“More than 50,000 unaccompanied children from Central America crossed into the U.S. from Mexico in fiscal year 2014 alone. We owe it to those kids to ensure they won’t be sent back into an unsafe situation by mistake or oversight,” said HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield.
A group of more than 30 NGOs who work on refugee, migration and human rights issues issued a joint statement urging that the upcoming high level meeting on refugees and migrants at the United Nations General Assembly affirm a few basic principles.
Eid al-Fitr is a Muslim celebration held at the end of the month-long period of fasting known as Ramadan. It’s a day of togetherness, when families and neighbors gather, all in their best clothes. There are lights, and candy for the kids, and a general atmosphere of festiveness that resembles Christmas or Hanukah.
So much of what I saw in these refugee camps was artificial–buildings that don’t belong in the middle of a desert, and people who don’t belong in the camps. By empowering refugees to become agents of change in their own communities, HIAS is helping to restore their dignity and self-sufficiency.
After escaping persecution in Eritrea, Asmait made her way to Israel, where she became a custodian in a neighborhood school. Despite her hard work, the students teased her ruthlessly. Their attitudes changed only after a teacher asked Asmait to share her story with them. “It felt strengthening,” explained Asmait. “I knew then that the reason people are not happy to see us is just because they do not know our story.”
Marina Berger, a personal chef, got involved with HIAS after hearing her rabbi speak about the Syrian refugee crisis during Yom Kippur services last fall. She recognized a familiar name among the organizations that were mentioned as helping refugees in the United States. “HIAS resettled my parents, brother and extended family when they emigrated from the Soviet Union in the 1970s,” Berger said.
Laughter. Face painting. A few spunky kids telling jokes. It was the kind of scene you’d expect at a party for children anywhere around the world. This one just happened to be in Kampala, Uganda and most of the children enjoying the festivities were, in fact, refugees.
The Refugee Protection Act of 2016—introduced today by Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Representative Zoe Lofgren of California—would provide critical protections, including ensuring due process for refugees and asylum seekers and allowing more refugee families to stay together. The bill would also modernize our refugee resettlement program and simplify asylum procedures, providing much needed reforms.
Even more than the perpetual smile on his face, Sebazira Amatutule is known for his eagerness to help others. After 17 years in a refugee camp, Amatutule was resettled to the U.S. with his two children. Despite working full time as a landscaper and raising two kids on his own, he always makes time to help anyone who asks. Amatutule’s inspiring story is now part of a photography exhibition at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles.
Last month, the Brookings Institution released polling results showing that a majority of Americans support opening their doors to refugees escaping conflict in the Middle East.
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