Topic: Colombia

Jun 2, 2016

“People here are still recovering from the last earthquake. To have two more, in a period of just a few hours, was really quite terrifying. People were distressed, both Ecuadorians and refugees here, but we are trying to be a pillar of support for people during this difficult time,” said Sabrina Lustgarten, Director of HIAS Ecuador.

Apr 18, 2016

The powerful earthquake which ripped through Ecuador on Saturday evening, killing hundreds and injuring thousands, has had a dramatic impact on the country, including the hundreds of thousands of refugees who live there.

Mar 7, 2016

In our work on four continents, we continue to be amazed by the strength and resilience of the women we encounter and serve. This International Women’s Day, let’s all speak up for the women and girls who have been displaced from their homes in staggering numbers.

Aug 20, 2015

When paramilitaries invaded Paola's hometown in Columbia*, she fled with her two young grandchildren to Panama. In order to support herself and her grandchildren, she sells tamales made from corn she grows herself. Now her business is expanding, with a little help from HIAS.

Jul 27, 2015

Family Detention ‘Deplorable’ Says Judge By Rachel Nusbaum, HIAS.org Jul 27, 2015 Calling conditions “deplorable,” a federal judge ruled late Friday that children from Central America held in family detention centers should be released as soon as possible. Judge Dolly Gee said conditions at the centers failed to meet the standards set by an 18-year-old legal […]

Jul 20, 2015

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 […]

Jul 16, 2015

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.

Jul 13, 2015

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 […]

Jul 13, 2015

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.

Jul 2, 2015

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.