Advocacy News

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 09:23:33 -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.…

Far Overdue! Tell Congress to Reform Our Immigration System and Support the US Citizenship Act of 2021

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 10:45:02 -0500

Senator Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Sanchez (D-CA) have introduced the US Citizenship Act of 2021, President Biden’s groundbreaking immigration reform proposal. The plan addresses key areas that have been ignored for decades. Among its many provisions, it provides DACA and TPS recipients with green cards, setting them on a path to citizenship,…

TAKE ACTION: Tell Your Senator to Pass the Dream Act of 2021

Kimberly Uslin — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 14:14:52 -0500

On Thursday, February 4, Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Graham (SC-R) re-introduced the Dream Act of 2021. If passed, the legislation would provide a permanent lawful status to nearly two million Dreamers – immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. The permanent status would shield them from deportation and allow them to work and support…

LIRS'S Top 10 Immigration Policy Priorities

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 16:30:25 -0500

While the past four years have represented an extraordinarily difficult time for refugees and immigrants, the 2020 election signals a new dawn in America for all who stand for welcome.

LIRS is moved by the prospect of an administration that sees immigration as a strength, not a weakness. The Biden-Harris administration is expected to move quickly…

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

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 10:24:30 -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,…

UNHCR Estimates Forced Displacement at 80+ million

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 12:09:23 -0500

While a full picture for 2020 is yet to be established, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, estimates that global forced displacement surpassed 80 million at mid-year, according to a report on trends in global forced displacement released on December 9, 2020. This is an increase from the 79.5 million that was reported in June of 2020. Continued conflict…

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

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 10:26:29 -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…

FY21 Refugee Admissions (PD) Set at 15,000

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 10:34:38 -0400

Shortly after midnight, 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 statement here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-…

LIRS Climate Migration Virtual Panel, Wed., Sept. 23, 11am ET

Diana Guelespe, PhD — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 09:58:55 -0400

We hope you can join LIRS on Wednesday, September 23, at 11am ET for a virtual panel held as part of Climate Week NYC 2020, "Climate Migration: Understanding Challenges and Generating Solutions to the Crisis."