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. Eaton, Chair of the Conference of Bishops of the ELCA, Bishop Tracie Bartholomew, President and CEO of Lutheran Services in America, Charlotte…

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, improves the family reunification process by reducing visa backlogs, and creates a pathway to earned citizenship for approximately 11 million immigrants in…

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 their families. After meeting certain educational and background check requirements, they could continue on a path to earn their U.S. citizenship.It has…

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 through executive action on key reversals, such as reinstating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals [DACA], resuscitating the asylum process, and…

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, inclusive, and equitable resettlement program.

Refugee Council USA (RCUSA) and Center for Migration Studies New York (CMSNY) conducted a series of national…

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 and persecution, COVID-19 measures and fewer durable solutions are all factors that have led to the increase.

View UNHCR's Mid-Year Trends report here.…

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 tanks, and a few universities.

During the briefing, LIRS rolled out a list of advocacy priorities for the next administration. Links to a short clip…

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-actions/presidential-determination-refugee-admissions-fiscal-year-2021/

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."

Register here.