Advocacy
Time is running out for many Ukrainians living in limbo in the U.S.
by Michael Kovbanyuk //
“In June, Russia launched its missiles at Ukraine in two separate pre-dawn attacks leaving 23 dead and many more injured. While the war in Ukraine may be fading in the minds of Americans, these recent attacks serve as a painful reminder that countless Ukrainians still live in fear for their lives every day.
Since the war began in 2022, more than 118,000 Ukrainians have found safe refuge in the United States under Uniting for Ukraine. This program, established by the U.S. government last year, grants Ukrainians seeking refuge temporary parole status in the U.S. for two years. However, it leaves vulnerable people in need of refuge in limbo while they wait to learn their fate regarding permanent residency. …” Read the full piece at the Greensboro News & Record
Let’s Learn About: Asylees
We are reflecting this month on Independence Day and the freedom that has attracted people to the United States. At World Relief Memphis, we often reflect on America as a country of immigrants and displaced persons. Throughout the generations, people have immigrated to the U.S. and established new lives. That continues today!
Asylees are just one of these immigrant groups.
The amount of competing information around immigration can be overwhelming. But World Relief has been welcoming immigrants in partnership with churches and compassionate individuals like you since the 1970s, and for over 10 years here in Memphis!
World Relief Memphis specifically assists those who are seeking safety through various pathways established by the United States Government. In this five-part series, with help from our Initial Welcoming Services and Newcomer Outreach Service teams, we will be sharing the various different legal pathways to the U.S., how those pathways began, how we come alongside new arrivals, and how you can join us in welcome.
Background
The history of asylum began when refugee resettlement laws started to form in the mid to late 1900s. Under the Refugee Act of 1980, the United States created legal obligations to provide protection to those who qualify as refugees (State Dept.). That means that Asylum seekers prove the exact reasons for persecution as a refugee and cannot return to their home country due to past or well-founded fear of future persecution “on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.”
The difference about asylum seekers is that protection is granted to those “already in the United States or arriving at the border” who can prove their fear of persecution. (American Immigration Council). Another critical point is that not all asylum seekers are granted asylum.
The U.S. Asylum Process
The asylum process is complicated, but the more we learn, the better neighbors we can be for our immigrant brothers and sisters. Let’s break it down by going over the key points:
- All asylum cases are handled by the USCIS, such with all other immigration pathways to the United States.
- The U.S. admits around 25,000 asylees each year, but currently there is no limit set by the government.
- An asylum case begins when a person seeking asylum arrives at a U.S. port of entry:
- Border crossing
- Airport
- Seaport
- Once at an entry point, there are generally 2 types of cases the person will fall under:
- Affirmative Asylum: This is known as a “regular” asylum case. This is where the applicant is present in the United States and can apply at any port of entry by filling the official application for asylum and withholding of removal or deportation. The applicant then goes into a series of interviews to prove their case.
- Defensive Asylum: This term references when removal proceedings have already begun. “The applicant is asking for the government to reverse its decision to deport and allow them to remain in the United States via asylum. An immigration judge makes a decision independent of any previous decision by USCIS.”
- Proving an asylum case is a long process in itself, as they must provide evidence they can show to a court or the asylum officer conducting their interview.
- While this process is happening, asylum seekers also undergo a USCIS biometrics appointment to be used in their extensive background checks and security screenings.
- If their case is approved then the person or persons on the case can now reside in the U.S., receive work authorization, and have access to healthcare.
- It is important to note that some asylum seekers are allowed to reside in the U.S. while their case is being processed. Some asylum seekers are also granted work permits as well before official case approval.
- After one year, an asylee may then continue on the path of citizenship and apply for permanent residence (green card).
What We Do
World Relief Memphis currently works with those who have approved asylum status, not asylum seekers. This is because we do not offer Immigration Legal Services at our particular office. Until an asylum case is approved, asylum seekers do not yet qualify for the benefits provided to refugees.
Since the asylum approval process can vary in length, by the time their case is approved, many asylees are already well established in their life in the U.S. At our office, the main areas we serve asylees are in our extended case management services:
- Economic Empowerment: aids in job readiness, application process, and placement.
- Holistic Support Services: aids clients in health and wellness goals, especially clients with additional vulnerabilities.
- Refugee and Immigrant Youth Services: provides school enrollment services, group mentoring, and one-on-one mentoring where refugee and immigrant youth learn how to set and meet goals in their personal, school, and post-school life.
- The Connect Language Center: English as a Second Language (ESL) program open to program participants and the general public. Here students are enrolled in ESL classes of varying levels depending on starting knowledge.
How You can Help
The immigration system is broken and it can be overwhelming to learn about and know where you fit in. While we might be tempted to look away, the love of Christ compels us to turn toward the need — to consistently and lovingly step toward those who are hurting. If you’re like us, you’re asking yourself: How can I make a difference and create lasting change when the problems in the world are so big?
The good news is none of us has to take this journey alone. World Relief Memphis has been present and working in this city for the past 10 years and is equipped with 80 years of connections and expertise through the World Relief’s global network. We have been partnering with you, the local church and community to make Memphis a more welcoming community.
Here are 4 ways you can be a part of lasting change:
- Learn: One thing that asylees need while waiting for case approval is community. Learn how to walk alongside our newest neighbors using the World Relief Memphis Workshop! With courses to learn more about cross-culture friendships, reflections on biblical thoughts about immigration, and more!
- Advocate: You have a voice to change the immigration system for the better! Check out our Advocate page to see how you can share your voice on issues like the recent expansion of the Title 42 policy. This policy hinders individuals right to seek asylum, disregarding the terms of longstanding U.S. immigration law. Read more about what World Relief’s President and CEO, Myal Green, shares on the topic here!
