United States of America

Number of people served:  10,453 

The US has long been a refuge for people forced to flee from their homes. Each year, thousands come to the United States to seek safety and security. Some are welcomed through the United States Refugee Admissions Program, while others cross the boarders of the US seeking asylum. The US admitted only 22,491 refugees in the last fiscal year.

JRS Programs in the US

JRS/USA is the US office for JRS based in Washington, DC. JRS/USA provides support to the broader JRS network – through funding, oversight, monitoring, and evaluation – to JRS projects and programming throughout the world.

JRS/USA also serves forcibly displaced migrants in the US through our Detention Chaplaincy Program. The Jesuit Refugee Service/USA chaplaincy programs provide pastoral and religious assistance to meet the needs of non-citizens detained by the Department of Homeland Security in five US federal detention centers located in Florida, Texas, Arizona, and New York. These programs enable people of all faiths to have access to pastoral care within their faith tradition. 

JRS/USA also advocates to defend and protect refugees at home and abroad by representing them to Congress and US Government officials. JRS/USA also organizes supporters to raise awareness and advocate on refugees’s behalf.

Reconciliation In a spirit of welcome and hospitality, reconciliation creates a communal expression of social cohesion and acceptance of refugees within society.
Reconciliation
Advocacy Advocacy aims to shape laws, policies, and public opinion to be just and generous for the benefit of victims of forced displacement.
Advocacy
Psychosocial Support Displaced people often experience trauma due to their displacement. These services aim to meet the variety of complex spiritual and psychosocial needs.
Psychosocial Support

See Our Work

Fr Richard Sotelo S.J. celebrates Mass for detainees at the Service Processing Center for detained undocumented immigrants in El Paso, Texas. (Jesuit Refugee Service)
Students at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania host a JRS Refugee Simulation to raise awareness about refugees at their university. (Misericordia University)
Advocates gather in front of the White House to show support for refugees on World Refugee Day. (Jesuit Refugee Service)

Stories





USA: Opening Doors to Opportunity 30 Apr 2020
story
USA: Jesuit Institutions Call for Respecting Dignity and Rights of Migrants and Refugees in Response to New Executive Order 23 Apr 2020
story
6 Ways to Stand in Solidarity with Refugees 23 Apr 2020
story

Contact

JRS USA Country Director:

Joan Rosenhauer 

Contact info:  

1016 16th St Nw, Suite 500 

Washington, DC 20036 

202-629-5906 

Project locations:

Washington, DC; Miami, Florida; St. Elizabeth, Texas; El Paso, Texas; Florence, Arizona; Buffalo, New York.