interfaithimmigration.org

Call and Webinar will begin on

Monday, June 15th at 4 p.m. EST

For audio, please dial 805-399-1000

and enter access code 104402

Audio Visual Link is at http://join.me/faith4immigration

Agenda4:00 Welcome

4:05 World Refugee Day &

Refugee Community Advocacy Week

4:12 Syrian refugee crisis & advocacy push

4:20 Central American children & families

4:27 The Strengthening Refugee Resettlement Act & Social Media around World Refugee Day

4:35 Upcoming Legislation, Refugee Funding & The White House Task Force on New Americans

4:42 Civic Engagement

4:50 Questions, Brainstorming & Sharing Ideas

World Refugee Day

WRD is a perfect time to:•Build positive relationships

with your policy makers•Influence funding and

policies for refugee resettlement•Find & energize local advocates

It’s easy to incorporate these goals into what you’re already planning for World Refugee Day!

www.rcusa.org/wrd2015

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Faith World Refugee Day Materials

www.interfaithimmigration.org/2015/06/05/religious-holiday-resources

• Refugee Council USA 2015 Advocacy Toolkit• Church World Service: Refugee Resources• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service: Refugee Sunday Resources• Episcopal Church: Refugee Resources• US Conference of Catholic Bishops: Prayer for Migrant Families• USCCB: Migrant and Refugee Children Resource• USCCB: A Prayer for Migrant Children

“Speech!” “Photo Op!”

Invite policy makers to your event! Ask them to give a speech, kick off the event with opening remarks, introduce a refugee, present awards, conduct a

citizenship pledge, etc

Send photos from your event to your local politicians to educate

them & encourage them to attend next year!

Share photos with your advocacy staff too, so we can encourage

members of congress to be champions for refugees.

Make an announcement!• Ask everyone to call congress –

right now! all together! • Have attendees sign up for your

organization’s advocacy alerts• Set up a table for writing or

signing letters thanking a policy maker or asking them to be a champion for refugees

• Use momentum from the event to start or grow an advocacy team!

Make it easy! Modify the sample advocacy flyer in the WRD

Advocacy Toolkit

Refugee Community Advocacy Week: Local congressional visits June 29 – July 6

• Work with refugees, case managers, volunteers, employers, board members, etc. to put a team together and request a meeting with your Senators and Representatives – or their staff - when they are in their home offices between June 29 – July 2

• You can educate them about who refugees are, how your community welcomes refugees, and ask them to:– Co-sponsor The Protecting Religious Minorities Persecuted by ISIS Act HR 1568– Oppose legislation that would reduce protections for unaccompanied children– Ensure the refugee program is robustly funded and reformed in positive ways through the

Domestic Refugee Resettlement Reform and Modernization Act, HR 1784 and S. 883 and the Strengthening Refugee Resettlement Act, HR 651, soon to be reintroduced from last Congress

• This is a great opportunity to share photos from your World Refugee Day events and invite them to attend next year!

• See the easy how-to guide in RCUSA’s WRD Advocacy Toolkit at www.rcusa.org/wrd2015

Syrian Refugee Crisis: Update From the Region

• There are now 4 million Syrian refugees as the Syrian conflict enters its fifth year. 75% of these refugees are women and children.

• The vast majority of Syrian refugees are “urban refugees,” meaning that they do not live in refugee camps.

• Protection space in the region is shrinking by the day. Countries of first asylum for Syrians, including Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt have essentially closed their borders. Turkey continues welcoming Syrians but their national systems are overwhelmed.

• Refugees are often prohibited from working legally or greatly limited to do so; they lack shelter, food, water, and health care; and, many Syrian refugee children are not able to attend school.

• RCUSA trip report: At the Breaking Point: Refugees in Jordan and Egypt

• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops trip report: Refuge and Hope in the Time of ISIS.

Syrian Refugee Crisis: Key Recommendations

• United States should resettle at least 65,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016, increasing the PD to 100,000

• Maintain secure processing but eliminate delays and redundancies in security checks.

• Identify specific refugees for group processing• Expand family reunification opportunities to allow

Syrians in in the U.S. to file affidavits of relationship (AORs) even if they did not arrive as refugees

Protecting Religious Minorities Persecuted by ISIS Act, H.R. 1568

• Bipartisan: introduced by Representatives Vargas (D-CA-51), Rooney (R-FL-17), Conyers (D-MI-13), Hunter (R-CA-50). Now 21 bi-partisan co-sponsors.

• Reaffirm U.S. refugee protection policy of supporting refugees in host countries to allow those who are able and willing to return home and rebuild when peace comes.