- Volunteer: Want to walk alongside individuals and families here in Memphis? Check out our volunteer page to see what opportunity is right for you. You can do everything from apartment set ups, driving clients to ESL classes, mentoring refugee and immigrant youth, to being in a Good Neighbor Team where you get to welcome and walk alongside a refugee family for the first 6 months of their time in the U.S.
- Give: When you give to World Relief Memphis, whether it be once or monthly, monetarily or gift in kind, you are making a big difference in the lives refugees and other immigrants in vulnerable situations.
Writer: Kara Spencer
Communication Coordinator at World Relief Memphis, graduate of Harding University, & Memphis native.
If you would like to learn more about World Relief Memphis in the coming months, follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on events and volunteer opportunities.
If you are searching for an opportunity to begin making a bigger impact, join our new monthly giving program, The Path, for exclusive updates, virtual events, prayer chains, and stories of hope from the women, men, and children whose lives you change.
Let’s Learn About: Refugees
We are reflecting this month on Independence Day and the freedom that has attracted people to the United States. At World Relief Memphis, we often reflect on America as a country of immigrants and displaced persons. Throughout the generations, people have immigrated to the U.S. and established new lives. That continues today!
Refugees are just one of these immigrant groups.
The amount of competing information around immigration can be overwhelming. But World Relief has been welcoming refugees and other immigrants in partnership with churches and compassionate individuals like you since the 1970s, and for over 10 years here in Memphis!
World Relief Memphis specifically assists those who are seeking safety through various pathways established by the United States Government. In this five-part series, with help from our Initial Welcoming Services and Newcomer Outreach Service teams, we will be sharing the various different legal pathways to the U.S., how those pathways began, how we come alongside new arrivals, and how you can join us in welcome.
History
Refugees are one of the primary groups of people World Relief serves worldwide. To understand who they are and our role in the refugee resettlement process, lets take a look at World Relief’s history alongside legislation in the United States.
1940’s
1944 – The War Relief Commission of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is founded in NYC for churches to address urgent humanitarian needs in war-torn Europe.
1948 – U.S. Congress enacts the “Displaced Persons Act of 1948” following the admission of more than 250,000 displaced Europeans from World War II (State Dept.).
1950’s
1950 – The War Relief Commission changes its name to World Relief Commission of the NAE
1950 – The United Nations establishes the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), also known as the UN Refugee Agency to “act as guardian of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which defines the legal protections for refugees” (USCIS).
1951 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) was created. Originally called, “Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration,” as they were birthed from the migration crisis following WWII, IOM serves refugees in a similar capacity to the UNHCR (IOM).
1970’s
1972 – World Relief cares for 100,000 war-displaced people in Vietnam through it’s network of missionaries and church partners
1975 – World Relief provides food and medical care in Cambodia for refugees fleeing the Khmer Rouge genocide.
1979 – World Relief launches its refugee resettlement ministry through a network of church partners, helping Vietnamese boat people adjust to life in America. World Relief is the only evangelical agency authorized by the US State Department to resettle refugees.
1980’s
1980 – Congress passes the Refugee Act – “standardized federally-supported resettlement services for all refugees admitted to the United States” (State Dept.). The Act included the definition of refugee and gave instruction for “regular and emergency admission of refugees of all nationalities” (USCIS). It “provided the legal basis for the establishment of The Office of Refugee Resettlement at the Department of Health and Human Services.” This Act is establishes the annual Presidential Determination, setting the annual number of refugee admissions.
2000’s
2005 – The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is created as a part of the Department of Homeland Security and “oversees refugee and asylum affairs” (USCIS). Their officers are “specifically-trained refugee officers who travel around the world to interview refugee applicants seeking resettlement in the United States.”
2012 – World Relief opens offices in Memphis to work with area churches and community partners to create a community of love and welcome for refugees.
*Want a more in-depth history of World Relief, immigration laws, and the resettlement process? Take our free workshop course here
The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Process
With that history, consider resettlement from the milestone of receiving official refugee status to arrival in the U.S.
What We Do
Once a refugee is approved by the State Department, they are matched with a resettlement agency. World Relief Memphis is notified of a pending case through our Home Office and accepts the case.
In the days or weeks between this notification and the refugee’s arrival, our Initial Welcoming Services (IWS) team gets to work. A caseworker is assigned and is given access to the case specifics, including a general background of who is coming and if they have specific needs to be considered.
Simultaneously, our Church and Community Engagement staff is recruiting a volunteer Good Neighbor Team of 8-10 individuals to match with the new arrivals.
The caseworker then collaborates with our housing manager to find an apartment or rental house and with the volunteers, sets up the space with required necessities, sourced from donations or by purchasing through a portion of the incoming case’s Refugee Cash Assistance.
Arrival day is exciting! The Good Neighbor Team and IWS staff gather at the airport to provide a warm welcome and to celebrate this milestone. But over the next three months, there are many integration steps that individual or family must overcome. Our caseworkers aid their program participants in registering for their Refugee Cash Assistance, Social Security Card, Medicare, SNAP, and other elible government assistance programs. These programs are key for helping refugees in becoming self-sufficient.
Other vital steps in these first 90 days are the cultural orientation to the U.S., budget meetings reviewing travel debt, the currency system, and how to pay rent/ bills. The volunteer Good Neighbor Team is reinforcing these same principles as they go grocery shopping with a family, support budget planning, or help them practice talking with their landlord.
Once the initial 90 day period nears an end, clients may be matched with other volunteers and enrolled in eligible programs for extended case management:
- Economic Empowerment: aids in job readiness, application process, and placement.
- Holistic Support Services: aids clients in health and wellness goals, especially clients with additional vulnerabilities
- Refugee and Immigrant Youth Services: provides school enrollment services, group mentoring, and one-on-one mentoring where refugee and immigrant youth learn how to set and meet goals in their personal, school, and post-school life.
- The Connect Language Center: English as a Second Language (ESL) program open to program participants and the general public. Here students are enrolled in ESL classes of varying levels depending on starting knowledge.
How You can Help
The resettlement process is not a simple one, and it certainly doesn’t end at arrival. While we might be tempted to look away, the love of Christ compels us to turn toward the need — to consistently and lovingly step toward those who are hurting. If you’re like us, you’re asking yourself: How can I make a difference and create lasting change when the problems in the world are so big?
The good news is none of us has to take this journey alone. World Relief Memphis has been present and working in this city for the past 10 years and is equipped with 80 years of connections and expertise through the World Relief’s global network. We have been partnering with you, the local church and community to make Memphis a more welcoming community.
Here are 4 ways you can be a part of lasting change:
- Learn: There is always something to learn in the refugee resettlement world as we just displayed. World Relief Memphis has a Workshop with courses to learn more about cross-culture friendships with our newest neighbors, reflections on biblical thoughts about immigration, and more!
- Advocate: The immigration system is broken and you have a voice to change it for the better! Check out our Advocate page to see how you can share your voice on issues like passing the Afghan Adjustment Act, creating a just path to citizenship for Dreamers and other long-term immigrants, protections for Ukrainians, Asylum seekers, and more.
- Volunteer: Want to walk alongside individuals and families here in Memphis? Check out our volunteer page to see what opportunity is right for you. You can do everything from apartment set ups, driving clients to ESL classes, mentoring refugee and immigrant youth, to bring in a Good Neighbor Team where you get to welcome and walk alongside a refugee family for the first 6 months of their time in the U.S.
- Give: When you give to World Relief Memphis, whether it be once or monthly, monetarily or gift in kind, you are making a big difference in the lives refugees and other immigrants in vulnerable situations.
Writer: Kara Spencer
Communication Coordinator at World Relief Memphis, graduate of Harding University, & Memphis native.
If you would like to learn more about World Relief Memphis in the coming months, follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on events and volunteer opportunities.
If you are searching for an opportunity to begin making a bigger impact, join our new monthly giving program, The Path, for exclusive updates, virtual events, prayer chains, and stories of hope from the women, men, and children whose lives you change.
Was Jesus a Refugee?
“Jesus Was a Refugee.” Recently, I’ve seen that message all over — on billboards, TV ads, on t-shirts, debated on social media and beyond. Much of this messaging is part of a broader campaign called He Gets Us that aims to help people recognize that Jesus was a human being who can identify with us in our humanity.
That’s a powerful reality for the more than 32 million refugees in our world today, a number unprecedented in recorded history. Jesus “gets” them because, early in his human experience, the Gospel of Matthew tells us that he was forced to flee the threat of Herod’s persecution. He was carried by Joseph and Mary to Egypt, beyond Herod’s dominion, where they would be safe from the genocide inflicted by a jealous ruler on the little boys of Bethlehem.
Many of today’s 32 million refugees know viscerally what it means to awaken in the middle of the night and to flee with what little they could carry, as an angel instructed Joseph to do. To feel danger just behind them. To complete a grueling journey only to arrive in a new land and a new culture with the ongoing grief of the loss of one’s homeland. Jesus presumably lived all of that in his fully human flesh as a small child. And millions today find solace in that reality. He gets them.
But was Jesus really a refugee?
We now have formal legal definitions for the term “refugee” in both U.S. and international law: refugees are those outside of their countries of origin who are unable or unwilling to return because of a well-founded fear of persecution on account of their race, religion, political opinion, nationality or membership in a particular social group. But, of course, these definitions did not exist when the holy family made their journey.
Some, especially on social media, have vehemently insisted that Jesus was not a refugee — perhaps defensive at the implication that their preferred refugee and immigration policies to keep most, if not all, refugees out might actually have harmed the incarnate God.
But while it is clear from the biblical text that Jesus was displaced by a credible threat of persecution, it’s fair to ask just how he would fare under our contemporary policies — as theologian Glenn Butner Jr. does in a new book, Jesus the Refugee: Ancient Injustice and Modern Solidarity.
Butner argues that Jesus largely satisfies the contemporary legal definition of a refugee, but it’s debatable whether the journey to Egypt took him “outside of his country of origin,” since Egypt and Bethlehem were both part of the Roman Empire. Perhaps it’s more precise to characterize the holy family as “Internally Displaced Persons” — those, including more than 60 million people in our world today, who have been forced to flee their homes but remain within the boundaries of their countries.
Would Jesus have faced the barriers many families fleeing persecution face today?
Perhaps Jesus was actually an asylum seeker: asylum seekers profess to meet the definition of a refugee. They say that they’re afraid of persecution on account of one of the enumerated grounds — but they’re not ensured protection under the law unless and until they have demonstrated (to the satisfaction of the governing authorities of the country where they hope to find refuge) that they indeed qualify. Sometimes they lack documentary evidence of the credibility of their fear. Would Joseph have cited an angelic message as his evidence that persecution was likely for little boys in Bethlehem? Would that have satisfied an Egyptian immigration judge?
Fortunately for our Lord and Savior and his earthly parents, there’s no evidence in the biblical text that they faced any barriers to finding refuge in Egypt. But the Gospel of Matthew gives us very few details about their experience there. We’re left to speculate: were they welcomed, seen as a potential threat or simply ignored? Did Jesus learn to speak his first words with a different accent than his parents? Did Joseph easily find work, or was he told that he would be “stealing” a job from an Egyptian carpenter?
Decades later, in one of his final sermons before his crucifixion, Jesus commends certain individuals for having welcomed him when he was a stranger. The disciples are confused: “When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?” (Matthew 25:38). They did so, Jesus says, when they welcomed one of “the least of these brothers and sisters of mine” (Matthew 25:40). Jesus identifies himself perpetually with the vulnerable and the stranger — which, at least early in his life, he himself was.
Does Jesus’ story shape how we respond to refugees and other immigrants?
Whether Jesus would satisfy the precise legal definition of a refugee or not, what’s clear for those of us who profess to follow him today is that an unprecedented crisis of forced migration — with more than 100 million people forced from their homes, experiencing displacement similar to what Jesus experienced as a child — presents an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate love for Jesus himself.
At World Relief, it’s our great privilege to partner with local churches both across the United States and in various other parts of the world to welcome and care for refugees and others who have been displaced. From our U.S. refugee resettlement program’s foundations in the 1970s, we — and the tens of thousands of church-based volunteers who have partnered with us — have resettled more than 300,000 individuals, motivated by Jesus’ challenging words in Matthew 25. As Evelyn Mangham, the cofounder of World Relief’s refugee resettlement program said, the Christian response to an unprecedented global refugee crisis is “simple”:
“Respond to what Jesus said, that’s all: ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger’ — refugee — ‘and you took me in… Inasmuch as you did unto of the least of these my brethren, you did unto me.’ It’s simple obedience.”
Find out how World Relief is advocating for and welcoming refugees and other vulnerable immigrants.
Myal Greene has a deep desire to see churches worldwide equipped, empowered, and engaged in meeting the needs of vulnerable families in their communities. In 2021, he became President and CEO after serving for fourteen years with the organization. While living in Rwanda for eight years, he developed World Relief’s innovative church-based programming model that is currently used in nine countries. He also spent six years in leadership roles within the international programs division. He has previous experience working with the U.S. Government. He holds B.S. in Finance from Lehigh University and an M.A. from Fuller Theological Seminary in Global Leadership. He and his wife Sharon and have three children.
Was Jesus a Refugee?
“Jesus Was a Refugee.” Recently, I’ve seen that message all over — on billboards, TV ads, on t-shirts, debated on social media and beyond. Much of this messaging is part of a broader campaign called He Gets Us that aims to help people recognize that Jesus was a human being who can identify with us in our humanity.
That’s a powerful reality for the more than 32 million refugees in our world today, a number unprecedented in recorded history. Jesus “gets” them because, early in his human experience, the Gospel of Matthew tells us that he was forced to flee the threat of Herod’s persecution. He was carried by Joseph and Mary to Egypt, beyond Herod’s dominion, where they would be safe from the genocide inflicted by a jealous ruler on the little boys of Bethlehem.
Many of today’s 32 million refugees know viscerally what it means to awaken in the middle of the night and to flee with what little they could carry, as an angel instructed Joseph to do. To feel danger just behind them. To complete a grueling journey only to arrive in a new land and a new culture with the ongoing grief of the loss of one’s homeland. Jesus presumably lived all of that in his fully human flesh as a small child. And millions today find solace in that reality. He gets them.
But was Jesus really a refugee?
We now have formal legal definitions for the term “refugee” in both U.S. and international law: refugees are those outside of their countries of origin who are unable or unwilling to return because of a well-founded fear of persecution on account of their race, religion, political opinion, nationality or membership in a particular social group. But, of course, these definitions did not exist when the holy family made their journey.
Some, especially on social media, have vehemently insisted that Jesus was not a refugee — perhaps defensive at the implication that their preferred refugee and immigration policies to keep most, if not all, refugees out might actually have harmed the incarnate God.
But while it is clear from the biblical text that Jesus was displaced by a credible threat of persecution, it’s fair to ask just how he would fare under our contemporary policies — as theologian Glenn Butner Jr. does in a new book, Jesus the Refugee: Ancient Injustice and Modern Solidarity.
Butner argues that Jesus largely satisfies the contemporary legal definition of a refugee, but it’s debatable whether the journey to Egypt took him “outside of his country of origin,” since Egypt and Bethlehem were both part of the Roman Empire. Perhaps it’s more precise to characterize the holy family as “Internally Displaced Persons” — those, including more than 60 million people in our world today, who have been forced to flee their homes but remain within the boundaries of their countries.
Would Jesus have faced the barriers many families fleeing persecution face today?
Perhaps Jesus was actually an asylum seeker: asylum seekers profess to meet the definition of a refugee. They say that they’re afraid of persecution on account of one of the enumerated grounds — but they’re not ensured protection under the law unless and until they have demonstrated (to the satisfaction of the governing authorities of the country where they hope to find refuge) that they indeed qualify. Sometimes they lack documentary evidence of the credibility of their fear. Would Joseph have cited an angelic message as his evidence that persecution was likely for little boys in Bethlehem? Would that have satisfied an Egyptian immigration judge?
Fortunately for our Lord and Savior and his earthly parents, there’s no evidence in the biblical text that they faced any barriers to finding refuge in Egypt. But the Gospel of Matthew gives us very few details about their experience there. We’re left to speculate: were they welcomed, seen as a potential threat or simply ignored? Did Jesus learn to speak his first words with a different accent than his parents? Did Joseph easily find work, or was he told that he would be “stealing” a job from an Egyptian carpenter?
Decades later, in one of his final sermons before his crucifixion, Jesus commends certain individuals for having welcomed him when he was a stranger. The disciples are confused: “When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?” (Matthew 25:38). They did so, Jesus says, when they welcomed one of “the least of these brothers and sisters of mine” (Matthew 25:40). Jesus identifies himself perpetually with the vulnerable and the stranger — which, at least early in his life, he himself was.
Does Jesus’ story shape how we respond to refugees and other immigrants?
