World Refugee Day - #With Refugees

In a world where violence forces thousands of families to flee for their lives each day, the time is now to show that the global public stands with refugees.

To do this, the UN Refugee Agency launched the #WithRefugees petition in June 2016 to send a message to governments that they must work together and do their fair share for refugees.

On World Refugee Day, held every year on June 20th, we commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees. This year, World Refugee Day also marks a key moment for the public to show support for families forced to flee.

Background
Every minute 20 people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution or terror.

There are several types of forcibly displaced persons:

Refugees
A refugee is someone who fled his or her home and country owing to “a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion”, according to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention. Many refugees are in exile to escape the effects of natural or human-made disasters.

Asylum seekers

Asylum seekers say they are refugees and have fled their homes as refugees do, but their claim to refugee status is not yet definitively evaluated in the country to which they fled.

Internally Displaced Persons

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are people who have not crossed an international border but have moved to a different region than the one they call home within their own country.

Stateless Persons

Stateless persons do not have a recognized nationality and do not belong to any country.
Statelessness situations are usually caused by discrimination against certain groups. Their lack of identification — a citizenship certificate — can exclude them from access to important government services, including health care, education or employment.

Returnees

Returnees are former refugees who return to their own countries or regions of origin after time in exile. Returnees need continuous support and reintegration assistance to ensure that they can rebuild their lives at home.

UN Action

1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol

Refugees are among the most vulnerable people in the world. The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol help protect them. They are the only global legal instruments explicitly covering the most important aspects of a refugee’s life. According to their provisions, refugees deserve, as a minimum, the same standards of treatment enjoyed by other foreign nationals in a given country and, in many cases, the same treatment as nationals.

The 1951 Convention contains a number of rights and also highlights the obligations of refugees towards their host country. The cornerstone of the 1951 Convention is the principle of non-refoulement. According to this principle, a refugee should not be returned to a country where he or she faces serious threats to his or her life or freedom. This protection may not be claimed by refugees who are reasonably regarded as a danger to the security of the country, or having been convicted of a particularly serious crime, are considered a danger to the community.

The rights contained in the 1951 Convention include:

• The right not to be expelled, except under certain, strictly defined conditions;
• The right not to be punished for illegal entry into the territory of a contracting State;
• The right to work;
• The right to housing;
• The right to education;
• The right to public relief and assistance;
• The right to freedom of religion;
• The right to access the courts;
• The right to freedom of movement within the territory;
• The right to be issued identity and travel documents.

Some basic rights, including the right to be protected from refoulement, apply to all refugees. A refugee becomes entitled to other rights the longer they remain in the host country, which is based on the recognition that the longer they remain as refugees, the more rights they need.

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), also known as the UN Refugee Agency, was established on 14 December 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.

UNHCR's mandate distinguishes it from other humanitarian actors, requiring it to provide international protection to refugees who do not enjoy the protection of their governments. It also recognizes that international cooperation and support are needed to complement the efforts of the host country, which bears the primary responsibility for meeting the needs of refugees.

Rebuilding Lives in Peace and Dignity
UNHCR provides legal protection for refugees and seeks long-lasting solutions to their problems, by helping them either return voluntarily to their homes or settle in other countries. Its objective is to help refugees and other forcibly displaced persons rebuild their lives in peace and dignity.

The agency aims to uphold the rights of all displaced people, including women, children, older persons and people living with disabilities. Its seeks to reunite them with their families, protect them from sexual exploitation, abuse, violence and military recruitment, and offers education and training, health services, etc.

When there is a massive influx of refugees or internally displaced persons (IDPs) in a region, UNHCR can dispatch 300 skilled personnel in less than 72 hours following a crisis and leads the relief action to provide refugees and IDPs with emergency shelter — refugee camps, collective centres, makeshift shelters — and essential goods, including tents, blankets and plastic sheeting.

