by CVT and the Center for Constitutional Rights reaffirming that it must be closed, without repurposing it for any future detention regime, and that there must be redress for individuals who were held and whose rights were violated. The authors write, “The failure of past administrations to close Guantánamo continues to cause escalating and profound harm to the men who still languish there. It has also enabled what many feared, and against which we and others repeatedly warned: the repurposing of Guantánamo to detain others unlawfully.”

CVT contributed to this statement titled “Uplifting Local Voices in Minnesota,” from the Refugee Advocacy Lab, with a quote from Alison Beckman commenting on the impacts on clients of the militarized immigration enforcement in the state. Check out commentary, facts and ways people can help.

Commentary in New York Times: “How Did DOGE Disrupt so Much While Saving So Little?”

Scott Roehm is quoted in this article in the New York Times on the impacts of program closures on clients, saying, “We know for sure that survivors we are no longer able to serve are suffering.” This article was picked up by many global media outlets.

Commentary on Authoritarian Regimes

Dr. Simon Adams, then-president & CEO, is quoted in this article in InterPress Service on the United States’ history with authoritarian regimes and a new report from the UN special rapporteur on torture on the trade of implements of torture. Simon comments, “It is unconscionable that companies are allowed to promote these products inside the EU. It is grotesque that such products even exist. This trade in human cruelty should be completely banned.”

Mental Health is a Human Right: CVT’s Afghan Projects Bring Social Connection and Healing

“Meaningful social relationships are fundamental to human dignity and well-being.” In this article, authors Lisa Hattori, evaluation and research lead, and Dr. Jenn Esala, senior evaluator and researcher, highlight evaluation findings from CVT’s Arman and Raahat projects that demonstrate the importance of community support in healing. They write, “On Human Rights Day, when we recognize the basic dignity and rights all people deserve, it is important to reflect on our innate desire for and right to social connection and care.”

Working in Coalition with Partners

Working with partners brings strength to CVT’s policy advocacy. We regularly participate in organized coalition actions that support survivors of torture. Below are recent coalition and partner actions.

• CVT joined more than 1,000 organizations in signing this letter to Congress demanding an immediate end to ICE & Border Patrol funding. The letter also calls on Congress to rescind tens of billions of dollars it gave to ICE in the reconciliation bill. The authors write, “You have the power and responsibility to stop this. What you do now will be remembered for future generations – take a stand today while you still have the power to do so.”
• CVT joined hundreds of organizations in signing this letter to Congress, calling on them to end the ICE immigration enforcement violence and rein in ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. The authors write, “Congress should use its Article I power to limit these out-of-control agencies and require that they serve the public, not terrorize communities with impunity.”
• CVT joined more than 130 human rights organizations in this letter urging President Trump to restore humanitarian and immigration pathways he closed in response to a horrific shooting in Washington, DC. The authors write, “Collective punishment and vilification of Afghans, Somalis, refugees, asylum seekers, or immigrants writ large is not sound national security policy, and it does not bring justice to the grieving families.”