Jesuit Refugee Service/USA is deeply concerned by the growing numbers of refugees and forcibly displaced people around the world. In response to the newly published report from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, which finds that almost 9 million people  were newly displaced in 2019, JRS/USA calls for support of refugees and displaced people throughout the globe and for welcome to those seeking safety in the United States.

“The number of displaced people across the globe is now staggering at almost 80 million,” says Joan Rosenhauer, Executive Director of JRS/USA. “This news comes at a time when we cannot even welcome those seeking safety in the United States. Our borders are closed in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, but with one in every 97 people displaced in our world, we must do more to respond. JRS/USA strongly believes that the U.S. has a responsibility to provide global leadership in addressing this urgent situation around the world. We also have a responsibility to welcome people fleeing violence and persecution. We can both protect public health and act on our legal, moral, and religious responsibility to welcome people seeking safety in the United States.”