Afghan crisis shines light on refugee resettlement program’s inadequacies. Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest and LAMA gathered 675 letters for Senators and Representatives in support of the refugee resettlement program.

Send a clear message to the White House: We Must Evacuate and Relocate Our Afghan Neighbors to U.S. Soil!

Fifty-three faith leaders from a diversity of faith traditions in Arizona sent a letter to their Senators urging them to include a path to citizenship through budget reconciliation.

Join in a renewed commitment to build a reimagined asylum system in the U.S. as part of the new Welcome with Dignity Campaign. Take action to transform the way the United States receives and protects people forced to flee from their homes and seek safety. Now is the time for visionary action to restore and strengthen asylum protections and policies.

This funding opportunity is for local health departments and CBOs to partner to rapidly scale up innovative COVID-19 education, testing, contact tracing, vaccination, and other prevention and mitigation strategies with refugee, immigrant, and migrant (RIM) communities. Applications are due June 11, 2021 at 11:59 PM PT.

In honor of World Refugee Day on June 20, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service will hold a Virtual Advocacy Day on Tuesday, June 22. Join LIRS to tell your legislators that you want to see meaningful legislation passed that strengthens our country’s commitment to welcome and protection for those fleeing violence and persecution.

Arizonans will soon vote on whether undocumented students living in Arizona can be eligible for in-state tuition after the Arizona House approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 1044 on Monday.

This is work that ELCA AMMPARO together with the Grand Canyon Synod supported in 2020. For those congregations interested in asylum-seeker sponsorship, this are common stories of people who will be coming to you, although these particular families might already have destinations in mind.

“We are all so ready to do more; we want to do more,” said Kristyn Peck, chief executive of Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, an organization that provides resettlement programs for refugees and asylum seekers, as well as foster care for unaccompanied children and teens. … “It’s all a cycle,” Peck added. Establishing a higher number of migrants allowed to enter the United States “allows us to put the gears and the infrastructure in place to respond to an even higher number.”

The House of Representatives on April 21 voted to pass the NO BAN Act (H.R. 1333) by a slim bipartisan margin. The bill explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion in U.S. immigration law. Discriminatory bans contradict the ELCA’s commitments to be a place of welcome and safety for others.

Join Interfaith Immigration Coalition in urging the Biden administration and Congressional leaders to include a pathway to citizenship in any and all upcoming recovery packages.

LAMA and Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest are teaming up on behalf of refugees to support H.R.2237 aka The GRACE Act. Join the appeal by participating in the ACT ON GRACE campaign.

An increase in unaccompanied children and asylum-seekers arriving at the U.S. border with Mexico has given rise to claims of a crisis. Individuals, families and children seeking protection are no crisis — the crisis is the circumstances they are fleeing and the moral challenge of safe welcome.

After decades of missed opportunities, Congress is on the verge of passing immigration reforms, including a pathway to earn citizenship. Urge a principled approach based on fairness and compassion.

SCR1011, the Arizona Senate Concurrent Resolution sponsored by Sen. Griffin (R - Dist 14) being heard today in Natural Resources, Energy & Water urges Congress and the President to act on the crisis at the border.

Urge President Biden to immediately sign a revised refugee resettlement goal for FY21. The President has not yet issued an emergency Presidential Determination on refugee admissions of 62,500 as was announced.

Join an ELCA-LIRS Letter in support of the US Citizenship Act of 2021. Deadline extended to Tuesday , March 2 - today!

Join asylum seekers in asking President-Elect Biden and Congress to respect their right to asylum and end harmful border policies. Interfaith Immigration Coalition.