Posts by aherrbach
Creative Solutions for Refugees in South America
Since 2017, Venezuelans have been fleeing the country, escaping a combination of hyperinflation, lack of food and water, and government violence. In response to this large influx of over six million refugees all throughout South America, Colombia and Brazil have adopted unique measures. Instead of resisting immigration, they’ve supported refugees and welcomed them with open arms. What kind of measures have Brazil and Colombia adopted and what can we learn from them?
Brazil
In 2018, the Federal Government of Brazil initiated “Operation Welcome,” a voluntary relocation program to support refugees and migrants coming into Brazil.
The basics of Operation Welcome
Operation Welcome rests upon three main ideas. First, the Brazilian government works to ensure efficient border management. As of 2023, there are approximately 800,000 Venezuelans who have entered Brazil. Operation Welcome provides refugees with proper reception, identification, and basic medical care. For support in managing the border, Brazil sought help from the international community, inviting the International Organization for Migration (IOM). IOM helps in verifying refugees’ and migrants’ identities and providing health checkups.
Second, Operation Welcome is concerned with welcoming refugees in Brazil’s border cities, as the name implies. Refugees are provided food, education, health and psychological care, and social protection.Â
Finally, a key step in the operation is the economic opportunity it provides. IOM works with the Brazilian government to search for job vacancies and arrange for transportation to various other cities in Brazil, where they’re matched up with a new job. Refugees are also encouraged to work in Roraima and become self-sufficient.
Brazil also provides a “Passport for Education,” a kit consisting of bilingual education booklets with cultural information about Brazil and guides on how to enroll in Brazil’s public schools. Even during COVID-19, Brazil was able to adapt its procedures to continue to support Venezuelan refugees and migrants.
As of 2021, Operation Welcome had managed to find work, schooling, and opportunity for over 256,000 refugees, of which 87% are families. While not yet managing to address all migrants, Brazil has accounted for over 32% of Venezuelans entering Brazil, almost a third.
What we learn from Brazil’s refugee policy
Instead of creating large, unsustainable refugee camps, Brazil has preferred to integrate Venezuelans into the local region. Rather than refusing to grant identification and work permits to Venezuelans, Brazil gave them the right to seek economic opportunity quickly. Instead of confining Venezuelans to the border, Brazil let them fully integrate into the country.Â
So, what is the key takeaway? Brazil didn’t resist Venezuelan immigration—they embraced it. Now, tens of thousands of Venezuelans have found new lives, are self-sufficient and independent, and contribute to the Brazilian economy. Brazil’s programs show firsthand how refugees are a valuable part of the community, and that if we embrace them, we can better address the displacement crisis.
Colombia
Colombia faces a more difficult-to-manage influx of refugees and migrants. It’s estimated that over 1.7 million Venezuelan migrants came to Colombia in 2017. However, just like Brazil, Colombia practiced a policy of integration.
Colombia invests in infrastructure that supports refugees and migrants.
Colombia had initially refused to build traditional refugee camps for fear of slowing down Venezuelans’ integration into the country. However, Maicao, the main region bordering Venezuela, eventually became overwhelmed, and the Colombian government was forced to call in UNHCR for support. Nevertheless, the camp in Maicao is far from a traditional refugee camp. In fact, its inhabitants are only allowed a temporary stay, typically for a few months, but are given all the tools necessary to stay in Colombia and find employment or move on to another country. Venezuelans are also encouraged to reunite and live with family members present in Colombia.
During this time, Colombia has worked to improve infrastructure in its border regions to support refugees. In 2019, it approved the “Second Fiscal Sustainability, Competitiveness, and Migration Development Policy Financing” (DPF) program. Its goal was to modernize government policies and extend the reach of Colombia’s National Employment Agency, allowing over 115,000 Venezuelans to access its services. It granted over 281,000 migrants a temporary stay status.
Colombia’s next project, “Improving Quality of Health Care Services and Efficiency in Colombia,” improved health infrastructure in border regions and enrolled over 200,000 Venezuelans in Colombia’s national healthcare programs.
Additionally, the “Colombia: Resilient and Inclusive Housing Project” improved housing infrastructure and access to housing for refugees and migrants.
Colombia helps refugees and migrants integrate
In 2021, Colombia extended temporary protected status for 10 years to over 1 million Venezuelans. Over half of the 1.7 million Venezuelan migrants in the country received access to social services and a pathway to a residency visa. This represents a major humanitarian act, especially since over half of these Venezuelans lack regular refugee status.
