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HIAS Blog

  • Senator Lautenberg's Legislation Brought Thousands to Freedom

    Jun 03, 2013

    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.

  • Ukraine Develops its Commitment to the Rights of Unaccompanied Minors

    May 31, 2013

    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. Seeing Ukraine’s asylum system from this new perspective allows me to value Ukraine’s comparative freedom from bureaucracy, but also increases my concern about the country’s relatively low level of respect for the rule of law and human rights.

  • Rampant Persecution of Religious Minorities in Iran

    May 22, 2013

    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 religious persecution in Iran is rampant.

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

    May 09, 2013

    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.

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

    May 08, 2013

    “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.

  • Obama names Eric Schwartz to religious freedom body

    Apr 12, 2013

    President Obama named HIAS board member, Eric Schwartz, a dean at the University of Minnesota, to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

  • Invisible in the City

    Feb 25, 2013

    Persecution on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is often the motivating factor for flight, but is seldom the reason given by refugees and asylum seekers themselves. This paper explores the challenges of LGBTI persons in Ecuador, Ghana, Israel, and Kenya. Their invisibility is a survival mechanism but creates challenges for assistance. 

  • Resettlement at Risk

    Feb 25, 2013

    Since 1975, more than 3 million refugees have been resettled in the United States. This paper explores the ways in which refugee impact the U.S.communities where they live and documents the rise of anti-refugee sentiment in three states. 

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