• Help Syrian & Iraqi refugees facing gender-based violence and religious and ethnic minorities.

• Open more processing entities, increase staff, maintain strong security while streamlining security process, expand video interviewing, and improve accountability and transparency.

Children and Families Fleeing Violence in Central America

In FY 2014, a record • 68,445 families with children • 68,541 unaccompanied children

from Central America sought safety in the U.S., continuing an increasing trend from the previous four fiscal years

Arrivals of Families and Children: Update

Arrivals of Unaccompanied Children• FY14 (Q1 and Q2): 28,579• Fy15 (Q1 and Q2): 15,647• Change: -45%

Arrivals of Families • FY14 (Q1 and Q2): 19,830• Fy15 (Q1 and Q2): 13,911• Change: -30%

Administrative Response to Arrival of Families

The Administration began imposing “no release” policies and quickly expanded the use of family detention to 3,700 planned family detention beds, an increase from 100 family detention beds in May 2014.

Harmful Legislation

H.R. 1149-The Protection of Children Act of 2015• rolls back TVPRA protections• changes definition of UAC

H.R. 1153-the Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act • erects additional barriers to asylum • reduces TVPRA protections• expands child immigration detention• limits access to due protection and the asylum process

Congressional Asks to help Families from Central America

• End Family Detention– There is no humane way to detain children– These are refugees

• Ask Members to:– Make floor speeches– Reach out to the Administration (White House and

DHS)

Congressional Asks to help Children from Central America

• Oppose bills like H.R.1149, the "Protection of Children Act" and H.R.1153 the "Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act" which would rollback the bipartisan Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2008.

• The TVPRA passed both chambers of Congress unanimously and was signed into law by President Bush to reduce the likelihood that the U.S. would deport children back into the hands of traffickers and others who would exploit them.

• These children and families are escaping gang violence, sexual and gender-based violence, forced recruitment, domestic abuse, and trafficking. Current process that allow them to seek protection should not be eroded.

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The Strengthening Refugee Resettlement Act

If enacted, this bill would:• Admit refugees as Lawful Permanent Residents (green card holders)• Expand case management and employment and integration services• Create a domestic resettlement emergency fund and help with secondary migration

RCUSA World Refugee Day Virtual Town Hall featuring Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-5)

June 16th at 6:00pm EST

Call-in number: 559.726.1200 Passcode: 489579Please RSVP at www.tinyurl.com/WRD2015 or contact Elizabeth.Mandelman@hias.org

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World Refugee DayTwitterchatThursday, June 18th

3pm ET

Follow and use hashtag #refugeechat to participate

Help spread the word! • Circulate graphic via Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, and websites.• Invite followers to submit questions in advance to @RefugeeAssist using

#refugeechat. No Twitter account? Submit questions via Facebook message to the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project Facebook page using #refugeechat.

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World Refugee DaySocial Media

Make sure to use the hashtag

#WRD2015• Visit http://www.rcusa.org/wrd2015 for

more resources and information on WRD events happening around the country.

Other Refugee Legislationsoon to be re-introduced!

Domestic Refugee Resettlement Reform & Modernization Act, HR 1784 & S. 883

– Elevate ORR within the HHS bureaucracy – Allow formula state funding to include projected arrivals– Help with data collection & assistance to secondary

migrants– Require the federal government to analyze the

challenges refugees and communities face and the effectiveness of efforts to help refugees attain self-sufficiency

– Zero cost

White House Task Force for New Americans

• "Strengthening Communities by Welcoming All Residents: A Federal Strategic Action Plan on Immigrant & Refugee Integration strategy”

• http://www.rcusa.org/domestic-issues

• http://uscisconnect.ideascale.com

White House Task Force for New Americans

• Making refugees part of the discussion

Refugee Funding• The Refugee and Entrant Assistance (REA) account in the Labor,

Health and Human Services bill funds the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to help refugees integrate in their new communities. RCUSA recommends that Congress appropriate $2.101 billion for ORR in fiscal year 2016.

• The Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account in the State Department / Foreign Operations bill funds the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) to help displaced persons internationally and provide initial assistance for refugees resettled in the United States. RCUSA recommends that Congress appropriate:– $3.3 billion for the MRA account– $100 million for the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance

(ERMA) account– $2.5 billion for the International Disaster Assistance (IDA) account of the

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

Civic Engagement

Civic engagement is a key component of integration• Voting and participating in civil society are key to the integration

process.• When naturalized U.S. citizens exercise their right to vote, they

empower themselves to be full members of their new communities.