This move also gives Venezuelans the right to work in the Colombian economy. Up until that point, many Venezuelans were working in the informal economy, under the table. Overall, this move allowed Colombia to support the integration of Venezuelans and absorb the shock that this displacement represents.
The situation in Colombia shows the same positive benefits as in Brazil. Colombia’s policy of integration and support has allowed it to weather a much worse refugee crisis—Colombia faces almost a million more refugees and migrants than Brazil. However, these migrants have been able to find work and quickly resettle and contribute to the Colombian economy. When border regions became overwhelmed, Colombia invested money into these areas, not to further hamper border control, but to invest in the future and stability of migrants. Colombia has also embraced the displacement crisis with more positive results.
United States Policy and Title 42
Title 42 is a federal law that dates back to 1944. Back then, tuberculosis posed a major health threat to the country, and thus a law was passed to allow immigration authorities the right to deny or expel migrants that posed a health threat to the United States.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Trump Administration invoked Title 42, expelling over 2.5 million migrants at the border in total. About half of all who were encountered at the southern border in the last year were expelled under Title 42. Therefore, Title 42 virtually shut down the United States’ entire asylum system.
However, Title 42 didn’t last forever. On May 11, 2023, Title 42 expired, and the Biden Administration had to figure out how to re-order the U.S. immigration system. In the months leading up to its expiration date, immigration authorities began to prepare for the resulting influx of migrants. Now that the border was accepting migrants again, many more would come.
The Biden Administration post-Title 42
In response, the Biden Administration announced in April 2023 the opening of new processing centers outside of the United States, organized by the IOM and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The first two centers will open in Guatemala and Colombia, with others expected to follow. In short, these processing centers aim to quickly screen migrants and asylum claims in Central and South America instead of having them arrive at the U.S. border. This new plan works in conjunction with Canadian and Spanish immigration authorities, with both countries saying they would accept migrants processed at these centers. If migrants at the border are found to qualify for asylum, they will legally be flown into these countries.
However, this new plan also means stiffer penalties. The Biden Administration plans to process asylum seekers at the border in mere days with the goal of swift deportations if migrants don’t meet the necessary criteria. Those who are expelled from the U.S. would be unable to return to apply for asylum for five years. The Administration also said that it plans to crack down on asylum-seekers who pass through another country without first seeking protection there.
Supporting Refugees and Migrants Works
Brazil and Colombia welcomed migrants and gave them opportunities to integrate into their local economy. They gave migrants who didn’t have legal status papers, supported their enrollment in schools, helped them find work, and treated them like valued community members. There’s always something to be learned from other countries, and while Brazil and Colombia have different economies, governments, security measures and other mitigating factors, their approach to the global displacement crisis provides unique insight. What might we take away from their approaches?
As we work to welcome refugees and migrants into our community, please consider supporting World Relief and our work.
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Antoine Herrbach is a 2023 Summer Intern for World Relief. He is a Senior at Gonzaga University, studying Political Science, History, and Economics.
Left in Limbo – The State of the Afghan Community after the U.S. Military Withdrawal
On August 15th, 2021, years of preparation came to a close as the United States military began to withdraw from Afghanistan. Intelligence specialists estimated that it would take a minimum of six months for Kabul to be captured by the Taliban. It took them 11 days. Thus began two weeks of chaos.
On August 31st, the U.S. declared its withdrawal complete and closed its embassy in Kabul. As part of its withdrawal, the U.S. military helped evacuate 78,000 Afghans out of Afghanistan. This rushed and dangerous evacuation left tens of thousands of Afghans behind and tore families apart. Today, the Afghan community in and out of the U.S. is forced to deal with long and confusing procedures. All they want is to see their family and the guarantee of a stable future, but this is much easier said than done.
What has been going on with the Afghan community since the withdrawal? Here is an overview and timeline of events so we can better understand and advocate for the Afghan community.
U.S. Bureaucracy Struggles to Keep Up Post-Withdrawal
On September 3rd, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced “Operation Allies Welcome.” This new program was meant to resettle and support Afghans involved in the large-scale evacuation effort. Due to this new operation, tens of thousands of fleeing Afghans were granted humanitarian parole.
What is humanitarian parole and how was it used in Afghanistan?
