Posted Feb. 11, 2025
Dear faith partners,
Now is the time to speak up on behalf of our neighbors seeking safety and new beginnings in the United States. As faith leaders and organizations, we are called to love our neighbor, welcome the sojourner, and care for the vulnerable.
According to the U.N. Refugee Agency, UNHCR, over 120 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide in 2024 due to war, conflict, and persecution—including more than 37 million refugees. The administration’s decision to fully suspend refugee resettlement has left thousands of refugees stranded overseas, while ongoing uncertainty following the stop-work order has further impacted core services to refugees who have already arrived in the United States.
Join us in taking action by signing on to a letter Supporting Refugee Resettlement drafted in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Interfaith Immigration Coalition.
Read the SIGN ON LETTER:
Faith Sign On Letter Supporting Refugee Resettlement
Complete the SIGN ON FORM:
FAITH LEADERS SIGN HERE
FAITH ORGS SIGN HERE
We are so grateful for your solidarity in this time,
Deacon Sarah Kretschmann
Congregational Engagement Specialist
P.S. My last day with Global Refuge is March 7, 2025. If you have further questions relating to faith relations, please email [email protected].
Posted Feb. 6, 2025
As many of you have seen, Lutheran service providers were attacked on social media—with high-profile accounts making derogatory comments about our services and spreading lies about our work of welcome.
Global Refuge condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the false accusations lodged against our humanitarian work. Rooted in our proud Lutheran heritage, Global Refuge and our dedicated network of providers stand ready to continue our work of welcoming families who need to resettle in our country, helping ensure they learn our language, secure jobs that help our economy grow, and quickly become vital contributors to communities. To do otherwise would run contrary to the spirit of our Christian faith, America’s identity as a nation of immigrants, and our role as a global humanitarian leader. (Read our full statement.)
Proving that every cloud has a silver lining, we have been heartened by the response of Lutheran and other faith communities who support our work and our Biblical call to welcome the stranger. We know that many members of our community are fired up and ready to defend the work of Global Refuge and other Lutheran organizations that do so much good in their communities.
That’s why we’d like to invite you to harness that energy and invite your congregations to take action today.
Contact your members of Congress today to urge the new administration to lift the suspension on refugee resettlement and to enable us to keep our promises to our clients.
Our call to welcome transcends politics and policy—we are doing everything we can to support our newest neighbors. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions, and we’ll be in touch with more opportunities as they arise.
In solidarity,
Deacon Sarah Kretschmann
Congregational Engagement Specialist
Advocate for love of neighbor
For decades, the United States has welcomed refugees fleeing violence, conflict, or persecution in their home countries. The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is the long-standing system to vet, process, resettle, and support refugees arriving in the United States.
Refugees pass rigorous background checks and are interviewed overseas. Through the USRAP, the federal government partners with states, local communities, and nonprofit organizations including many faith-based organizations to provide integration support, such as English language classes and job training, to assist refugees on the road to rebuilding their lives and contributing to local American communities.
Just over a week ago, Global Refuge and other resettlement agencies received an order from the State Department about our funding for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, effectively cutting off vital support to not only refugees who have not yet been placed, but families who have already lawfully resettled in the United States. This includes Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders. Nationally, we have nearly 6,000 refugees who have arrived in the United States in the last 90 days who are now in need of critical support that can now only come from private sources. While we were anticipating a pause of the refugee resettlement program, this stop- work order for clients in our care has come as an unexpected blow.
Help us fill in critical gaps in funding.
With government funding halted, immigrant and refugee families are fearful for their futures—and we all feel the urgency to do more to help them. There are two ways faith communities can support Global Refuge we would like to highlight.
- Many faith communities have endowment or benevolence funds which support projects that enhance and extend the life and mission of the congregation.
If you know of an opportunity for Global Refuge to submit a request for funds to your community or others, please email [email protected] with more information. - Our new peer-to-peer giving platform is a way for your congregations and networks to rally together and take meaningful action to support our newest neighbors. In just a few clicks, you can create a campaign to raise awareness about the challenges facing refugees right now--and the dire situation our country is facing. Once your page is live, send it to your friends, family, colleagues, faith community, and social networks, inviting them to join you in supporting Global Refuge and the families we serve.
Start your campaign here.
Posted Jan. 28, 2025
On Friday, Global Refuge (formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service) received a stop-work order from the government calling for them to immediately stop serving the nearly 6,000 newly arrived refugees in their care. This stop-work order means that government funding that provides food, housing, education, job placement, healthcare, and basic needs – has come to an immediate halt. These children and families fled war, violence, or persecution and came to the United States lawfully through the official U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. They arrived with little more than the clothes on their backs and now the support they rely on -the support they’d been promised- is being pulled out from under them.
With this abrupt and unprecedented cutoff of federal funding, we must now rely solely on the generosity of private donors and supporters to fill in the gaps. Join us in standing with these families to let them know that when promised protections for them fail, communities like ours rise.
- Join us for a Webinar – Global Refuge and ELCA AMMPARO will host a webinar Jan 30, 2025 03:00 PM CT to share about recent executive orders that impact the lives of refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants. Resources will be shared and opportunities for engagement and action will be covered.
- Support Refugees with a gift – If you or communities you’re connected with are willing to support financially, please use/share this link.
- Write your Representative – Ask representatives pull back on this ban on supporting refugees.
- Learn more and Advocate - Explore resources with more information about executive orders and accompanying actions.
- Know Your Rights - Our partners at AMMPARO have a great resource for communities to read about their rights and those of immigrants in their care.
Many thanks for your partnership,
Deacon Sarah
+Deacon Sarah Kretschmann, MDiv
Congregational Engagement Specialist | [email protected] | (240) 272-7302
