Today, World Relief’s office in Texas announced a new name: World Relief North Texas. Formerly known as World Relief Fort Worth, the organization has had a presence in Texas for the last 40 years, welcoming and resettling refugees and providing a variety of services to asylum seekers and other immigrants. In the last nearly 20 years, 88,572 refugees have been resettled in the state, of which many have been persecuted for their faith, their service to the U.S. military abroad or for peacefully advocating for human rights.

On Saturday, February 22, South Sudan’s two rivals, President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, made a peace deal aimed at ending the six years of civil war. To seal the peace deal, former South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar was sworn in as First Vice President of South Sudan.

Last night, President Trump gave his third State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress. As in previous addresses, the president highlighted the efforts he and his administration have taken to secure the Southern border and the need for merit-based immigration reform. World Relief believes that security is essential; it’s just as important as ensuring safe, legal ways for individuals and families fleeing violence, persecution and other tragic circumstances to enter the country and subsequently become a citizen.

Late today, President Trump issued a new executive order expanding upon previous travel bans. The new order bars most individuals from Burma, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan and Nigeria from obtaining immigrant visas to migrate lawfully to the U.S. and restricts individuals from Sudan and Tanzania from eligibility for one category of immigrant visa. 

Today, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas officially withheld his consent to resettle refugees in Texas in FY2020. Unlike previous years, the refugee ceiling for FY2020 was announced at the end of September paired with an executive order requiring both state and local authorities to consent to resettle refugees in their jurisdictions. 

This World AIDS Day, World Relief urges sustained vigilance to eradicate HIV/AIDS. Even though HIV infection is preventable and effective treatment available, 5,000 new HIV infections still occur every day, and nearly 40 million people are infected, according to UNAIDS. Access to testing and maintaining treatment remain challenges, along with lingering stigma.

World Relief rejects any violence against women, and remains committed to fighting this violence by honoring the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and giving equal opportunity to women through all its programming.

As the Supreme Court opens oral arguments on three cases related to DACA, World Relief expresses support for the over 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients around the country and urges a congressional solution to create a legal pathway to citizenship.

Late Friday night, the president signed the Fiscal Year 2020 Presidential Determination, setting the cap for refugee arrivals at the lowest level in U.S. history – 18,000.