Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Rep. Ilhan Omar, others encourage US to rebuild refugee resettlement ahead of World Refugee Day
By Emily McFarlan Miller — June 17, 2021
(RNS) — ‘A system that took 40 years to build was devastated in just four years,’ said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
Faith groups press Biden to evacuate US-affiliated Afghans alongside troops
By Jack Jenkins — June 4, 2021
(RNS) — 'We view this as a ticking time bomb,' said one signer of the letter.
Biden raises refugee ceiling, and faith-based groups brace for rebuilding work
By Emily McFarlan Miller and Jack Jenkins — May 3, 2021
(RNS) — ‘The sad truth is that we will not achieve 62,500 admissions this year,’ the president said in his announcement. ‘We are working quickly to undo the damage of the last four years.’
Biden reverses course on refugee cap after faith groups express outrage
By Jack Jenkins and Emily McFarlan Miller — April 16, 2021
WASHINGTON (RNS) — "As a Christian, I’m reminded I should never have, as the psalmist said, put my ‘trust in princes,’" said Matthew Soerens, U.S. director of church mobilization and advocacy at the evangelical Christian refugee resettlement agency World Relief.
Canceled flights, expired clearances: US refugee resettlement in limbo awaiting promised changes
By Emily McFarlan Miller — April 8, 2021
(RNS) — In March alone, more than 700 refugees who were scheduled to arrive in the United States had their flights canceled, according to Refugee Council USA.
Faith-based agencies invite volunteers, donations as they care for children at border
By Emily McFarlan Miller and Jack Jenkins — April 2, 2021
(RNS) — Some struggle to cobble together resources decimated under the policies of former President Donald Trump’s administration.
ELCA leaders call on Congress to pass US Citizenship Act of 2021 in new letter
By Emily McFarlan Miller — March 4, 2021
(RNS) — Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America threw their support behind what they called ‘fair and compassionate transformations to our nation’s broken immigration system.’
Faith-based refugee resettlement groups describe what it will take to rebuild program after Trump cuts
By Emily McFarlan Miller and Jack Jenkins — February 5, 2021
(RNS) — Biden's executive order may be raising the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. from 15,000 to 125,000, but the work needed to rebuild the gutted resettlement apparatus have many admitting it’s unlikely the United States will reach that target anytime soon.
Faith-based groups cheer, share hopes for Biden’s family reunification task force
By Emily McFarlan Miller — February 2, 2021
(RNS) — The White House announced the task force Tuesday morning (Feb. 2) as part of a number of immigration-related executive actions President Joe Biden was expected to take that day.
Court blocks Trump executive order allowing state and local officials to refuse refugees
By Emily McFarlan Miller — January 8, 2021
(RNS) — President-elect Joe Biden, who takes office in less than two weeks, has expressed support for rebuilding the U.S. refugee program.
Faith-based organizations express outrage over plan to cut refugee admissions to historic low — again
By Emily McFarlan Miller — October 1, 2020
(RNS) — In recent weeks, several faith-based organizations involved in refugee resettlement had asked the Trump administration to raise that number to its historic average: 95,000.
Lutherans ask Trump administration to admit more refugees as deadline looms
By Emily McFarlan Miller — September 28, 2020
(RNS) — Clergy in the US largest Lutheran denomination are asking the administration to admit at least 95,000 in the 2021 fiscal year, which begins in October.
Federal judge blocks executive order on refugees in lawsuit by three faith-based organizations
By Emily McFarlan Miller — January 15, 2020
(RNS) — The preliminary injunction is part of HIAS v. Trump, a lawsuit by three faith-based organizations against the US government over the order.
Most states agree to admit refugees as judge hears lawsuit to stop resettlement order
By Emily McFarlan Miller — January 8, 2020
(RNS) — A federal judge heard arguments Wednesday (Jan. 8) in the lawsuit by three faith-based organizations against the federal government over a recent executive order allowing state and local officials to block refugee resettlement.
North Dakota county votes to take limited number of refugees
By James MacPherson — December 10, 2019
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota county on Monday voted to accept no more than 25 refugees next year, after initially signaling it would be the first to ban them since President Donald Trump ordered that states and counties should have the power to do so.
