Refugees Travel to DC to Call for Reform

In honor of World Refugee Day, former refugees advocate on behalf of those in need of protection

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In honor of World Refugee Day, a delegation of former refugees from across the country will gather this Wednesday, June 22 at the Nation's capital to call on Congress and the Administration to remember the plight of the millions on the run from violence and persecution worldwide.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110620/DC22416LOGO )

The delegation will urge members of Congress to pass the Refugee Protection Act of 2011. Introduced last week by Senator Leahy (D-VT) and Representative Lofgren (D-CA-16), this legislation would ensure that the United States continues the deeply-rooted tradition of protecting refugees, asylum seekers, children and other vulnerable newcomers.

"The U.S. refugee program is a critical component of our nation's foreign policy and humanitarian response to the millions of vulnerable migrants worldwide who cannot return home," said LIRS President and CEO Linda Hartke. "As the United States celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Refugee Convention, this year is a particularly opportune time to renew and improve the U.S. commitment to people fleeing persecution. There are no better voices to advocate for this renewal than former refugees who have experienced the healing, welcome, and protection of the U.S. resettlement program and are now community leaders."

The Refugee Protection Act of 2011 would:

• Help preserve family unity for children separated from their parents
• Eliminate the unnecessary one-year filing deadline for asylum seekers to file their asylum applications
• Update the U.S. refugee resettlement program and direct a study on its effectiveness at helping refugees achieve self-sufficiency.

(For more information on the Refugee Protection Act of 2011 click here.)

The delegation, comprised of former refugees from Eritrea, Liberia, Sudan, Cuba, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan, will be meeting with the Administration and members of Congress from 12:00pm-5pm. Audiovisual media of the visits will be available.

About Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

LIRS welcomes refugees and migrants on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. LIRS is nationally recognized for its leadership advocating with and on behalf of refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, immigrants in detention, families fractured by migration and other vulnerable populations, and for providing services to migrants through over 60 grassroots legal and social service partners across the United States.

Press Contact: Fabio Lomelino, Assistant Director for Media Relations, 410-230-2721, 443-478-6022, [email protected]

SOURCE Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

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