Announcements

LIRS Releases Report on Climate Disaster and Protection Pathways for Migration

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 14:33:14 -0400

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is excited to share a new report, “Climate Disaster and Protection Pathways for Migration.”

The report reviews existing mechanisms for protections, prospective expansion of protections, and presents LIRS’s formal recommendations to the administration regarding providing U.S. protections for persons…

Register by May 17, World Refugee Advocacy Day 2021

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Fri, 07 May 2021 15:48:31 -0400

Registration Deadline: May 17 -- Register today!

This year is a critical year for influencing immigration policies. As advocates, we must ensure that our country’s immigration policies honors God’s love for all people and the dignity of each person. This Day seeks to uphold the legacy of compassion which has made a difference in the lives of…

Register today! World Refugee Advocacy Day on June 22

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 14:49:23 -0400

LIRS LETTER WITH 568 ELCA FAITH LEADERS CALLS ON CONGRESS TO PASS THE U.S. CITIZENSHIP ACT OF 2021

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 09:26:42 -0500

LIRS spearheaded a letter urging elected officials to address long-overdue reforms to U.S. immigration policy and called for the timely passage of the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. The letter was signed by 568 faith leaders across 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, including 52 bishops, Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, Reverend Elizabeth A.…

Inauguration Week 2021, Refugee Virtual Events, Jan. 19 & 21

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 10:53:29 -0500

Reimagining Refugee Resettlement for a New Administration – Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021

TO REGISTER VISIT: https://rcusa.org/inauguration-week-2021/

On January 20th, a new president will be inaugurated providing opportunities to both address and correct the harms Trump levied against refugee resettlement, and to reimagine and build a more robust,…

Guide to New Members of the 117th Congress

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 16:08:42 -0500

There are over 60 new members that will join the 117th Congress. Now is a great time to read about their backgrounds and prepare to introduce your important work to them and their staff after they are sworn on either January 4 or 5. The attached guide is a good resource with bios of new members and leadership.

LIRS Briefing Recording: What's Next? The Future of Immigration Policy - 2021 and Beyond

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 10:14:12 -0500

The LIRS Congressional briefing last Thursday was a great success! We had 458 people register for the event with 357 tuning in live. The audience was very diverse and made up of Congressional staff, faith organizations and leaders, congregation staff, national resettlement agencies, our local resettlement partners, national organizations and think…

RCUSA Grassroots Webinar, Dec. 14, 12pm ET

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 11:10:59 -0500

Please join the next Refugee Council USA grassroots advocacy webinar on Monday, December 14th from 12:00 - 1:00 pm ET. During this final webinar before the new year, panelists will explore:

top resettlement policy and advocacy asks
top asylum policy and advocacy asks
review of priority issues for stateless people
review of priority issues…

Alert: Urge Congress to condemn FY21's historic-low refugee ceiling

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 13:43:36 -0400

Shortly after midnight on Oct. 28, the White House released the official presidential determination for FY21 and has set refugee admissions at 15,000 - the lowest in the history in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. The allocations have remained unchanged from the Report to Congress. You can view the presidential determination here: https://pub…

Organizational Sign-On Letter for FY21 PD: Deadline 8/26

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 14:31:23 -0400

RCUSA is inviting national, state, and local organizations (including faith-based groups) to sign a letter expressing our strong support for a robust U.S. refugee resettlement program and a refugee resettlement goal of 95,000 for FY2021.

We invite organizations to sign on by filling out this form by COB Wednesday, August 26th.

As we gear…