More Than 500 Advocates Meet Lawmakers on Capitol Hill for JRS/USA Advocacy Day

Students, faith leaders, and community members call for action on refugee protection and humanitarian funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Advocates for human dignity, religious freedom, and humanitarian assistance from across the United States joined more than 500 participants at Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)/USA’s annual Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, April 21.

Participants met with members of Congress and their staff in more than 131 meetings to call for continued U.S. leadership in supporting refugees and migrants, as well as laws, norms, and programs that have served both vulnerable communities and American communities for many years.

The event has already generated coverage across national and regional Catholic media, including EWTN News Nightly and CFN Live, with additional local and campus-level stories continuing to develop.

This year marked the largest JRS Advocacy Day to date, with approximately 200 participants attending in person and an additional 300 joining virtually—roughly two-thirds more than participated in 2025. Participants represented 160 Congressional Districts across 31 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Who Participated

• 150 students, teachers, parents, and staff from 22 high schools in 15 states
• 65 people from 17 universities in 15 states
• At least 3 former refugees
• 5 priests from Washington, D.C., Virginia, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Ethiopia
• Representatives of four Jesuit provinces or Catholic dioceses
• More than 25 people from 17 religious orders in 12 states
• 49 people affiliated with more than 24 churches in 19 states

Key Advocacy Priorities

In more than 131 meetings, including 15 that included elected members themselves, advocates called for:

• Restoring funding for life-saving international humanitarian assistance to 2024 levels
• Fully funding the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA) account
• Ensuring community spaces remain accessible by preventing immigration enforcement actions at churches, schools, hospitals, courts, food banks, and similar locations
• Protecting religious liberty, including access to pastoral services in immigration detention
• Establishing a renewed pathway to legal status through the Registry Program, which has not been updated since 1986

“I’m a first-generation college student. My family is from Guyana, and many of them had to migrate here. Hearing their stories and understanding how hard they’ve worked to achieve success in this country really shaped me,” said participant Sadhana Seetalall.

About Jesuit Refugee Service/USA

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA is part of JRS International, which serves refugees and other forcibly displaced people in more than 50 countries. Dedicated to accompanying, serving, and advocating on behalf of refugees and migrants, JRS provides education, livelihoods support, emergency assistance, and mental health and psychosocial services. Globally, JRS serves more than one million people each year.

CONTACT:
Syeda Abbas, Media Relations Officer,  Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
Syeda.Abbas@jrsusa.org