Jeremy L. Berg

Here’s an urgent plea from World Relief, an Evangelical humanitarian organization, for those who have ears to hear the cry of Jesus in the least of these. -JB

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Over the weekend of January 9, dozens of refugee families in Minnesota who have fled war, violence and religious persecution were cruelly and unjustly detained. U.S. federal immigration agents, some in plain clothes, deceitfully lured them — including children — from their homes. Falsely accused of failing to meet legal requirements, they were placed in detention, many transported to holding facilities out of state.
 
Every one of these families used legal pathways under the Refugee Act of 1980, completing one of the world’s most rigorous vetting processes, even before entering the U.S. Of the cases we’re directly aware of, all were patiently and legally awaiting the approval of their Green Cards to stay in the country that promised them a new home. We now know that these detentions are likely to spread quickly beyond Minnesota, and that an estimated 17,600 refugees (4,400 families) under the care of World Relief are at risk of having their lives torn apart, detained, potentially separated, and sent back to the persecution they fled.

“This is a five-alarm fire. These are not the worst of the worst; these are innocent children and families who fled the worst wars and persecution imaginable, who were invited by the American people to become Americans under the terms of American law.” – Myal Greene, President and CEO of World Relief 

These refugee families — already carrying the weight of trauma and displacement — now face renewed uncertainty and unimaginable fear. When a parent or provider is detained, household income vanishes. Many are too afraid to leave home for work, school or even medical care. Trusted partners on the ground advise refugees to do so only when absolutely necessary. Children live in terror that their parents may be taken from them.

DONATE NOW TO PROTECT REFUGEE FAMILIES

The need is clear and urgent. We must act now.

World Relief is responding in this dire moment to urgently mobilize resources in order to provide:

• Urgent Immigration Legal Services and advocacy to protect due process and family unity 
• Emergency rental assistance to prevent sudden homelessness for households affected by the detention of a working adult
• Food support for families facing abrupt loss of income when a working adult is taken into custody
• Flexible cash assistance to address urgent, rapidly evolving needs when income-earning individuals are unable to work due to fear of detention   
• Psychosocial and trauma-informed care to restore stability amid overwhelming fear and stress
• And additional church volunteers to walk alongside these families in their greatest moment of need

But we cannot do this alone. We need you.

When funding was cut for refugee resettlement almost a year ago, compassionate people like you stood in the gap when families had nowhere else to turn. Today, that same faithfulness is needed again — not only to rush aid in the immediate crisis, but to help families stand strong.

DONATE NOW TO PROTECT REFUGEE FAMILIES

They’ve already endured so much. Together, let’s help carry their burden. 

Standing with refugee families, 

World Relief