UNHCR, HIAS, and Faith-based Coalition Unveil Landmark Declaration

Posted by HIAS — NY on Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 12:53 pm

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and representatives of 25 faith-based non-governmental organizations today unveiled a landmark declaration aimed at strengthening protection for the world's more than 40 million refugees and internally-displaced and stateless people.

From February to April, HIAS led a coalition of faith-based organizations and academic institutions in drafting the declaration, known as the Affirmation of Welcome. Next week, on World Refugee Day (June 20), HIAS will launch a year-long campaign to promote the Affirmation within the

Senator Lautenberg’s Legislation Brought Thousands to Freedom

Posted by HIAS — NY on Mon, Jun 03, 2013 at 13:08 pm

For more than two decades, Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, who died this morning at age 89, championed legislation that created a safe escape route to freedom for persecuted religious minorities from many corners of the globe.

Today, HIAS joins the people of New Jersey and America in mourning his loss.

Growing up poor and the son of Jewish immigrants in Paterson turned Frank Lautenberg into a fighter, not just for the people of New Jersey,

Ukraine Develops its Commitment to the Rights of Unaccompanied Minors

Posted by Olga Morkova on Fri, May 31, 2013 at 16:04 pm

After a little more than a year working at HIAS in Ukraine, I was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study human rights and refugee law in the United States. Studying in Washington, DC has provided me the opportunity to know HIAS even better. I have been able to meet with colleagues who do the same work we do in Ukraine—helping refugees and promoting human rights—but on the other side of Atlantic Ocean, where the economy and the values of

Rampant Persecution of Religious Minorities in Iran

Posted by Shannon Hall on Wed, May 22, 2013 at 18:08 pm

Much of the news today about Iran is centered on its efforts to develop nuclear weapons and the threatening stance it takes towards the rest of the Middle East, particularly Israel. However, behind Iran’s menacing foreign policy is a fractured internal state that is becoming increasingly totalitarian. News agencies do not frequently report on this aspect of Iran, but as those of you who have received HIAS’ updates on the Lautenberg Amendment know, religious persecution in Iran is

Immigration Bill Nears Finish Line—and Success

Posted by Mark Hetfield on Tue, May 21, 2013 at 15:23 pm

Good news from the Senate Judiciary Committee: Last night, the Senate Judiciary Committee finished its mark-up of the Refugee and Asylum provisions of S. 744—the Gang of 8's Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill.

In spite of an arsenal of amendments submitted by Senator Grassley (R-IA), which would have stricken most of the good refugee and asylum provisions from S. 744, the refugee and asylum provisions emerged from the mark-up largely unscathed. Most importantly for HIAS, Section 3403—the provision that we

HIAS' Statement at PRM's Public Hearing on the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program

Posted by Genever McBain on Tue, May 14, 2013 at 18:51 pm

Below is the text of Mark Hetfield’s speech, presented at the State Department as part of an annual forum at which stakeholders and the public submit comments, suggestions, and concerns about the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

STATEMENT OF HIAS

Digging Into Cultural Acculturation at HIAS’ National Refugee Resettlement Conference

Posted by Jessica Palumbo on Fri, May 10, 2013 at 10:57 am

Day Two of HIAS’ National Refugee Resettlement Conference: resettlement professionals from around the country gathered for a series of in-depth sessions on facilitating acculturation and true liberty for newcomers in America.

What are some of the technical aspects of aiding refugees through their first weeks in a new country? Big topics of the day: cultural orientation, protection gaps facing minorities in regard to gender identity or sexual orientation, and medical and mental health case management on the eve of the Affordable

HIAS' National Refugee Resettlement Conference Gives Professionals New Tools for Success

Posted by Jessica Palumbo on Thu, May 09, 2013 at 11:15 am

Three days. Twenty sessions. Fifty speakers. Seventy people representing 14 states. Urns and urns of coffee.

This is the annual HIAS National Resettlement Conference, a veritable boot camp for refugee resettlement workers who prepare for, receive, and facilitate integration of the nearly 3,500 refugees HIAS affiliates resettle across the country each year. This year, participants have gathered in Philadelphia—birthplace to the systemization of American liberty—to learn about programmatic updates from resettlement partners in the U.S. government as well as strategies to

The Ultimate Legacy: Senator Lautenberg and Continued Protection for Iranian Religious Minorities

Posted by Shaina Ward on Wed, May 08, 2013 at 19:16 pm

“More than twenty years ago, I created this program to allow religious minorities to escape persecution and live safely in the United States.” That is what Senator Lautenberg said about the Lautenberg Amendment after an extension and expansion of the program was included in the Senate’s immigration reform bill S. 744, The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, introduced on April 17, 2013. “Expanding the Lautenberg Amendment will allow this critical lifeline to provide additional groups of persecuted

HIAS Panel Discussion Urges Strategies for Protecting LGBTI Refugees

Posted by Roberta Elliott on Mon, May 06, 2013 at 13:56 pm

HIAS kicked off the launch of its groundbreaking report, Invisible in the City: Protection Gaps Facing Sexual Minority Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Urban Ecuador, Ghana, Israel and Kenya, with a panel discussion this morning at Human Rights First’s offices in Manhattan. The report was researched and written for HIAS by Yiftach Millo, an expert in forced migration; it was funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.

Five years ago, there was little discussion of