New name, same mission! LIRS is now Global Refuge. Learn more.

Stand with refugees.

This giving season, double your impact for refugee and immigrant families with a 2X matched donation up to $50,000.

The browser you are using is not supported. Please consider using a modern browser.

Skip Navigation
Donate
Start of main content.

News // Family Reunification

Global Refuge CEO Testifies to Congress On Behalf of Migrant Children

Global Refuge logo

Global Refuge Staff

August 1, 2019

Global Refuge to Congress: End Family Separation

and recommendations to safeguard the well-being of unaccompanied migrant children

Amid widespread reports of negligence, abuse and deaths of migrant children in U.S. detention facilities, Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, President & CEO of Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service (LIRS), today addressed the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, calling for immediate action to ensure the safety and well-being of unaccompanied migrant children under the care of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Vignarajah unveiled a series of recommendations, including urging Congress to require all large-scale influx shelters, such as the notorious Homestead facility, to adhere to strict, well-established child-welfare standards, including employing appropriate child-welfare professionals who are vetted and licensed.  Watch her testimony below.

Thumbnail for a video entitled 'LIRS Testimony to Congress on Unaccompanied Migrant Children'

The full list of recommendations is available here.

The Latest

  • News

    November 26, 2024

    Jesus Was a Refugee: An Advent Calendar Devotional

    We invite you to download our Advent Story Calendar. Each day of Advent, as you reflect on the Holy Family's journey as a displaced people at the vulnerable time of childbirth, experience stories of immigrants, former refugees, and supporters in their own words as together, we build a more welcoming world.  

    Read More
  • Press Release · Refugee Resettlement

    November 6, 2024

    Global Refuge Reaffirms Commitment to Refugees and Immigrants as Nation Prepares for New Administration

    In the wake of the 2024 presidential election, Global Refuge remains steadfast in its mission to serve vulnerable immigrant and refugee communities across the United States.

    Read More
  • News

    October 31, 2024

    What’s America’s superpower? Immigration, says Global Refuge’s Krish O’Mara Vignarajah

    Global Refuge President & CEO Krish O’Mara Vignarajah recently took the stage at TEDxApex Women in Apex, North Carolina to make the case that the United States owes its preeminence on the global stage to one key asset: immigration.  

    Read More
  • Advocacy · Immigration and Asylum

    October 23, 2024

    What is the CHNV Parole Program?

    The Biden administration opened a new program allowing certain nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to apply for entry to  the U.S. for a temporary stay of up to two years.

    Read More
  • Advocacy

    October 17, 2024

    Six Migration and Climate Displacement Takeaways from Climate Week NYC

    The Global Refuge Advocacy team attended the 2024 Climate Week NYC—a massive gathering of practitioners from public policy, philanthropy, the private sector, science, and other disciplines focused on the climate crisis.

    Read More

Share