UNHCR also helps build clinics, schools and water wells for shelter inhabitants and gives them access to health care and psychosocial support during their exile. It coordinates family reunification activities and demobilization, disarmament and integration programmes for children associated with armed forces.

Repatriation and Integration
A refugee’s voluntary repatriation to her or his country or region of origin is considered the most successful outcome of all. Upon a refugee’s return home, UNHCR organizes “go-and-see” follow-up visits and provides safety information while engaging in community reconciliation activities and providing legal aid.

Refugees who cannot return home often locally integrate into host societies or resettle in a third country. In such cases, UNHCR supports integration programmes, such as cultural orientation, language and vocational training, and offers legal advice as well as psychological support to ensure that people are well integrated and resettled into societies in peace.

World Refugee Day Local Events - San Antonio and St. Louis

For Sisters and Friends in San Antonio, TX and St. Louis, MO we encourage you to attend the following events to celebrate World Refugee Day 2019.

San Antonio


World Refugee Day Art Event

Tuesday, June 18th at 6:00pm
Brick at Blue Star Arts Complex

Join Catholic Charities for an evening of art, entertainment, and libations as we raise awareness and promote advocacy for the refugee community. Guests can expect a special evening including international cuisine and entertainment, a henna artist, and a silent auction with items made by our newcomers.

Contact Elizabeth Ortiz at (210) 242-3151 or eortiz@ccaosa.org for more information or tickets.

St. Louis

Bagels and Coffee: World Refugee Day 

Thursday, June 20, 2019, 8:00 - 9:15 am
International Institute, 3401 Arsenal St, St. Louis, MO 63118
RSVP to info@iistl.org or Eventbrite at least 24 hours in advance

Join us for an informative panel discussion plus Q&A to recognize World Refugee Day as designated by the United Nations. 

Event is free and open to the public - please park in the off-street lot in the rear; enter from Louisiana Ave.

Doors open 15 minutes prior to start of program. This program is part of IISTL's ongoing Bagels & Coffee Speaker Series.

World Refugee Day Celebration 

Thursday, June 20th at 6:00pm 

Grace United Methodist Church 

6199 Waterman Blvd, 63112

You are invited to a Welcome Neighbor STL Supper Club event to support refugee families recently settled in St. Louis. Enjoy food, conversation, and catching up with friends – old and new. From cultural exchange to just plain fun, look forward to a great evening.

These meals present an opportunity for immigrant families to share knowledge and skills unique to them. It is also an opportunity for us to get a glimpse into their culture. These fundraising efforts can set them on a path of greater independence and confidence in their lives here in in the USA.

When you attend a Welcome Neighbor STL Supper Club, your meal will be prepared by immigrant neighbors who will share their culture and cooking skills by providing a table full of traditional food from their country of origin.

Suggested donation: $25 per person.

Pope’s message for 2019 World Day of Migrants and Refugees

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Faith assures us that in a mysterious way the Kingdom of God is already present here on earth (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 39). Yet in our own time, we are saddened to see the obstacles and opposition it encounters. Violent conflicts and all-out wars continue to tear humanity apart; injustices and discrimination follow one upon the other; economic and social imbalances on a local or global scale prove difficult to overcome. And above all it is the poorest of the poor and the most disadvantaged who pay the price.

The most economically advanced societies are witnessing a growing trend towards extreme individualism which, combined with a utilitarian mentality and reinforced by the media, is producing a “globalization of indifference”. In this scenario, migrants, refugees, displaced persons and victims of trafficking have become emblems of exclusion. In addition to the hardships that their condition entails, they are often looked down upon and considered the source of all society’s ills. That attitude is an alarm bell warning of the moral decline we will face if we continue to give ground to the throw-away culture. In fact, if it continues, anyone who does not fall within the accepted norms of physical, mental and social well-being is at risk of marginalization and exclusion.

