HIAS Welcomes "Gang of Eight" Immigration Reform Legislation, Celebrates Proposed Improvements to Refugee & Asylum Laws

Posted on Wed, Apr 17, 2013 at 13:31 pm

(New York, NY) – HIAS, the global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees, welcomes today's introduction of bipartisan legislation in the Senate to reform the U.S. immigration system. Mark Hetfield, HIAS’ President and CEO, said, “We are thrilled that this legislation was introduced and especially pleased that there are several humanitarian fixes for refugees and asylum seekers in this new legislation, which offers a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, modernizes the immigration system, strengthens our economy, protects families, treats

One Hundred Jewish Organizations Send Pre-Passover Message to President and Congress: Fix Our Broken Immigration System

Posted on Fri, Mar 22, 2013 at 13:29 pm

(Washington, DC) – On the eve of Passover, the Jewish festival of freedom, 100 Jewish organizations and leaders – including 19 national Jewish organizations – signed a letter that was sent today to President Obama and Congress calling for an overhaul of “our nation’s broken immigration system.” Drafted, organized, and circulated by HIAS, the global migration agency of the American Jewish community, the letter represents a wide partnership of Jewish organizations anchored by the “We Were Strangers, Too:

HIAS Welcomes Extension of Lautenberg Amendment to Protect Religious Minorities in Iran and Former Soviet Union

Posted on Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 15:48 pm

(New York, NY) – HIAS, the international migration agency of the American Jewish community, applauds the passage of the most recent stopgap spending legislation, which is expected to be signed by President Obama in the coming days. This legislation renews the Lautenberg Amendment, which allows Jews and other historically persecuted religious minorities from Iran and the former Soviet Union (FSU) to come to the U.S. as refugees. It had expired on September 30, 2012.

The spending bill – known

We Are All Refugees: A guide for "welcoming the stranger" to your seder table

Posted on Tue, Mar 19, 2013 at 11:13 am

We Jews are all refugees. That understanding is fundamental to our religion, and it is why we are commanded to relive the Exodus every year at our seder tables.For Passover 2013, HIAS offers you “We are All Refugees: A guide for 'welcoming the stranger’ to your seder table.” We hope this tool, created specifically to honor the refugees among us, will enrich your Passover experience with an additional layer of information and immediacy.

HIAS at White House to Discuss Immigration Reform with President Obama

Posted on Fri, Mar 08, 2013 at 15:42 pm

(New York, NY) – Mark Hetfield, President & CEO of HIAS, was one of 14 leaders of faith-based organizations invited to meet with President Obama today to discuss his commitment to Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR). HIAS, the global migration agency of the American Jewish community, was the only Jewish organization present at the meeting.

The President emphasized the great importance of CIR to his Administration and the faith groups in the dialogue agreed it is their highest priority.

Hetfield urged the

HIAS Response to First Senate Immigration Hearing of New Congress: Fix the Refugee System!

Posted on Wed, Feb 13, 2013 at 17:39 pm

(New York, NY) – HIAS, the global migration agency of the American Jewish community, welcomes today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” as an important step toward fixing our country’s broken immigration system.

Especially gratifying were the remarks of Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), who cited examples such as the contributions of former HIAS client Sergey Brin of Google and Jerry Yang of Yahoo! to illustrate the importance of “encouraging family immigration to this country so that people who dream

HIAS Urges Congress Not to Leave Refugees Out of Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Posted on Thu, Feb 07, 2013 at 16:14 pm

(New York, NY) – HIAS today released Resettlement at Risk: Meeting Emerging Challenges to Refugee Resettlement in Local Communities, a special report on the increasing resistance to refugee resettlement in communities across the country. The report, the first of its kind on the subject, was funded by a special grant from the J.M. Kaplan Fund.

This report comes on the heels of the President’s call for immediate comprehensive immigration reform and the bi-partisan framework proposed by eight senators, both

Mark Hetfield Named President & CEO of HIAS

Posted on Mon, Feb 04, 2013 at 13:10 pm

 (New York, NY) – Mark Hetfield today was named President & CEO of HIAS, the global migration agency of the American Jewish community, effective immediately. The announcement was made by HIAS Chairman Marc Silberberg, following a unanimous vote by the HIAS Board of Directors. Hetfield was most recently HIAS’ Interim President & CEO while an extensive national and international search to fill the agency’s top position was conducted by a specially appointed board committee in collaboration with a search firm.

HIAS Welcomes President Obama's Plan for Immediate Immigration Reform

Posted on Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 17:38 pm

(New York, NY) — HIAS, the global migration agency of the American Jewish community, applauds President Obama for his critically important speech today in Las Vegas. The President stated that “most Americans agree that it’s time to fix the system that’s been broken for way too long.” HIAS is appreciative that his plan includes dealing with the 11 million individuals who are here illegally with an earned pathway to citizenship and modernizing our legal immigration system so that families do not have

HIAS Welcomes Bipartisan Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Urges Reform of Refugee and Asylum Laws

Posted on Mon, Jan 28, 2013 at 14:20 pm

(New York, NY) – HIAS, the global migration agency of the American Jewish community, welcomes the Bipartisan Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform released today with the support of Senators Schumer (D-NY), McCain (R-AZ), Durbin (D-IL), Graham (R-SC), Menendez (D-NJ), Rubio (R-FL), Bennet (D-CO), and Flake (R-AZ). While we await the actual legislative language, HIAS is grateful for the leadership of these senators and for their reaching agreement on key issues: There must be a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants