FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 21, 2023 Contact: Jason Lucas | jlucas@lirs.org Washington D.C. – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today a redesignation and extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanistan for 18 months. The urgent need for TPS redesignation stemmed from surmounting barriers to long-term paths to protection for Afghan nationals and worsening conditions in Afghanistan, including violence by the Taliban and other armed-groups, economic and humanitarian crises, and erosion of the rights of women and members of religious and ethnic minorit ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 20, 2023 Contact: Timothy Young | tyoung@lirs.org Washington D.C. – Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas today announced the extension and redesignation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, citing “increased instability and lack of safety due to the enduring humanitarian, security, political, and environmental conditions.” The decision will enable Venezuelan nationals currently residing in the United States before July 31, 2023 to benefit from TPS, shielding them from deportations and allowing them to work legal ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 23, 2023 Contact: Jason Lucas |jlucas@lirs.org| 240-717-4421 Baltimore, MD – Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) has submitted an amicus, or friend-of the-court brief, with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas in support of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy, Justice Action Center, and Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Resources, ahead of a hearing for the case Texas v. DHS scheduled for Thursday, August 24. These organizations are representing seven individuals who have successfully joined the ca ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 15, 2023 Contact: Tim Young | tyoung@lirs.org Washington D.C. – Two years ago today, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan culminated in its capturing of Kabul, prompting the United States military to conduct one of the largest airlifts in history. The two-week evacuation effort would ultimately bring approximately 77,000 at-risk Afghans to safety on U.S. soil; however, there are thought to be hundreds of thousands of U.S.-affiliated Afghans left behind in harm’s way as they await processing of their applications. Despite an outpouring of public support for Afghans e ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  August 3, 2023  Contact: Tim Young | tyoung@lirs.org Washington, D.C. – Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is deeply disturbed by new reports that Texas state troopers have separated dozens of migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border under the state’s Operation Lone Star. Having worked to reunite over 1,100 families forcibly separated under the Trump administration’s “Zero Tolerance” policy in 2018, we are appalled to witness the revival of one of our nation’s darkest chapters. The development comes on the heels of revelations about ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 28, 2023 Contact: Jason Lucas |jlucas@lirs.org| 240-717-4421 Washington, D.C. – The United States Senate failed to bring the Afghan Adjustment Act to a vote as it approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). As a result, Afghan evacuees still lack a pathway to apply for lawful permanent residence in U.S. as temporary protections for many of them are set to expire as soon as next month. Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of lawmakers reintroduced the Afghan Adjustment Act in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Lindsey Graham (R-S ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  July 25, 2023  Contact: Tim Young | tyoung@lirs.org Washington, D.C. – A federal judge today struck down the Biden administration’s new restrictions on seeking asylum, citing the Immigration and Nationality Act’s clear provision that people seeking protection may apply for asylum regardless of their manner of entry into the United States. Judge Jon Tigar of the California Northern District Court put the ruling on hold for 14 days, allowing for a possible appeal by the administration. The restrictions mirrored previous asylum bans first implemented und ..read more

The House and Senate reintroduced bipartisan legislation that ensures Afghans who were brought to safety in the U.S. may apply for lasting protection FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  July 14, 2023  Contact: Tim Young | tyoung@lirs.org Washington, D.C. – With the two-year mark of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan approaching, a bipartisan group of lawmakers today reintroduced the Afghan Adjustment Act in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Originally introduced in August 2022, the Afghan Adjustment Act would provide a direct path to lawful permanent residency for Afgha ..read more

The following is a joint letter in honor of World Refugee Day from Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” —Leviticus 19:34 This year we mark World Refugee Day, on June 20, aware that welcoming refugees and asylum-seekers is more important than ever. Halfway through 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) raised its estimate of the ..read more

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Ensuring the Safety and Well-being of Unaccompanied Children,” Lorie Davidson, Vice President of Children and Family Services at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, delivered expert testimony emphasizing the need for improved protections, additional resources, and legal representation to ensure the best interests of this particularly vulnerable population. For 40 years, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service has worked alongside the government and with a national network of community-based partners to provide appropriate services fo ..read more