Humanitarian parole is a way for the government to protect foreign nationals in emergency situations. It serves as a rapid way to let someone stay in the United States and work there without going through the complicated bureaucracy of the immigration system. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the organization responsible for managing immigration status, quickly granted parole to 74,500 of the 78,000 evacuating Afghans. Due to the chaotic and urgent nature of the situation, USCIS did not have many other options.
On average, humanitarian parole lasts two years. During this time, parolees cannot be deported, and they have the right to work. Once those two years are up, they are either sent back to their country, or USCIS can extend their parole. Since August 2021, thousands of Afghans have been stuck waiting, trying to rebuild their lives between this two-year status. They simply hope that they won’t be sent back.
How did USCIS manage the crisis after the withdrawal?
Once the Taliban took back control of Kabul, USCIS began receiving an overwhelming amount of parole requests.
USCIS was not prepared to process Afghans that weren’t included in the initial evacuations. Those that were left behind had to wait. In September, their calls for help were put on hold. It took USCIS four months to adapt its processing procedures.
From January 2020, as the U.S. government began preparing its evacuation, to April 6th, 2022, 8 months after the withdrawal, USCIS received 44,785 total applications for parole. They processed 2,633. They accepted only 114. In total, because of the $575 fee attached to the application, USCIS received over $19 million.
As of 2023, this number of applicants has risen to 49,000 with a total of 410 approved. To make matters worse, about 70% of Afghans applying for parole are still within the country. The U.S. government no longer grants parole to those at the border– they must be outside of the United States. Every extra day they wait for a decision is a day they live under the threat of death.
Special Immigrant Visas
Certain Afghans can apply for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). An SIV is a special visa given to Afghans who put themselves under a security risk to interpret or otherwise be employed by the U.S. military. With this visa, Afghans can seek permanent residence and citizenship in America. Often, Afghans who qualify for SIVs are in dangerous situations. The Taliban views them as traitors and many SIV-eligible Afghans have been killed or are threatened by the Taliban.
The Problem with SIVs
The SIV program is in as much disarray as the parole program. Even before the U.S. withdrawal, there was a backlog of approximately 18,000 SIV applications. As the list kept growing, the understaffed Afghan SIV program couldn’t keep up. Internal reports found that it takes roughly 734 days to process an SIV application as of 2022— just over two years.
The latest report from the Department of Homeland Security found that there were about 74,000 applicants waiting for a decision on their SIV status. Even worse, these applicants are in the very early stages of the application process. They are waiting for the Afghan Chief of Mission to approve their papers and confirm that they did work with the U.S. military– step number four of an 11-stage process.
Additionally, there are only 17,000 SIVs left to give out. Like other immigrant visa programs, the State Department puts a cap on the number of visas it can give out. Once USCIS reaches this cap, there is no way for additional Afghan allies to benefit from this program. However, the State Department can raise the cap, which it has previously done. In December, the State Department added 4,000 visas to the total. Nevertheless, we are still far away from addressing the tens of thousands of Afghan allies.
SIV Applicants Face Another Issue
The SIV application process holds another hurdle. On August 31, 2021, the U.S. embassy in Kabul suspended operations. Therefore, SIV applicants are forced to leave the country; after a certain point in the process, they must show up at a U.S. embassy in person for an interview. Leaving Afghanistan can prove to be quite difficult, especially for an SIV applicant who may already be threatened by the Taliban.
While many SIV applicants were paroled out of Afghanistan during the initial evacuation, many were left behind. So many allies who put their lives in danger were simply abandoned.
Afghanistan Becomes Eligible for Temporary Protected Status
In March 2022, USCIS announced the designation of Afghanistan as TPS-eligible. Temporary protected status (TPS) is similar to humanitarian parole. When a country is facing conflict that would make it unsafe for its citizens to return, the secretary of the Department of Homeland country can declare that country and its citizens eligible for TPS.
Then, USCIS hears cases from different eligible individuals and grants them TPS. It protects them from deportation for 18 months and grants them authorization to work in the United States. It’s very common for USCIS to extend TPS, just as it can extend parole. However, just like parole, there is no path to citizenship or permanent residence in the United States. It’s another short-term solution.
It’s important to note that TPS only applies to foreign nationals who are present in the United States. Afghans outside of the U.S. can’t apply for TPS. Only those in the country before March 15, 2022 – the date Afghanistan became eligible – can receive this status. While great for the Afghan community in the U.S., those left behind can’t benefit. Their only options are to apply for backlogged parole, SIV status, or asylum.
