Churches preparing to welcome asylum seekers in Ohio
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Immigration Response in OhioGood afternoon,

In February, I organized an event called Immigration Response, which
gathered around 100 church leaders from Northeast Ohio to talk about how
to better prepare for the arrival of asylum seekers in the state. So
far, small, mostly Latino churches have been responding to the arrival
of asylum seekers, often very suddenly as they get calls in the middle
of the night alerting them to new arrivals being dropped off in parking
lots. Complicated processes and a lack of communication between federal,
state, and local officials have made welcoming new asylum seekers to
cities difficult. If cities were able to prepare in advance and knew
people were coming, they would have time to create space and better help
welcome them into the community. Church leaders in Northeast Ohio
decided to do just that and prepare a network of their fellow leaders in
the area. 

After hearing that churches with language proximity were assisting with
the majority of new arrivals, this group of church leaders and I decided
to make the arrival of asylum seekers in Ohio more widely known in the
community. Cleveland pastors, city officials, and other leaders gathered
to discuss a better way to respond and serve. Leaders learned about what
is happening in Cleveland, received immigration explainers, heard
testimonies from asylum seekers, and learned about theological
foundations for welcoming immigrants. We called for people to join
networks and build bridges, so that as people arrive, we are prepared to
welcome them.

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**Church leaders gathered in Cleveland to learn about how their
communities can better welcome asylum seekers in Ohio. (Source: Christy
Staats)**

The first gathering has inspired a group of pastors and nonprofit
leaders to lead a second gathering where leaders will work together on
areas that need to be addressed such as the provision of legal services,
housing, work permits, advocacy, and more.  

The world is on the move. There are 108 million globally displaced
people in the world
, which
is almost double the number from the past decade. People are crossing
borders everywhere looking for safety and hope for their children's
future. Many are crossing the US-Mexico border. Our politics are a mess
with political wars and confusing policies, and in the middle of the
chaos, migrants are being transported

from Texas to New York, from New York to Ohio. What we are really
talking about are people... human beings.

The border might be complicated. We know our federal and state politics
are complicated. But responding to people in need should be something we
move towards as we figure out the complications along the way.

Cleveland and Northeast Ohio can be the blueprint that shows state and
federal officials how communities across the country can band together
to welcome. We can also use our voices and call elected officials to
better support comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform.

We can lead the call for reasonable immigration reforms that both
address border security needs as well as treat asylum seekers with
dignity and respect. As those of us who are Christians deeply believe
that people are made in God's image and have dignity and worth, this
belief can drive the way we seek and call for solutions. 

Stay healthy and hopeful,

Christy

**Christy Staats**
Bibles, Badges, and Business
Mobilizer OH-PA-IN-KY
National Immigration Forum 

**NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:**

**CLEVELAND 19 NEWS:**Community leaders meet to coordinate support for
asylum seekers in Northeast Ohio

**CBS NEWS:**Texas immigration law blocked again, just hours after
Supreme Court allowed state to arrest migrants

**AP:**Negotiators race to finish government funding bills after
reaching deal on Homeland Security bill

**THE TEXAS TRIBUNE:**El Paso judge blocks Ken Paxton's efforts to
subpoena Annunciation House

**AXIOS:**How immigration is driving U.S. job growth

**NBC NEWS:**Biden's proposed budget includes $4.7 billion emergency
fund for border migrant surges

** **

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