For this reason, the presence of migrants and refugees – and of vulnerable people in general – is an invitation to recover some of those essential dimensions of our Christian existence and our humanity that risk being overlooked in a prosperous society. That is why it is not just about migrants. When we show concern for them, we also show concern for ourselves, for everyone; in taking care of them, we all grow; in listening to them, we also give voice to a part of ourselves that we may keep hidden because it is not well regarded nowadays.

“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” (Mt 14:27). It is not just about migrants: it is also about our fears. The signs of meanness we see around us heighten “our fear of ‘the other’, the unknown, the marginalized, the foreigner... We see this today in particular, faced with the arrival of migrants and refugees knocking on our door in search of protection, security and a better future. To some extent, the fear is legitimate, also because the preparation for this encounter is lacking” (Homily in Sacrofano, 15 February 2019). But the problem is not that we have doubts and fears. The problem is when they condition our way of thinking and acting to the point of making us intolerant, closed and perhaps even – without realizing it – racist. In this way, fear deprives us of the desire and the ability to encounter the other, the person different from myself; it deprives me of an opportunity to encounter the Lord (cf. Homily at Mass for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 14 January 2018).

“For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same?” (Mt 5:46). It is not just about migrants: it is about charity. Through works of charity, we demonstrate our faith (cf. Jas 2:18). And the highest form of charity is that shown to those unable to reciprocate and perhaps even to thank us in return. “It is also about the face we want to give to our society and about the value of each human life... The progress of our peoples... depends above all on our openness to being touched and moved by those who knock at our door. Their faces shatter and debunk all those false idols that can take over and enslave our lives; idols that promise an illusory and momentary happiness blind to the lives and sufferings of others” (Address at the Diocesan Caritas of Rabat, 30 March 2019).

“But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight” (Lk 10:33). It is not just about migrants: it is about our humanity. Compassion motivated that Samaritan – for the Jews, a foreigner – not to pass by. Compassion is a feeling that cannot be explained on a purely rational level. Compassion strikes the most sensitive chords of our humanity, releasing a vibrant urge to “be a neighbour” to all those whom we see in difficulty. As Jesus himself teaches us (cf. Mt9:35-36; 14:13-14; 15:32-37), being compassionate means recognizing the suffering of the other and taking immediate action to soothe, heal and save. To be compassionate means to make room for that tenderness which today’s society so often asks us to repress. “Opening ourselves to others does not lead to impoverishment, but rather enrichment, because it enables us to be more human: to recognize ourselves as participants in a greater collectivity and to understand our life as a gift for others; to see as the goal, not our own interests, but rather the good of humanity” (Address at the Heydar Aliyev Mosque in Baku, 2 October 2016).

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father” (Mt 18:10). It is not just about migrants: it is a question of seeing that no one is excluded. Today’s world is increasingly becoming more elitist and cruel towards the excluded. Developing countries continue to be drained of their best natural and human resources for the benefit of a few privileged markets. Wars only affect some regions of the world, yet weapons of war are produced and sold in other regions which are then unwilling to take in the refugees produced by these conflicts. Those who pay the price are always the little ones, the poor, the most vulnerable, who are prevented from sitting at the table and are left with the “crumbs” of the banquet (cf. Lk 16:19-21). “The Church which ‘goes forth’... can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast” (Evangelii Gaudium, 24). A development that excludes makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. A real development, on the other hand, seeks to include all the world’s men and women, to promote their integral growth, and to show concern for coming generations.

“Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all” (Mk10:43-44). It is not just about migrants: it is about putting the last in first place. Jesus Christ asks us not to yield to the logic of the world, which justifies injustice to others for my own gain or that of my group. “Me first, and then the others!” Instead, the true motto of the Christian is, “The last shall be first!” “An individualistic spirit is fertile soil for the growth of that kind of indifference towards our neighbours which leads to viewing them in purely economic terms, to a lack of concern for their humanity, and ultimately to feelings of fear and cynicism. Are these not the attitudes we often adopt towards the poor, the marginalized and the ‘least’ of society? And how many of these ‘least’ do we have in our societies! Among them I think primarily of migrants, with their burden of hardship and suffering, as they seek daily, often in desperation, a place to live in peace and dignity” (Address to the Diplomatic Corps, 11 January 2016). In the logic of the Gospel, the last come first, and we must put ourselves at their service.

