Press Release

The Trump administration announced Monday an interim final rule, effective yesterday, making families fleeing persecution who come through the U.S.-Mexico border ineligible for asylum consideration unless they first applied for and were denied asylum in one of the countries through which they traveled.

Today, World Relief, HIAS, The Episcopal Church, the National Association of Evangelicals and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS) cosponsored an official congressional briefing as a side event to the State Department’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom.

In celebration of the courage of refugees, World Relief commemorated World Refugee Day 2019 throughout the month of June with a number of initiatives designed to increase support of this remarkable community.

As the heartbreaking image of Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez, gripped by his young daughter in their last moments of life along the U.S.-Mexico border, pricks the conscience of the nation, World Relief is challenging Americans not to look away, but to respond with courage and compassion.

Cyclone Idai landed in Beira, Mozambique, last Thursday before its severe winds and flooding spread to neighboring countries of Malawi and Zimbabwe. The U.N. estimates the tropical storm has affected more than 2.6 million people across Southeastern Africa, devastating more than 1.7 million people in its path in Mozambique and over 920,000 in neighboring Malawi.

World Relief issued the following statement in response to mass shootings that left 49 people dead and over 20 wounded at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Yesterday, President Trump announced his proposed 2020 budget, including significant cuts to federal spending for a variety of critical humanitarian assistance programs. World Relief expresses concern over the impact that the proposed 24 percent cut to international affairs will have on programs serving the most vulnerable across the globe.

On this global day dedicated to honoring the achievements of women, World Relief announces several exciting new initiatives to affirm the value and dignity of women around the world and equip them to transform their communities in the future.

Today, President Trump declared the situation at the border a national emergency, invoking presidential emergency powers to increase border security. While appreciative of his commitment to securing the border, World Relief urges the President to pursue broad-based immigration reform in partnership with Congress.

Today, President Trump addressed the nation in an annual address to a joint session of Congress. Heartened by his commitment to “the security, safety and financial well-being of Americans” World Relief agrees that legal immigrants “enrich our nation and strengthen our society.”