Afghans can also have multiple statuses at the same time. The majority of Afghan TPS holders are also parolees. While it may seem redundant to be a parolee and TPS holder at the same time, it grants Afghans extra protection from deportation.
Family Reunification
In January 2022, the State Department announced a new form that would allow Afghans to apply for family reunification. There are procedures for SIV recipients to have their families join them, but these channels are also significantly backlogged. However, for those granted humanitarian parole or TPS, there was no way to reunite with their families until January – unless their family members were also individually granted an immigration status. This new form allows the applicant to reunify with their spouse and unmarried children under 21.
Regardless, Afghans must once again face the bureaucracy of our immigration system just to see their family again. Who knows how long it could take, or what could happen in the meantime?
Extending Humanitarian Parole
This June, USICS announced a new program to let Afghans apply for re-parole, extending their humanitarian parole and letting them live in the U.S. for another 2 years. They’re actively examining each case and seeing if Afghans are eligible for re-parole. This time, Afghans are also exempt from the $575 fee. While this is a good step in assuring that Afghans can stay in the U.S., it’s another short-term solution.
What Does the Situation Look Like for the Afghan Community Now?
There are Afghans who have been U.S. citizens for years or are already lawful permanent residents. They came to the U.S. long before the military withdrew from Afghanistan. Their family and loved ones are stuck waiting for a decision on their parole or SIV case and fear for their lives.
There are Afghans who were granted parole and TPS. They just began their application to renew their parole status for another two years. While they can live and work in the U.S., they have no guarantee of what their future will look like in two years— they have no path to citizenship. Those who qualify for SIV or asylum brave our immigration system and its eternal wait times. They’ve applied for the new family reunification program and wait to see if they’ll be reunited with their families back home.
As the U.S. government rolls out short-term after short-term solution, Afghans have no other choice but to wait—in limbo.
Hear the stories of Sayed and Hashemi, two Afghans living in Spokane.
Antoine Herrbach is a 2023 Summer Intern for World Relief. He is a Senior at Gonzaga University, studying Political Science, History, and Economics.
What is the Displacement Crisis?
Today, about 6 million people live in refugee camps. They’ve managed to flee from the risk of persecution in their home country, and now they are forced to wait. Often, conditions in camps are less than subpar. Access to water and healthcare is difficult, and refugees are reduced to living in tents for years — or even decades at a time. Entire families and generations have been born and grown up inside camps originally meant for temporary housing. It’s often difficult to obtain citizenship or work authorization, and millions of refugees are stuck in limbo, hoping for a chance at a new opportunity.
The latest figures from UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, show that there are about 103 million displaced people worldwide in over 134 countries. Projected figures estimate that the number of displaced people will grow to 117.2 million in 2023. What is displacement and how does it affect our communities? Here is an overview of what it means to be displaced, and why we should care.
There are many different categories of displaced people.
Let’s start with the different legal statuses of displaced people. You may have heard terms such as asylum-seeker, refugee, or internally displaced person. These different statuses each have a strict legal definition, and each is given different rights and protections.
What is an asylum-seeker?
An asylum-seeker is a person who has left their country of origin and is seeking protection in another country. However, they have not yet been legally recognized as a refugee and are waiting for a legal decision on their asylum claim. When it was founded, the United Nations declared that seeking asylum from persecution is a human right, and doing so is clearly outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. All people, no matter their origin, have a right to live in safety.
The latest figures show that roughly 4.6 million asylum-seekers are waiting for a decision on their asylum claims. In the United States, the asylum process can take from around 6 months to several years.
What is a refugee?
As of today, there are about 32.5 million refugees worldwide. The term “refugee” was defined by the 1951 Refugee Convention. Refugees are people fleeing conflict or persecution. They are unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin based on a fear of persecution based on five categories: race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
Once a person is granted refugee status, they are granted certain legal rights, again outlined in the 1951 Refugee Convention. For example, one key principle is the idea of non-refoulement. It ensures that states cannot send a refugee back to a country where they face serious threats to their human rights.
What is an internally displaced person?