Whether Jesus would satisfy the precise legal definition of a refugee or not, what’s clear for those of us who profess to follow him today is that an unprecedented crisis of forced migration — with more than 100 million people forced from their homes, experiencing displacement similar to what Jesus experienced as a child — presents an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate love for Jesus himself.
At World Relief, it’s our great privilege to partner with local churches both across the United States and in various other parts of the world to welcome and care for refugees and others who have been displaced. From our U.S. refugee resettlement program’s foundations in the 1970s, we — and the tens of thousands of church-based volunteers who have partnered with us — have resettled more than 300,000 individuals, motivated by Jesus’ challenging words in Matthew 25. As Evelyn Mangham, the cofounder of World Relief’s refugee resettlement program said, the Christian response to an unprecedented global refugee crisis is “simple”:
“Respond to what Jesus said, that’s all: ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger’ — refugee — ‘and you took me in… Inasmuch as you did unto of the least of these my brethren, you did unto me.’ It’s simple obedience.”
Are you ready to create a more welcoming and just world for refugees and other vulnerable immigrants? Learn how you can join us today.
Myal Greene has a deep desire to see churches worldwide equipped, empowered, and engaged in meeting the needs of vulnerable families in their communities. In 2021, he became President and CEO after serving for fourteen years with the organization. While living in Rwanda for eight years, he developed World Relief’s innovative church-based programming model that is currently used in nine countries. He also spent six years in leadership roles within the international programs division. He has previous experience working with the U.S. Government. He holds B.S. in Finance from Lehigh University and an M.A. from Fuller Theological Seminary in Global Leadership. He and his wife Sharon and have three children.
Compassion & Advocacy
by Hunter West //
Last December I took a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border, led by Abara, a nonprofit faith-based organization, alongside pastors and ministry leaders from around the country. There, I gained a first-hand look at an issue often found in our news headlines.
However, headlines often do not give the fullest sense of the issues that plague the southern border. Oftentimes we hear of the border being an issue of national security though these problems go beyond security conflicts. There is an abundance of humanitarian issues that must be addressed as well.
During our trip we discussed the complexities of immigration policy. Questions arose as to how we can have a compassionate and just response to a family of undocumented parents and documented children. We talked to border patrol agents about how they are overworked and underappreciated. (The attrition rate of border patrol agents is twice that of other federal agencies.) We also learned that a broken immigration system leads to even more broken lives as between 14,500 to 17,000 individuals are trafficked into the United States each year.
However, the most memorable portion of the trip was visiting El Buen Samaritano, a migrant shelter in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. As one of the 23 shelters in the city, it offers a place of rest and restoration for weary travelers who typically stay an average of two weeks to two months waiting for their asylum requests to be processed. It also is one of many shelters run by a church, showing that Christians are on the frontlines of the issue at the border, offering our immigrant neighbors physical and spiritual nourishment in such a desperate time of need.
As my group pulled up to a faded blue stucco building, we were met by numerous women and children who warmly greeted us with gentle smiles and soft holas.
Most of my visit was spent talking to a young girl who took a journey from southern Mexico along with her brother and mother. She is unaware of the location of her father. She is 17, uses Duolingo to learn English, loves Harry Styles, and wants to be a kindergarten teacher. With her English better than my Spanish, we talked for an hour about typical teenage-level things, like pop singers who have weird styles. Yet even if the conversation lacked depth, the interaction did not.
While stereotypical descriptions of people approaching the border may cast them as drug traffickers or individuals determined to break U.S. law, neither my new friend nor the other residents I met at El Buen Samaritano resembled that caricature. The details of their stories may differ, but all of them were seeking a legitimate way to enter the United States and build something good for their families as part of a safe community.
Neither a border nor media-induced stereotypes of asylum seekers; neither a physical wall nor a language barrier could overshadow the truth that this girl is made in the image of God and is, therefore, worth protecting. This is a young girl who is no mere mortal but someone who has a soul, who was knitted together in her mother’s womb, who has the potential to create. This is a girl who is eager to flee the poverty of her hometown and connect with her cousin in the U.S. so she can finish her schooling and teach one day.
As she was filled with the hope of what life could be like in the United States, I was filled with sadness over the struggles she will likely face as an asylum seeker. I knew she would have to show a credible fear of persecution to request asylum as poverty alone would not be enough to gain asylum approval. Further, even if that request should be processed, she would face a significantly backlogged immigration court – on average, expected immigration hearing wait times are now 1,572 days (4.3 years). Title 42 also poses an issue as it would allow her to be turned back for public health concerns. She could also encounter metering, a practice that has been in place for a while now (where asylum seekers may be forced to wait in Mexico as their asylum request is being processed).
In other words, my new friend would encounter a broken system where legal immigration is not as straightforward a process as it could and should be.
Before I left the shelter, I gave her a big hug, feeling frustrated with living in a fallen world and not having any power in my own strength over it. It is not God’s heart that this young girl should continue to live in impoverished limbo and be vulnerable to exploitation.
I also think of Jesus, the holy Son of God who took on flesh and made himself vulnerable to exploitation by the very ones he came to save (Romans 5:7-8). Christ’s incarnation took place because it was not the heart of God that we should live subjected to our world, our flesh, and the devil. Therefore, the Father sent Jesus to not only live, die, and defeat death for us – but he also is currently advocating for us before the holy God (1 John 2:1). So yes, Jesus came to save us but he also calls us to discipleship, living as he lived and lives (1 John 2:6).
Instead of balking at our brokenness and forsaking us to fend for ourselves, Jesus moves toward us in compassion and willingly becomes our advocate.
Similarly, may we not forsake the thousands of individuals coming to the southern border, considering them a national security issue. Rather may we move toward them in compassion, ready to receive them. Further, may we consider stepping into the opportunity of advocacy by praying for our elected officials and immigrant image-bearers, speaking out to our legislators and voicing our support for the individuals coming to the southern border.