“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10). It is not just about migrants: it is about the whole person, about all people. In Jesus’ words, we encounter the very heart of his mission: to see that all receive the gift of life in its fullness, according to the will of the Father. In every political activity, in every programme, in every pastoral action we must always put the person at the centre, in his or her many aspects, including the spiritual dimension. And this applies to all people, whose fundamental equality must be recognized. Consequently, “development cannot be restricted to economic growth alone. To be authentic, it must be well-rounded; it must foster the development of each man and of the whole man” (SAINT PAUL VI, Populorum Progressio, 14).

“So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God” (Eph 2:19). It is not just about migrants: it is about building the city of God and man. In our time, which can also be called the era of migration, many innocent people fall victim to the “great deception” of limitless technological and consumerist development (cf. Laudato Si’, 34). As a result, they undertake a journey towards a “paradise” that inevitably betrays their expectations. Their presence, at times uncomfortable, helps to debunk the myth of a progress that benefits a few while built on the exploitation of many. “We ourselves need to see, and then to enable others to see, that migrants and refugees do not only represent a problem to be solved, but are brothers and sisters to be welcomed, respected and loved. They are an occasion that Providence gives us to help build a more just society, a more perfect democracy, a more united country, a more fraternal world and a more open and evangelical Christian community” (Message for the 2014 World Day of Migrants and Refugees).

Dear brothers and sisters, our response to the challenges posed by contemporary migration can be summed up in four verbs: welcome, protect, promote and integrate. Yet these verbs do not apply only to migrants and refugees. They describe the Church’s mission to all those living in the existential peripheries, who need to be welcomed, protected, promoted and integrated. If we put those four verbs into practice, we will help build the city of God and man. We will promote the integral human development of all people. We will also help the world community to come closer to the goals of sustainable development that it has set for itself and that, lacking such an approach, will prove difficult to achieve.

In a word, it is not only the cause of migrants that is at stake; it is not just about them, but about all of us, and about the present and future of the human family. Migrants, especially those who are most vulnerable, help us to read the “signs of the times”. Through them, the Lord is calling us to conversion, to be set free from exclusivity, indifference and the throw-away culture. Through them, the Lord invites us to embrace fully our Christian life and to contribute, each according to his or her proper vocation, to the building up of a world that is more and more in accord with God’s plan.

In expressing this prayerful hope, and through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Way, I invoke God’s abundant blessings upon all the world’s migrants and refugees and upon all those who accompany them on their journey.

From the Vatican, 27 May 2019

FRANCIS

2019 World Refugee Day Action Ideas

Thursday, June 20th ─ and the entire month of June ─ we come together to celebrate the courage and resilience of refugees and their contributions to U.S. communities. We also raise our voices in opposition to the U.S. government’s decision to turn its back on refugees, through reducing resettlement in the United States and expanding policies that keep families apart.

While the United States was once a leader in protecting refugees, the current administration has dismantled our refugee resettlement program by 75%. But the need has never been greater, as the world is currently grappling with the worst refugee crisis in history. As refugees and friends of refugees, we are calling on the administration to preserve and expand refugee resettlement in the United States and enact policies that help refugees rebuild their lives.

