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Jul 20, 2015

High Speed Prosecutions Put Asylum Seekers at Risk

High Speed Prosecutions Put Asylum Seekers at Risk By Britanny Vanderhoof, Policy Counsel Jul 20, 2015 It is not a crime to seek protection from persecution. The United States has a duty to protect, not prosecute, those who come here seeking asylum. Yet according to a recent report by the Department of Homeland Security, the […]

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Jul 17, 2015

Innovative Program Helps Refugees Restart Careers

"We want to ensure that refugees like Abulnaser, who bring with them a high level of education and professional experience, are given the opportunity to live and work to their full potential. Through our mentorship program, highly skilled refugees have access to industry experts and the ability to expand their professional networks," says Margaret Hinson, director of JFS-Seattle's Refugee & Immigrant Service Centers.

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Jul 16, 2015

Seeking Asylum Isn’t Illegal – So Why Were These Kids in Jail?

If there is a list somewhere of the greatest threats to America’s national security, children likely come in towards the bottom. Yes, they cry on airplanes and occasionally roam wild, but generally these are sources of irritation rather than alarm. Yet, since last summer, the United States government has been locking up hundreds of mothers and children.

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Jul 15, 2015

Op-Ed: Greece’s Other Crisis

Despite almost daily headlines detailing the dangers of crossing the Mediterranean by sea, refugees are still braving the waves in record numbers. Greece, a part of the European Union, is supposed to have an asylum system “harmonized” with the rest of Europe. In practice, though, Greece is about as well integrated with the rest of Europe on the asylum front as it is economically.

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Jul 14, 2015

VICE: Why Are Republicans So Scared of Syrian Refugees?

VICE's Meredith Hoffman took on domestic islamophobia in a July 13 story entitled Why Are Republicans So Scared of Syrian Refugees? HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield is quoted describing how the less-than-welcoming attitude to Syrian refugees is surprising given America's history of welcoming refugees.

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Jul 13, 2015

Update from the Field: Flooding in Venezuela

Update from the Field: Flooding in Venezuela By Rachel Nusbaum, HIAS.org Jul 13, 2015 HIAS offices in Guasdualito, Venezuela were impacted by heavy flooding in the area, July 2015. (HIAS) More than two weeks of heavy rain this month has caused the worst flooding in 20 years in Apure State, Venezuela, stranding many without clean […]

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Jul 13, 2015

Central American Asylum Seekers Are Still Fleeing Persecution – They’re Heading South

Fox News Latino featured an op-ed by HIAS Vice President for Policy and Advocacy Melanie Nezer on the growing numbers of Central American asylum seekers heading to Panama. "Despite a long history as a country of refuge, the asylum system in Panama is under-resourced and cannot keep up with the volume of asylum claims," Nezer writes.

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Jul 8, 2015

Amid Chaos and Violence, South Sudan Turns Four

South Sudan is the world’s youngest country. Unfortunately, its early years have been anything but idyllic.

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Jul 2, 2015

Support, and Song, Helps Refugees Heal in Ecuador

Daniel*, a Colombian refugee living in Ecuador, showed me this music video when I visited his family’s home. Like so many other Colombian families we work with in Central America, gang violence made their life there untenable. When a local gang tried to force Daniel’s older brother to join, his mother Lorena* decided that their only choice was to flee.

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Jun 26, 2015

White House Honors Refugee “Champions of Change”

White House Honors Refugee "Champions of Change" By Rachel Nusbaum, HIAS.org Jun 26, 2015 HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield (left) moderates a panel on refugee contributions to American society that included International Institute of St. Louis' Anna Crosslin (center) and Nadia Kasvin, a former HIAS client and Director and Co-Founder of US Together, at […]

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