Although NJFON does occasionally send teams of attorneys to the U.S. – Mexico border, most of our work with asylum seekers happens right here in the United States. There are hundreds of asylum-seeking families living in our cities, towns, and communities who need our help.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has just announced a three-year, $1.8 million pilot project to support asylum seekers in the U.S., specifically in New York, Houston, and Miami.
Our JFON affiliates in New York, Houston, and Florida will be providing the immigration legal services these families so desperately need.
Church World Service, meanwhile, will help the asylum seekers with their day-to-day practical needs—housing, registering children for school, enrolling in language classes, and accessing various social service and community programs.
“This grant will ensure that for some of the most vulnerable asylum seekers fleeing to the U.S. there is still hope for safety here,” says NJFON Executive Director Rob Rutland-Brown. “The partnership between National Justice for Our Neighbors, Church World Service, and UMCOR provides a creative solution for ensuring that migrants receive critical legal representation for their asylum case as well as a wide range of support services.