And as you do, remember my friend from El Buen Samaritano. Remember we can advocate for people like her only because we have a Savior advocating for us.
Join us in advocacy by signing on to this letter.
Originally from Kinston, NC, Hunter West is the Advocacy Coordinator at World Relief Durham. She works to equip and empower congregations across the state of North Carolina to understand God’s call throughout scripture to welcome the stranger, to identify practical ways to serve immigrants in their communities, and to speak out with and for vulnerable immigrants.
9 Things You Need to Know About Private Sponsorship
On Thursday, January 19th, the Biden Administration announced a new private sponsorship program for refugees called Welcome Corps. Through Welcome Corps, everyday Americans can directly sponsor refugees who are being resettled in the U.S.
Today, there are an estimated 103 million displaced people globally, including 32.5 million refugees. Forced from their homes and separated from support networks, refugees are among the world’s most vulnerable populations.
At World Relief, we know you want to live out Jesus’ call to welcome the stranger and care for those experiencing vulnerability. Private sponsorship builds on World Relief and other refugee resettlement agencies’ existing opportunities to welcome newcomers and is one more way you can answer that call. Here are 9 things you should know about private sponsorship.
1. What is Welcome Corps?
Welcome Corps is a new private sponsorship program from the U.S. government that allows groups to sponsor and resettle refugees. Sponsors will play the primary role in welcoming, financially supporting and assisting refugees for the first 90 days as they begin to rebuild their lives in the U.S. and integrate into their new communities.
2. How do I become a sponsor?
Becoming a private sponsor is a multi-step process that includes forming a group of five or more individuals, submitting an application, background checks, demonstration of sufficient financial resources and more. Currently, private sponsors can apply to be matched with someone in need of sponsorship. The U.S. government is also working to roll out an option for people to sponsor specific individuals they already know who are in need of resettlement from another country. To learn more and begin your application process with Welcome Corps, click below!
3. Who is eligible for resettlement through Welcome Corps?
Over the last year, the U.S. government has developed sponsorship programs specifically for Ukrainians and Venezuelans.
This new program expands on the previous sponsorship programs and will be implemented in phases. In Welcome Corps’ first year, the goal is to mobilize at least 10,000 Americans to help at least 5,000 refugees, and then scale up to make the program an enduring feature of the refugee resettlement system.
The first refugees who will be assisted by private sponsors through Welcome Corps are expected to arrive in April 2023 and will primarily come from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
For specific information regarding sponsorship for Ukrainians, click here.
For specific information regarding sponsorship for Venezuelans, click here.
4. If I become a sponsor, what will I do?
Sponsors assume responsibility for initial resettlement services, providing financial and other forms of support as required by the refugee resettlement process. Some examples of non-material support include:
- Meeting the refugee(s) upon arrival in the United States and transporting them to initial housing.
- Ensuring that the sponsee has safe and appropriate housing and basic necessities.
- Ensuring that the sponsee’s healthcare and medical needs are met for the duration of the resettlement period.
- As appropriate, helping the sponsee complete the necessary paperwork for employment authorization, a Social Security card and for any other public benefits for which they may be eligible.
- As appropriate, assisting the sponsee with accessing education, learning English and enrolling children in school.
- Supporting employable sponsees in securing employment in the U.S. workforce
- Ensuring appropriate interpretation/translation
- Providing cultural and community orientations
For more information on the sponsorship process through Welcome Corps and what’s required of sponsors, visit welcomecorps.org.
5. Is private sponsorship good for refugees?
Private sponsorship opens more pathways for more people fleeing persecution to rebuild their lives and thrive. At World Relief, we applaud the expansion of sustainable, lawful opportunities for those fleeing persecution to find safety in the U.S.
Navigating the process of private sponsorship can also come with challenges for both sponsors and refugees. But you don’t have to face them alone.
At World Relief, we have decades of experience working with refugees and displaced populations across the globe through our various local community sponsorship and volunteer programs. We utilize this experience to equip churches and passionate people like you to walk alongside those who choose to welcome newcomers and the newcomers they are matched with.
If you are interested in private sponsorship and would like to receive updates on how World Relief can support you in the process, please sign up here. In addition, we will send you a free code for our eLearning course “Navigating Friendships” which will help you learn how to build empowering, long-lasting friendships with those from different cultures. Please see question 8 regarding World Relief’s involvement in private sponsorships. Please see question 9 if you are unable to be a sponsor but want to still make a difference!
6. Has private sponsorship been done elsewhere?
Yes! Private sponsorship has been a successful piece of refugee resettlement efforts in countries like Canada and Australia, and versions of private sponsorship have even been part of U.S. refugee resettlement historically. Most recently, the U.S. has re-engaged private sponsorship models to resettle Afghans, Urkanians and Venezuelans. This new program expands private sponsorship to include refugees from around the world.
7. What about traditional pathways to refugee resettlement? Will refugees continue to be resettled by World Relief and other agencies?
Yes! The U.S. federal refugee resettlement program will continue to operate and World Relief will continue to offer various ways for churches and individuals to engage in welcoming refugees and other immigrants in vulnerable situations. Private sponsorship will complement the work already being done by organizations like World Relief, allowing more people fleeing persecution to find safety in the U.S.
8. Is World Relief assisting with private sponsorship?
Currently, World Relief provides other community sponsorship opportunities — such as our Good Neighbor Team program — through our local office and is not administering the private sponsorship program directly.* However, we do have resources available to serve both sponsors and those being sponsored.
The World Relief Workshop is our e-learning platform designed to equip individuals, groups and churches to best serve their refugee neighbors — from courses on navigating common barriers to ESL tutoring. Many of our U.S. offices are also able to offer services to sponsees such as English classes and immigration legal services.