Internally displaced peoples, or IDPs, are those who have been forced to leave their homes due to armed conflict, general violence, or human rights violations, yet have not crossed an international border. IDPs may not have the financial means to undertake such a journey. Many suffer from health conditions that render them unable to flee the country. Some IDPs are surrounded by conflict and stuck in a war zone.
IDPs face similar challenges to refugees and asylum-seekers, yet do not enjoy the same legal protections. They are often located in areas where aid organizations cannot reach them. Their national governments are responsible for their protection; yet these same governments may be unable to grant them protection or may simply refuse to do so.
While refugees most commonly make headlines, there are currently 70.1 million IDPs, more than twice the number of refugees.
What is statelessness and how does it relate to displacement?
Statelessness can hinder freedom of movement, the ability to buy property, vote, open a bank account or even get married. Moreover, stateless people are excluded from government initiatives. Recently, many stateless people were left out of COVID-19 vaccinations or relief packages — they were considered invisible to governments.
Currently, there are around 700,000 Rohingya, an ethnic group which the state of Myanmar refuses to recognize and grant citizenship to. Rohingya are asylum-seekers and refugees like many others; yet they lack birth certificates, access to healthcare, and strict restrictions on their freedom of movement.
Other people in need of international protection
This category was created by UNHCR in 2022 and includes people who are outside of their country of origin, yet don’t qualify for typical refugee status. These people likely need international protection, especially protection against forced return, including access to basic services on a temporary or long-term basis. UNHCR estimates that there are about 5.3 million in need of other international protection.
How do countries address those left out of the refugee framework?
Modern displacement crises have put stress on the refugee framework, showing how its narrow definition, while important, can sometimes leave out equally vulnerable populations.
For example, the majority of displaced people in Venezuela and Ukraine do not qualify for refugee or asylum status, instead relying on temporary protection statuses or humanitarian parole – these statuses grant the recipient the right to live and work in a specific country, but only for a limited amount of time. However, countries can extend these statuses indefinitely.
The sudden withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan prompted the government to grant Afghans humanitarian parole to temporarily reside in the United States.
Addressing the displacement crisis means understanding its root causes.
Understanding the root causes of displacement can help us respond better to people’s protection and assistance needs. It helps us prevent crises which cause families to risk their lives in pursuit of safety. It ensures that today’s displaced will not be displaced again.
UNHCR splits factors leading to displacement into two major categories: drivers and triggers. Drivers are the underlying structural factors that combine, causing a crisis to erupt. For example, there may be:
- Environmental drivers, such as desertification, or climate change.
- Social drivers, such as limited education opportunities or inter-communal tensions.
- Political drivers, such as poor urban planning or corruption.
- Economic drivers, such as poverty, lack of access to markets, or lack of economic mobility.
Secondly, triggers are events precipitated by drivers that leave people little choice but to flee their homes. Armed attacks, natural disasters, or forced eviction are examples of triggers. Triggers themselves may not necessarily lead to displacement; however, their combination with various drivers create hostile and threatening situations. Triggers can also combine or occur in succession, creating a more complex situation.
Let’s examine a few situations around the world and why displacement is happening there.
Venezuela
The displacement crisis in Venezuela can be traced back to the early 2010s, beginning with Hugo Chavez’s presidency. While rising oil prices enriched Venezuela and emboldened its economy, the lack of long-term economic planning became a main driver of future displacement. Today, Venezuela is marred by hyperinflation, and its population struggles to afford basic necessities. In 2018, inflation in Venezuela exceeded 1 million percent. Persistent economic sanctions have added to the already difficult situation in Venezuela, leading to many shortages of food and medical supplies.
Under Nicolas Maduro’s regime, the government began to crack down on anti-government demonstrations, resulting in many extrajudicial killings. In 2017, the UN reported over 5,287 killings by the Venezuelan National Police’s “Special Action Forces.” An additional UN report found that there were 1,569 killings in the first six months of 2019 alone. The Maduro regime has also made it exceptionally difficult for humanitarian agencies to operate within Venezuela, denying much aid to the starving population.
The COVID-19 Pandemic worsened health and safety conditions for the country, as Venezuela was not equipped to deal with the necessary health measures and lacked access to vaccinations or proper health services.
Half of the Venezuelan refugee and migrant population displaced around South America cannot afford three meals a day and lacks access to housing. Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans remain without documentation or permission to stay in nearby countries, denying them access to basic rights.