• While immigrants and refugees who are not yet naturalized cannot yet vote, they can help with get-out-the-vote activities.

Civic engagement work is non-partisan, and does not endorse any candidate or political party• RCUSA members are 501(c)3 organizations that do not

endorse any party or candidate. • You should never mention a political party or candidate while

registering people to vote.

World Refugee Day events are great opportunities to register naturalized citizens to vote and share stories about individuals who

are voting for the first time, to motivate everyone to register to vote and show up on election day.

Voter registration cards, absentee and early voting ballots Clip boards, a visual flow chart on voter registration and sample

scripts for volunteers Commitment cards asking people to promise to vote on election day

and a volunteer sign-up sheet State voter information from your Election Office, including a map of

jurisdictions & polling places Signs: “Register to Vote Here!” & “Voter registration available without

regard for the voter’s political preference.” Tally sheet for reporting your activity at the end of the day

Voter Registration Table Checklist

IIC Contacts by organization• African American Ministers in Action:

Leslie Malachi, lmalachi@pfaw.org• American Baptist Home Mission Societies

of the American Baptist Churches, USA:

Aundreia

Alexander,

Aundreia.Alexander@abhms.org• American Friends Service Committee: Lia

Lindsey, llindsey@afsc.org • American Jewish Committee: Chelsea

Hanson, hansonc@ajc.org• Bread for the World Institute: Andrew

Wainer, awainer@bread.org• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ):

Sharon Stanley, sstanley@dhm.disciples.org • Christian Reformed Church

Kris Van Engen, kvanengen@crcna.org• Church of the Brethren: Nate Hosler,

nhosler@brethren.org • Church World Service: Jen Smyers,

jsmyers@cwsglobal.org• Columban Center for Advocacy and

Outreach: Chloe Schwabe,

cschwabe@columban.org • Conference of Major Superiors of Men: Eli

McCarthy emccarthy@cmsm.org • Daughters of Charity: Mary Ellen Lacey,

Maryellen.lacy@doc.org • Episcopal Church: Katie Conway,

kconway@episcopalchurch.org • Franciscan Action Network: Marie Lucey,

lucey@franciscanaction.org

• Friends Committee on National

Legislation: Ruth Flower, flower@fcnl.org• HIAS: Liza Lieberman,

liza.lieberman@hias.org• Interfaith Worker Justice: Michael

Livingston, mlivingston@iwj.org• Irish Apostolate USA: Geri Garvey,

administrator@usairish.org• Islamic Information Center: (currently no

contact available)• Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, Mary Small,

msmall@jesuit.org • Jewish Council for Public Affairs: Jill

Borak, jborak@thejcpa.org • Leadership Conference of Women

Religious: Ann Scholz, SSND

ascholz@lcwr.org• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee

Service: Brittney Nystrom, Bnystrom@lirs.org • Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns: Judy

Coode, jcoode@maryknoll.org • Mennonite Central Committee: Tammy

Alexander, TammyAlexander@mcc.org• Muslim Public Affairs Council: Hoda

Elshishtawy, hoda@mpac.org• Sisters of the Good Shepherd: Larry

Couch, lclobbyist@gsadvocacy.org• National Council of Churches: Russell

Meyer, rmeyer@floridachurches.org • National Council of Jewish Women:

Madeline Shepherd, madeline@ncjwdc.org

• NETWORK Lobby: Laura Peralta-Schulte

LPeralta@networklobby.org• Pax Christi: Anne-Louise Nadeau,

anadeau@paxchristiusa.org • PICO: Gordon Whitman,

gwhitman@piconetwork.org • Presbyterian Church, USA: Teresa

Waggener, Teresa.Waggener@pcusa.org • Sisters of Mercy of the Americas: Ryan

Murphy, rmurphy@sistersofmercy.org• Sojourners: Ivone Guillen, iguillen@sojo.net• 3P Human Security: Tom Brenneman,

cooperativebydesign@gmail.com • T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human

Rights, Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster

rkahntroster@truah.org • Union for Reform Judaism:

Jonathan Edelman jedelman@rac.org• Unitarian Universalist Association: Jen

Toth, JToth@uua.org• United Church of Christ: Rev. Mari

Castellanos, castellm@ucc.org• United Methodist Church: Bill Mefford,

bmefford@umc-gbcs.org• UNITED SIKHS: Anisha Singh,

anisha.singh@unitedsikhs.org• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Kevin Appleby, kappleby@usccb.org• U.S. Jesuit Conference, Shaina Aber,

saber@jesuit.org• World Relief: Jenny Hwang

jhwang@worldrelief.org