9. I’m not ready to become a private sponsor. Is there anything else I can do?
Yes! As mentioned, World Relief works with refugees and displaced people in the U.S. and all over the world and offers the opportunity to welcome and walk alongside refugees and other immigrants through local volunteer and sponsorship programs.
You can support this work by volunteering with World Relief Fox Valley or making a donation to World Relief. Your gift will allow World Relief to provide job training, legal support and more for immigrants and refugees in the Memphis area from countries like Ukraine, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Iran, Myanmar and other parts of the world. Together, we can extend welcome and help people rebuild their lives here in the Fox Valley.
Have additional questions?
We will host an information session on Welcome Corps during the week of February 13th. Email wrfvreception@wr.org to learn how to join.
World Relief Applauds Creation of the Welcome Corps, A New Refugee Private Sponsorship Program
January 19, 2022
CONTACT:
Pinkston Team
wr@pinkston.co
BALTIMORE — Recently, the State Department launched the Welcome Corps, a new refugee private sponsorship program that will allow everyday Americans to privately sponsor refugees coming to the United States. This extraordinary new program will expand community support for refugees and also eventually allow private citizens to sponsor refugees they identify abroad to be resettled to the United States. World Relief applauds this effort and is eager to partner with the U.S. government and communities all across the United States to welcome refugees, both through our own refugee resettlement program as well as through the new private sponsorship program.
The Welcome Corps has a goal to mobilize at least 10,000 Americans to partner with members of their communities to help refugees secure initial housing in the U.S., greet them at the airport, enroll children in school, and help adults to find employment. World Relief is committed to assisting the Welcome Corps reach that goal.
“At a time of unprecedented displacement, innovative programs like the Welcome Corps are needed to expand U.S. resettlement to the persecuted abroad. For years, faith communities have desired to welcome refugees independently, utilizing their resources and connections to create a sense of belonging for new Americans,” said Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief. “Our hope is that this program expands public-private partnerships and also catalyzes a greater movement of Americans to welcome refugees into their communities.”
Over the past few years, Americans have been overwhelmingly supportive of welcoming refugees, including Afghans, Ukrainians, Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans, and Nicaraguans. The launch of the Welcome Corps helps formally support these efforts and will hopefully lead to a greater number of refugees eventually being resettled to the United States.
“The introduction of the Welcome Corps program is a meaningful step in the right direction, empowering our communities to support vulnerable individuals who are seeking protection from persecution in their countries of origin,” said Jenny Yang, Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Policy at World Relief.
Through the Welcome Corps, groups of at least five individual American citizens or permanent resident adults are able to apply to privately sponsor refugees resettling to the United States. Private sponsors are responsible for independently raising funds to support refugees for their first 90 days in their new community, as well as helping refugees find housing, employment, and connecting them to community services.
For more information on the Welcome Corps or to become a private sponsor, visit the Welcome Corps website. Further information and education is also available on the World Relief website. We encourage churches, individuals, and other community organizations to explore these resources for more information and reach out with any questions or concerns.
To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.
9 Things You Need to Know About Private Sponsorship
On Thursday, January 19th, the Biden Administration announced a new private sponsorship program for refugees called Welcome Corps. Through Welcome Corps, everyday Americans can directly sponsor refugees who are being resettled in the U.S.
Today, there are an estimated 103 million displaced people globally, including 32.5 million refugees. Forced from their homes and separated from support networks, refugees are among the world’s most vulnerable populations.
At World Relief, we know you want to live out Jesus’ call to welcome the stranger and care for those experiencing vulnerability. Private sponsorship builds on World Relief and other refugee resettlement agencies’ existing opportunities to welcome newcomers and is one more way you can answer that call. Here are 9 things you should know about private sponsorship.
1. What is Welcome Corps?
Welcome Corps is a new private sponsorship program from the U.S. government that allows groups to sponsor and resettle refugees. Sponsors will play the primary role in welcoming, financially supporting and assisting refugees for the first 90 days as they begin to rebuild their lives in the U.S. and integrate into their new communities.
2. How do I become a sponsor?
Becoming a private sponsor is a multi-step process that includes forming a group of five or more individuals, submitting an application, background checks, demonstration of sufficient financial resources and more. Currently, private sponsors can apply to be matched with someone in need of sponsorship. The U.S. government is also working to roll out an option for people to sponsor specific individuals they already know who are in need of resettlement from another country. To learn more and begin your application process with Welcome Corps, click below!
3. Who is eligible for resettlement through Welcome Corps?
Over the last year, the U.S. government has developed sponsorship programs specifically for Ukrainians and Venezuelans.
This new program expands on the previous sponsorship programs and will be implemented in phases. In Welcome Corps’ first year, the goal is to mobilize at least 10,000 Americans to help at least 5,000 refugees, and then scale up to make the program an enduring feature of the refugee resettlement system.
The first refugees who will be assisted by private sponsors through Welcome Corps are expected to arrive in April 2023 and will primarily come from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
For specific information regarding sponsorship for Ukrainians, click here.
For specific information regarding sponsorship for Venezuelans, click here.
4. If I become a sponsor, what will I do?
Sponsors assume responsibility for initial resettlement services, providing financial and other forms of support as required by the refugee resettlement process. Some examples of non-material support include:
- Meeting the refugee(s) upon arrival in the United States and transporting them to initial housing.
- Ensuring that the sponsee has safe and appropriate housing and basic necessities.
- Ensuring that the sponsee’s healthcare and medical needs are met for the duration of the resettlement period.
- As appropriate, helping the sponsee complete the necessary paperwork for employment authorization, a Social Security card and for any other public benefits for which they may be eligible.
- As appropriate, assisting the sponsee with accessing education, learning English and enrolling children in school.