Six years ago, Morella Perez-Suels left Venezuela to search for a better life in the U.S. Today, she serves as the Education Services Manager at World Relief Spokane, offering hospitality and education for refugees and migrants.
Unique Challenges in the Venezuelan Crisis
The Venezuelan displacement crisis is unique because very few displaced Venezuelans are refugees. Of the 7.13 million displaced, only 211,000 are registered refugees with the UNHCR. Approximately 1 million are asylum-seekers, primarily seeking protection in Peru and the United States. Since poverty and economic downturn are not enough to qualify for refugee status, migrants have fled to neighboring countries seeking temporary protective status and humanitarian parole.
Ukraine
The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has led to over 8 million refugees and migrants fleeing the country. There are approximately 17.6 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, of which 6.5 million are IDPs.
The war in Ukraine was no standalone event — years of political tension and a complicated history foreshadowed the crisis. Russia-Ukraine relations have been generally tense since Ukraine left the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1991. In 2014, Russia capitalized on the political instability of the Ukrainian Revolution. The subsequent ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych allowed Russia to seize Crimea. The war in Ukraine destroyed vital infrastructure and led to many civilian casualties. These factors served as the trigger for the displacement we see today.
Of the 8 million displaced people outside of Ukraine, approximately 5 million have received temporary protection or similar national protection, according to the UNHCR. This means that UNHCR doesn’t legally recognize the majority of Ukrainians as refugees. Thankfully, as the city of Kyiv became safer, the UNHCR was able to repatriate over 4.5 million Ukrainians back to their homes.
Afghanistan
While the recent US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 started the latest displacement crisis in that country, many prior factors had made the region unstable.
Afghanistan’s history is complex, and there are approximately 14 major ethnic groups within the country, leading to a unique system of governance while holds its own tensions.
As well, World Food Programme reports show that over half the population faces food insecurity and acute hunger. Afghanistan is the largest opium producer in the world and therefore faces many issues with drug trafficking and crime. Once the US withdrew and the Taliban again took control of the country, many citizens began to face persecution once more.
World Relief Spokane has been fortunate to support many Afghans throughout the last few years. In this blog post, Ibadullah Rasoli recounts his journey from Kabul to Spokane.
Why are displaced people important to our communities?
What does all of this have to do with us here in the United States? When this hardship takes place so far away from our communities, it seems difficult to understand why it is important that we support displaced people.
Supporting refugees and migrants is integral to American history and culture.
The United States is a country built on immigration. Cross-cultural understanding and collaboration are foundational pieces of American values. Today, approximately 44.8 million migrants live in the United States, making up 13.7% of the population. The United States has resettled over 3 million refugees since the Refugee Act was passed in 1980. Migrants deepen and enrich American culture and its diversity of experience, language, food, and customs. A study by the International Institute of St. Louis shows that refugees help improve cross-cultural understanding. They also help locals appreciate cultural diversity and see the shared values and beliefs across different cultures.
Refugees and migrants support local economies.
In 2017, the U.S. government conducted a study that found that refugee contributions exceed the initial cost of resettlement. From 2004-2015, the government spent $206 billion on refugees. During that period, refugees generated over $269 billion in tax revenue. It’s also important to note that refugees have a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Refugees are twice as likely to start a business than regular taxpayers.
We have a spiritual duty to be in solidarity with the oppressed and marginalized.
Jesus built his ministry on the principle of radical inclusion, of empowerment for the most vulnerable in society. He taught us that to fully capture God’s love, we have a duty to uphold the dignity of such people. Being in touch with God’s love means loving the stranger and the foreigner. Regardless of how far away a suffering community might be, we still have a duty to support them.
He makes sure that orphans and widows are treated fairly; he loves the foreigners who live with our people, and gives them food and clothes. So then, show love for those foreigners, because you were once foreigners in Egypt.” — Deuteronomy 10: 17-19
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.– Matthew 25: 35
The end of displacement begins with you.
Here at World Relief, our mission is to support people who have been forcibly displaced. Sometimes that means action in our local community, helping refugees adjust to life in America, teaching them how to use the bus system, or finding them work. Sometimes that means tackling poverty or malnutrition abroad and stopping displacement at the source.
World Relief relies on the generosity of its donors and volunteers. For World Refugee Day, please consider supporting our efforts.
Antoine Herrbach is a 2023 Summer Intern for World Relief. He is a Senior at Gonzaga University, studying Political Science, History, and Economics.
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