Catch up on the latest news from Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
** Welcome to This Week at LIRS!
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Every week, we catch you up on what's new at LIRS—from upcoming events to media appearances, important immigration updates, and more.
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** Civil War to Civil Service
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Before he became the first Black mayor in Montana history, Wilmot Collins was a refugee fleeing from the deadly Liberian Civil War of the 1990s. Here, he shares his inspiring journey from life-threatening circumstances and bureaucratic red tape to starting a family and paying it forward in Helena, the city he calls home.
Watch Wilmot's Story ([link removed])
Have you downloaded our Gather: DRC toolkit yet? Use our resource to plan a Gather event with your friends, family, and community that centers on engaging with DRC culture. We’ll give you the tools to hold everything from a movie night to a cooking tutorial in your own space! Learn about the history of the country, look through a Congolese cookbook, and make a Congolese Mask, all while learning how to join LIRS in the work of welcome.
Download the toolkit ([link removed]) .
ICYMI: Last week, LIRS released our new report on climate disaster and pathways to protection, as well as several resources to help understand why identifying and implementing these pathways is so critical from both the policy and faith perspectives.
* Read the report ([link removed]) .
* Read our special one-pager, Climate Displacement & Faith ([link removed]) .
NEW: LIRS urges Congress to prioritize the inclusion of a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, farmworkers, essential workers, and their families in any economic recovery legislation including through budget reconciliation. Join us!
Contact your Member of Congress ([link removed]) .
** Save Our Afghan Allies
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"Anything less than a full evacuation of all allies and their family members in danger would be an abdication of our moral responsibility."
LIRS CEO Krish O'Mara Vignarajah responds to this week's announcement of the deployment of troops to Afghanistan to assist in Special Immigrant Visa processing.
Read the full statement ([link removed]) .
URGENT! An increasing amount of Afghan allies and their families are arriving to the United States with no money, nowhere to stay, and nothing to eat. This is where you can help. Your gift to Neighbors in Need: Afghan Allies will provide food, housing assistance, clothing, and other basic needs for our Afghan friends as they await the official services available to them.
Donate today. ([link removed])
"'It is deeply troubling that there is no concrete plan in place to evacuate allies who are clearly in harm’s way,' said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah. 'It is baffling why the administration has been taking so long in order to secure these agreements,'"
Read more in Reuters ([link removed]) .
TAKE ACTION TODAY! Make your voice heard and urge the administration to provide urgent humanitarian protection and evacuation for the thousands of Afghan allies still in Afghanistan who have put their lives on the line for our country.
Send a message to the White House and Congress ([link removed]) .
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