A federal judge on Wednesday heard arguments on a request by resettlement agencies to prevent the Trump administration from enforcing it. Baltimore, MD. In 1975, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) contacted LFSRM to begin resettlement of refugees. The U.S. refugee resettlement program involves a number of processes, some overseas and others on the domestic front. The president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) praised President Bush last month for his “commitment to refugee resettlement” but voiced concern about the level of funding for refugees in the administration’s 2005 budget. Introduction and summary. As a national resettlement organization, LIRS has more than 20 years of experience across the United States supporting refugee career entry For the past two years, Latter-day Saint Charities has donated $1.2 million cash and $3.8 million commodities to the nine national refugee resettlement agencies in the country. In 1975, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) contacted LFSRM to begin resettlement of refugees. This month, Trump further reduced refugee resettlement by capping annual admissions at 15,000 for Fiscal Year 2021 — a more than 16 percent reduction to this year’s cap and a more than 80 percent reduction compared to Obama-Biden era refugee levels.. Since that time, the LFSRM Refugee & Asylee Programs have helped people who have been uprooted by persecution and violence work towards self-sufficiency through essential resettlement services, including: housing, employment, English language, and cultural orientation. LIRS is also part of a lawsuit challenging the order. Refugee Resettlement. Supporters of refugee resettlement gather outside U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, MD as oral arguments in a lawsuit brought by refugee agencies HIAS, CWS and LIRS began, January 8, 2020. Forty years later [Refugee Act signed into law in 1980 by Jimmy Carter.—ed], the all-time low numbers of refugees resettled in the United States is concerning. Last week, LIRS leaders and 243 clergy in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America sent a letter to Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressing support for refugee resettlement … In-kind donations include furniture and mattresses to furnish apartments, food and other necessities, as well as supporting programs for newly arriving refugees. LIRS and their 8 colleague organizations determine where to send refugees next based on consultation with their affiliates about where refugees are most likely to successfully integrate. Samaritas’ New American services help newly arrived refugees navigate their confusing and overwhelming first months in the United States. In 1965 the office of Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) was created within the United States Catholic Conference to direct refugee resettlement activities. BALTIMORE, MD — Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is extremely disappointed that the state of Texas has announced that it is pulling out of the U.S. refugee resettlement program.. Texas will still resettle … 51K likes. Since 1975, MRS has coordinated the resettlement of more than 800,000 refugees (more than a quarter of all refugees arriving in the U.S. each year) through over 100 affiliate dioceses. A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from enforcing an executive order that would allow state and local governments to opt out of the refugee resettlement program. Since that time, the LFSRM Refugee & Asylee Programs have helped people who have been uprooted by persecution and violence work towards self-sufficiency through essential resettlement services, including: housing, employment, English language, and cultural orientation. Refugee Resettlement Program A Welcoming Embrace. The left wants to resume ‘refugee resettlement’ now By Carol Brown I know Trump is rather busy lately, but he’d better keep his eye on this and make sure we keep the doors closed tight. 15 "LIRS, CWS and HIAS File Lawsuit Challenging Trump Administration Executive Order Allowing States and Localities to Block Refugee Resettlement", Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, November 20, 2019. ABOUT LIRS Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) has been resettling refugees and promoting both migrant and refugee rights since 1939. The U.S. actually resettled 11,814 refugees in that time, according to LIRS, and AP reported refugee resettlement was halted in March amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. LIRS, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, refugee, migrant, immigration, welcoming, welcome, asylum, justice, international God’s work never stops. Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, LIRS’ CEO, called Abbott’s decision “a devastating blow to a longstanding legacy of refugee resettlement in the state.” – Today, three refugee resettlement agencies, HIAS, Church World Service (CWS), and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), challenged President Trump’s recent executive order giving state and local officials authority to block refugee resettlement in their jurisdictions. LIRS President Ralston H. Deffenbaugh Jr.’s comments are in a June 3 LIRS news release that quotes Bush in remarks he… Today, three refugee resettlement agencies, HIAS, Church World Service (CWS), and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), filed suit to challenge President Trump’s recent executive order giving state and local officials authority to block refugee resettlement in their jurisdictions. Churchwide office staff are still hard at work – from our homes. The cap is merely a numerical limit and not a goal federal officials are supposed to reach. Inside the United States, nine non-governmental organizations work with, and are funded by, the Department of State to resettle refugees. in the 1990s. LIRS CEO Linda Hartke served as chief-of-staff to former U.S. Rep. Chester Atkins (D-Mass.) Through its network of caretakers, the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program (URM) helps unaccompanied refugee minors develop appropriate skills to enter adulthood and to achieve social self-sufficiency.. Background URM was originally developed in the 1980s to address the needs of thousands of children in Southeast Asia without a parent or guardian to care for them. LIRS, CWS and other refugee resettlement agencies have been working to educate and obtain that permission from communities that have welcomed … We resettle refugees, reunite families, and rekindle dreams. Mission Statement. The following is a statement from Linda Hartke, LIRS President and CEO, regarding Texas decision to withdraw from federal refugee resettlement program. The U.S. actually resettled 11,814 refugees in that time, according to LIRS, and AP reported refugee resettlement was halted in March amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. For 80 years, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) has compassionately welcomed refugees to the U.S. Grounded by our belief in Jesus Christ and Catholic teaching, Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) fulfills the commitment of the U.S. Catholic bishops to protect the life and dignity of the human person. This year’s proposed refugee ceiling is a drop from 18,000 in the fiscal year that just ended in September. (Eric Kruszewski/HIAS) A federal judge on Wednesday heard arguments on a request by resettlement agencies to prevent the Trump administration from enforcing it. The State of MN also has a Department of Human Services Resettlement Program Office that provides input on the number of refugee arrivals in Minnesota. LIRS partners with local Lutheran Services in America agencies to provide social services to refugees and migrants. Once an exemplary model as a welcoming nation to refugees, the U.S. refugee resettlement system has been decimated by the Trump administration since it … In addition to refugee resettlement, LIRS has been actively involved in processing what the immigration industry calls UACs (unaccompanied alien children). But, according to refugee resettlement experts, that number is a symptom of a larger, more alarming problem: Refugee resettlement has become a … This photo, from the LIRS archives, shows three Lao children the organization resettled in the 1970s. The Refugee Processing Center is the creator of WRAPS, a customized computer software system to assist the processing of refugees bound for resettlement in the United States. LIRS is also part of a lawsuit challenging the order. LIRS/HIGHER: LIRS, a returning grantee, will continue their work with Higher, a program of LIRS that will: Deepen resettlement network engagement and strengthen information sharing and peer-driven technical assistance in the field of refugee employment. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Baltimore, MD. The Refugee Resettlement program helps newly arrived refugees, from all over the world, start their lives over in the Los Angeles area. This year’s proposed refugee ceiling is a drop from 18,000 in the fiscal year that just ended in September. Learn more about refugees and refugee resettlement on the USCCB’s Justice for Immigrants resource page. Catholic Charities’ staff members, many of whom are former refugees themselves, provide compassionate services to these newcomers. 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