Top 4 Ways to Protect Refugees and Restore the U.S. Resettlement Program

1. Start by Sharing the Message on Social Media: Starting June 1 and every day thereafter, send a message of support on social media. Sample tweets available here. Sample graphics are available here: bit.ly/WRDGraphics2019.Sample videos on welcoming refugees are linked, as well as a longer form video for screening at events. Follow @WeAreAllUSA on Twitter and "like" We Are All America on Facebook for more. Please use #WRD2019 in all postings.
2. Host or Attend a Local World Refugee Day Event: Even small events, multiplied across the country, send a powerful message to the Trump administration and Congress that welcoming refugees and immigrants matters. Host a local World Refugee Day event or attend an event already being planned. We Are All America has a map where you can register your event, or find out what is going on in your area. Our partners Church World Service suggest a Journey Sabbath to dedicate a worship service to refugees. You can also link up with I Am An Immigrant actions. More resources are available here.
3. Call Congress - National Call-in Day June 20th: Click here for information on calling Congress, and share with your networks for our massive call-in day June 20th, World Refugee Day. Sample script and click-to-call tool available here.
4. Support Local Refugees Welcome Resolutions: Ask your state & local policymakers to pass Refugees Welcome resolutions in June. Click here for a sample resolution. Visit contactingcongress.org/local and usa.gov/elected-officials for contact information. Tweet at your governor and state legislators. Don’t forget #WRD2019!

Massive detention facilities for migrant youth are failing

BY KRISH O’MARA VIGNARAJAH AND BILL CANNY

MAY 28, 2019 07:45 PM, UPDATED MAY 28, 2019 07:45 PM

Picture 144 children forced to sleep in one room. Bunk beds stacked on top of one another; row after row after row. This isn’t a description of some 19th-century Dickensian workhouse, it’s the Homestead facility in South Florida where more than 1,700 unaccompanied immigrant children are being housed right now. It’s where children separated from their parents wait for an average of almost two months before being reunited with family.

As the family-separation crisis escalates and the corresponding need to shelter unaccompanied immigrant children grows, we’re seeing massive youth facilities emerge as a booming business. These large-scale youth facilities are rapidly expanding in the United States, despite the fact that they are not in the best interest of the children. Sheltering children by the hundreds intrinsically exposes children housed in a facility to an increased risk of neglect and abuse. And in recent months, that neglect has translated into the tragic and preventable deaths of six migrant youth.

This is the context that has driven members of Congress and organizations like Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to push for expanded oversight at facilities, including Homestead, the nation’s largest immigrant child shelter.

Last week, Homestead’s capacity of 2,350 was projected to expand to house up to 3,200 children — a proposal that, naturally, raises serious child-welfare concerns. We recognize that influx facilities, like Homestead, serve an important purpose when responding to emergencies and unexpected increases in the number of arriving unaccompanied children. The alternative in such moments would likely be children backing up in the Department of Homeland Security’s temporary holding cells.

It is important, however, that the government only use influx facilities as temporary, rapid-response facilities. This is particularly true as influx facilities can cost three times more per child than a standard facility. And, when these facilities are operated beyond such an initial emergency-response period, they should be subject to stringent child-welfare standards and oversight.

The federal government should be looking to other options for sheltering unaccompanied children.

For decades, faith-based organizations like ours have offered an alternative that is better for children, better for taxpayers: small-scale, community-based care, placing children in the least restrictive settings where they can receive individualized care and counseling. We place children in nurturing environments with foster families or in small-scale shelters with trauma-informed caseworkers.

With the growing humanitarian crisis at our border, there is no question we need to expand capacity to care for unaccompanied children — however, we should be seeking to expand child-friendly bed space, not large-scale facilities. Further, we must ensure that existing large-scale shelters are held accountable to protecting the children in their care and challenged to expand their services to meet the needs of vulnerable youth.

Finally, we must revise policies that have contributed to children remaining in federal care longer and exacerbated the need for large-scale facilities, while ensuring critical child welfare protections remain in place to adequately screen potential caregivers and promote safe family reunifications. For example, the government should immediately rescind the information-sharing agreement that has made many of these children’s family members fearful to come forward to take custody of their child.

Nelson Mandela once said: “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

It is our responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of every child in America — and this, too, applies to children who come to the United States seeking refuge.

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah is President & CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Bill Canny is executive director of Migration and Refugee Services at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The federal government called upon both organizations to help reunify children with their families following the family-separation crisis.

Op-Ed posted in Miami Herald