- Supporting employable sponsees in securing employment in the U.S. workforce
- Ensuring appropriate interpretation/translation
- Providing cultural and community orientations
For more information on the sponsorship process through Welcome Corps and what’s required of sponsors, visit welcomecorps.org.
5. Is private sponsorship good for refugees?
Private sponsorship opens more pathways for more people fleeing persecution to rebuild their lives and thrive. At World Relief, we applaud the expansion of sustainable, lawful opportunities for those fleeing persecution to find safety in the U.S.
Navigating the process of private sponsorship can also come with challenges for both sponsors and refugees. But you don’t have to face them alone.
At World Relief, we have decades of experience working with refugees and displaced populations across the globe through our various local community sponsorship and volunteer programs. We utilize this experience to equip churches and passionate people like you to walk alongside those who choose to welcome newcomers and the newcomers they are matched with.
If you are interested in private sponsorship and would like to receive updates on how World Relief can support you in the process, please sign up here. In addition, we will send you a free code for our eLearning course “Navigating Friendships” which will help you learn how to build empowering, long-lasting friendships with those from different cultures. Please see question 8 regarding World Relief’s involvement in private sponsorships. Please see question 9 if you are unable to be a sponsor but want to still make a difference!
6. Has private sponsorship been done elsewhere?
Yes! Private sponsorship has been a successful piece of refugee resettlement efforts in countries like Canada and Australia, and versions of private sponsorship have even been part of U.S. refugee resettlement historically. Most recently, the U.S. has re-engaged private sponsorship models to resettle Afghans, Urkanians and Venezuelans. This new program expands private sponsorship to include refugees from around the world.
7. What about traditional pathways to refugee resettlement? Will refugees continue to be resettled by World Relief and other agencies?
Yes! The U.S. federal refugee resettlement program will continue to operate and World Relief will continue to offer various ways for churches and individuals to engage in welcoming refugees and other immigrants in vulnerable situations. Private sponsorship will complement the work already being done by organizations like World Relief, allowing more people fleeing persecution to find safety in the U.S.
8. Is World Relief assisting with private sponsorship?
Currently, World Relief provides other community sponsorship opportunities — such as our Good Neighbor Team program — through our local office and is not administering the private sponsorship program directly.* However, we do have resources available to serve both sponsors and those being sponsored.
The World Relief Workshop is our e-learning platform designed to equip individuals, groups and churches to best serve their refugee neighbors — from courses on navigating common barriers to ESL tutoring. Many of our U.S. offices are also able to offer services to sponsees such as English classes and immigration legal services.
9. I’m not ready to become a private sponsor. Is there anything else I can do?
Yes! As mentioned, World Relief works with refugees and displaced people in the U.S. and all over the world and offers the opportunity to welcome and walk alongside refugees and other immigrants through local volunteer and sponsorship programs.
You can support this work by volunteering with World Relief Memphis or making a donation to World Relief. Your gift will allow World Relief to provide job training, legal support and more for immigrants and refugees in the Memphis area from countries like Ukraine, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Iran, Myanmar and other parts of the world. Together, we can extend welcome and help people rebuild their lives here in Chicagoland.
Have additional questions?
Please email volunteermemphis@wr.org We would love to connect and help you know how to make a difference!
*To receive updates on World Relief’s involvement with private sponsorship + a free Workshop course, sign up here.
World Relief Affirms New Biden Administration Proposal Expanding Legal Pathways for Those Fleeing Hardship, Decries New Asylum Restrictions
January 5, 2022
CONTACT:
Pinkston Team
wr@pinkston.co
BALTIMORE — Today, President Biden announced a series of new immigration policies seeking to address the challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Biden administration plans to significantly expand parole programs for individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela — allowing individuals with U.S.-based sponsors to lawfully enter the U.S. and be authorized to work upon arrival — while creating new restrictions for individuals from these and other countries who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border and wish to seek asylum. To do so, the Biden administration is relying upon the legal authority of Title 42, a public health law whose use the administration has previously said is no longer justified, but which the U.S. Supreme Court has kept in effect with a temporary hold issued last month. Under the Title 42 policy, individuals are expelled to Mexico without the ability to seek asylum under the terms of longstanding U.S. immigration law. The administration also announced expansion of refugee resettlement from the Western Hemisphere and additional new proposed restrictions on asylum eligibility.
World Relief welcomes the expansion of lawful mechanisms for entry for individuals from these countries and is eager to partner with local churches to facilitate their integration, but opposes new proposals that would deny due process to those seeking refuge in the United States along the border.
“We strongly denounce any policies imposed by any administration that prohibit, deter, or limit individuals from seeking refuge in the U.S. as allowed by U.S. law,” said Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief. “Those fleeing their countries due to conflict, violence or fear not only have the right to seek safety and protection but to plead their case to determine if they qualify to stay in our country lawfully.”
World Relief has persistently advocated for the reversal of the previous administration’s harmful, illegal, and ineffective anti-asylum policies and now calls on President Biden to fulfill his promise to “secure our border, while ensuring the dignity of migrants and upholding their legal right to seek asylum.”
“We certainly acknowledge that not every individual who arrives at the border will qualify to be granted asylum under U.S. law, but we must respect our nation’s moral and legal obligations to ensure due process for those seeking protection from persecution,” said Jenny Yang, vice president for advocacy and policy at World Relief. “We are encouraged by the expansion of legal avenues for those who have fled countries where people are enduring incredible hardship. However, such processes should not be paired with new restrictions on asylum for those with no other avenue for protection under current U.S. law but for reaching the U.S. border to seek asylum. We urge President Biden to work with Congress to develop a pathway forward that both protects our nation’s borders and respects the dignity and value of all human life, especially those who are vulnerable.”
To learn more about World Relief Chicagoland, visit worldrelief.org/chicagoland.
To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.