Topic: Advocacy

Jan 5, 2023

HIAS assailed President Biden’s deeply flawed and outrageously inequitable plan to expand Title 42 border expulsions of asylum seekers and allow up to 30,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua who have sponsors in the U.S. to enter the country temporarily as humanitarian parolees – but only if they fly to U.S. airports.

Jan 4, 2023

HIAS is opposing a proposal by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that would once again raise certain immigration and naturalization fees to fund asylum and refugee processing. As the Jewish nonprofit dedicated to welcoming the stranger and protecting forcibly displaced persons, HIAS calls on the United States government to prioritize the protection of refugees and asylum seekers, and to fund that system appropriately, rather than continuing to rely on fees paid by immigrants, work visa holders and their employers who will have to pay a new $600 “Asylum Program Fee Surcharge” to cover the cost of the United States fulfilling its obligations under the International Refugee Convention.

Dec 23, 2022

In a moment when asylum seekers and other migrants are frequently regarded as threats, HIAS and T’ruah brought rabbis to the U.S.-Mexico border to speak to the moral imperative at the heart of this issue: recognizing the humanity of those seeking safety in the United States.

Dec 14, 2022

2022 will likely be remembered in the refugee world as one of the worst crises ever, as the war in Ukraine continues to shape the global response to millions of displaced people. Take a look back at the Ukraine crisis and other pivotal moments of the year.

Nov 21, 2022

On November 20, HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield addressed the 14th annual Halifax International Security Forum. The event brought together democratic leaders, military strategists, security experts, and journalists from more than 60 countries engaged in pressing global peace and security challenges. 

Nov 18, 2022

Title 42, the public health order that was issued by the Trump administration at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that has stopped people from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border ever since, was blocked by a federal judge. Now what?