wfn.org | NCCCUSA/CWS REFUGEE, IMMIGRATION MEETING

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
Contact: Jane Lowicki, NCC, 212-870-3153

CHURCH-BASED REFUGEE, IMMIGRATION AGENCIES 
TRUMPET PARTNERSHIP AND ADVOCACY

Arlington, VA., June 6, 1997 - Advocacy and continued partnership were the
central themes of the first two days of the second annual Joint National
Conference of the Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program
(CWS/IRP), Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) and Lutheran Immigration and
Refugee Service (LIRS) which began on Jun3 4 in Arlington, VA. 

Sometimes the nearly 400 conference participants laughed with joy and
sometimes they reacted with concern and solemn resolution to descriptions of
their common experience working against what opening speaker Frank Sharry,
Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, (NIF), described as a
disturbing era of "upsurging nationalism, isolationism and xenophobia in our
nation's history."  

"What's at stake in this debate," he said, "is nothing less than who we are as
a country.  We're deciding if xenophobia wins or acceptance and diversity win,
if we are open and generous or intolerant and indifferent.  Partnership comes
when those who are different unite for a purpose, even when it's not easy to
find your common identity.  In our work, we know that diversity and
partnership work out over time and that that's the genius of this country."
  
The conference brought together national, denominational and local affiliate
staff and volunteers from across the country and many of their partners from
around the world as the three agencies seized another opportunity to affirm
their common purpose and harness their mutual strength.  The meeting was one
in a string of recent joint endeavors, including the grassroots, triple-agency
Campaign for Refugee Protection which began in 1995 in response to damaging
immigration reform proposals before Congress affecting refugees and other
uprooted people.  The campaign made a significant contribution to eliminating
some of the worst proposals affecting refugees.  Many of the agencies'
affiliate sites around the country are joint sites, and their first joint
national conference was held in Alexandria last year.

In the wake of immigration and welfare reform and a presidential election,
much damage was done, presenters said, but there were significant signs of
hope.  As they zeroed in on four key concerns for unified action-welfare
reform, naturalization, asylum, and refugee admissions and
appropriations-Angela Kelly, NIF, Jana Mason, Immigration and Refugee Services
of America (IRSA), and Mark Hetfield, Hebrew Immigration Aid Society (HIAS),
laid out the challenges and areas where the faith-based community can continue
to make a critical difference.   

"Although legal immigrants used less than 7% of all public assistance in the
U.S. they took 44% of the hit for the cuts," said Kelly, as she urged
participants to tell lawmakers to support a budget initiative that includes
reinstating SSI benefits to the disabled and elderly.  Mason reminded the
group that the largest single population coming to the U.S. as refugees
now-Bosnians-was not part of the caseload just five years ago.  These regular
changes in the refugee landscape the world over support the need for increased
refugee admissions and appropriations levels, she said.  As record numbers of
immigrants seek to become citizens fearing the consequences of the new
immigration and welfare legislation, Hetfield called the new record delays in
citizenship interviews, now estimated at two and a half years, "absolutely
unacceptable."  He urged support for the newly appointed Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS) Exec. Dir. for Naturalization. 

Jeanne Butterfield, the Executive Director of the American Immigration
Lawyers Association (AILA), revved up advocates before they ascended Capitol
Hill on Thursday, Jun. 5 to visit between 100 and 200 Congressional offices
delivering their messages of support for a diverse, tolerant and
immigrant-friendly society.  She reminded the group that although immigrants
and refugees have been under strong fire, the climate of the debate has
dramatically shifted.  "Before we heard some saying that New York's Mayor
Guiliani should be tried for treason for supporting immigrants; now we're
hearing people talk about how the legislation has gone too far," she said.
"Months ago no one would consider adjusting the new welfare legislation, but
in response to its consequences and the public outcry, there are at least 12
proposals out, many from Republicans, to mitigate its effects."  

Latino voters turned out in record numbers, and there were impressive outcomes
in Florida and Arizona.  California's tough, traditionally anti-immigrant 46th
District even saw the election of a Hispanic Congresswoman, Loretta Sanchez,
in Orange County, CA.  Some of the conference participants from Orange County
and other parts of southern  California representing St. Anselm's
Cross-Cultural Community Center, a triple-agency joint site, were able to meet
with Sanchez herself and express their excitement at her election and their
concerns and hopes.  "So much of our hope is in you," said Marianne Blank,
Director of St. Anselm's.  Sanchez explained the many ways she has lobbied
hard and stressed the need for awareness-raising and action in the immigrant
community in partnership with her office.  

The need for continued partnership with other NGOs, international bodies,
refugees and other individuals in the U.S. was also remembered as CWS, EMM and
LIRS gave special recognition to Robert DeVecchi, outgoing President of the
International Rescue Committee, and heard from Rita Reddy, Senior Coordinator
for Refugee Women with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR).  Both recalled the special moments which drew them into service with
refugees and the magnetism which keeps most committed to the cause for a
lifetime.  Reddy also described in detail the many efforts underway within
UNHCR to improve much-needed protection and assistance capabilities for
refugee women around the world and the need for NGOs to continue to press for
these improvements.

Each agency director-Elizabeth Ferris, CWS/IRP, Richard Parkins, EMM, Ralston
Deffenbaugh, LIRS-agreed that the common witness of the three organizations
brings the strength and energy needed to carry out the ministry to uprooted
people.  The conference continues for two more days consisting of workshops,
on such issues as refugee children and how to start a citizenship and
naturalization program, and presentations from U.S. government and United
Nations officials. 

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