CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is coordinating a national effort in November to stop "the unnecessary and prolonged imprisonment of asylum seekers and former refugees suffering unjust deportation and indefinite detention" and "'expedited removal' -- a process that strips arriving refugees of the right to a fair hearing of their asylum claim."
The "Forgotten Refugees Campaign" engages more than 20 community-based groups that serve asylum-seekers in the United States. The Baltimore-based LIRS relates to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
The campaign calls for "increased use of parole and other alternatives that are more humane and cost-effective than detention" and "greater fairness in asylum proceedings, including an end to the arbitrary one-year deadline on applying for asylum and improved timeliness in making asylum decisions."
"Laws passed by Congress in 1996 have subjected refugees to summary removal at the border, lengthy detention, and strict limitations on the opportunity to apply for asylum," said an Oct. 20 LIRS news release. "Genuine refugees are being turned away at the airport with no chance to present their claim, and others are simply being forgotten, locked away in jails far from legal assistance."
"Protecting people fleeing persecution abroad has been a historic source of pride for this country," said Matt Wilch, LIRS director for detention and asylum concerns. "We are launching the Forgotten Refugees Campaign this November to call for a more just and humane asylum system that upholds this commitment."
The campaign involves praying for asylum-seekers in homes, prayer groups and other places of worship Nov. 10-12; a letter- writing campaign urging members of Congress "to pass legislation to improve the treatment of refugees;" and A Vigil for Justice on Nov. 21.
The vigil is meant to coincide with the U.S. celebration of Thanksgiving "to call attention to the imprisonment of refugees seeking asylum at a time when we remember the welcome the Pilgrims received from the Native Americans." Vigils will be conducted outside U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service shelters and county jails where asylum-seekers are detained throughout the country. -- -- --
The LIRS Web site <http://www.lirs.org/> includes a complete list of the agencies participating in the campaign.
EDITORS: Local media contacts are listed at
<http://www.lirs.org/refcontact.htm> by state.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
