Together in Welcome 

HIAS is planning a national month of vigils to reclaim our commitment to welcoming immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers to the United States. The vigils will provide communities around the U.S. with the opportunity to come together around our shared values and to make sure that our elected officials are held to account.

The vigils are timed to take place between June 6 and July 6 — the respective dates on which the MS St Louis was turned away from U.S. shores in 1939 and the Alien Enemies Act was signed into law in 1798. These bookends represent moments when policies and laws were used to justify the deprivation of civil rights, as we are witnessing today.

When leaders weaponize law and bureaucracy against those seeking safety, we carry the moral weight of what happens to those refused entry — from the refugees on the St. Louis sent into the hands of Nazis to modern-day refugees who have not been able to come to the U.S. because of the suspension of the U.S. refugee resettlement program.  When we begin removing our neighbors to dangerous circumstances, including rendering individuals to a foreign prison without due process, we must question whether our laws are grounded in dignity and justice.

Please complete this short form to indicate your interest in holding a vigil in your community. HIAS will share the planning guide, program content, and other resources and in return, will request that you share finalized content of your local vigil efforts, including the complete list of organizations and elected officials who participated, pictures, social media posts, and media coverage.

The HIAS planning guide and program content are intended to be a resource for independently organized local efforts. HIAS and all national partner organizations do not endorse individual local vigils hosted by non-partners (or non-vetted individuals or groups) and vigils hosted by vetted partners that include content not included in HIAS’ Content Resource Guide.