***UPDATE***
October 05, 2018
As announced in September, the President of the United States today signed a determination letter that set the refugee admissions goal for Fiscal Year 2019 at 30,000.
Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska is deeply disappointed by the administration’s decision to set the lowest annual admissions ceiling in the history of U.S. refugee resettlement.
LFS of Nebraska and other local and national organizations across the United States had called for at least 75,000 refugees to be welcomed to the U.S. in the coming fiscal year.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees reports that over 68.5 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide right now. 25.4 million are registered as refugees; over half of that number are under the age of 18. It is tragic that at such a time of historic need, the administration would turn its back on so many.
For decades, American Lutherans have been committed to welcoming new neighbors world-wide. At the end of World War II, one out of every six Lutherans in the world was a refugee or displaced person. Since then, American Lutherans have worked with other faith-based counterparts to welcome newcomers of all faiths into our communities who seek safety, opportunity, and peace.
Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska President and CEO Stacy Martin shares, “To those who have so compassionately provided support to our new neighbors, and those who hold dear the American ideals of freedom and welcome, we thank you. We ask you to lift your voices too, and share the stories of hope and success that you have witnessed among the newcomers you have helped settle in our communities.”
September 18, 2018
STATEMENT FROM LUTHERAN FAMILY SERVICES OF NEBRASKA ON NEW REFUGEE ADMISSIONS CEILING
Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska is deeply disappointed by the administration’s decision to set the annual admissions ceiling at 30,000 — the lowest in the history of U.S. refugee resettlement.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees reports that over 68.5 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide right now. 25.4 million are registered as refugees; over half of that number are under the age of 18. It is tragic that at such a time of historic need, the administration would turn its back on so many.
Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska stands with other local and national organizations across the United States in calling for at least 75,000 refugees to be welcomed to the U.S. in the coming fiscal year.
For decades, American Lutherans have been committed to welcoming new neighbors world-wide. At the end of World War II, one out of every six Lutherans in the world was a refugee or displaced person. Since then, American Lutherans have worked with other faith-based counterparts to welcome newcomers of all faiths into our communities who seek safety, opportunity, and peace.
Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska President and CEO Stacy Martin shares, “To those who have so compassionately provided support to our new neighbors, and those who hold dear the American ideals of freedom and welcome, we thank you. We ask you to lift your voices too, and share the stories of hope and success that you have witnessed among the newcomers you have helped settle in our communities.”
About Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska
Established in 1892, Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska (LFS) is a faith-based, not-for-profit, multi- service human care agency with locations across Nebraska and an office in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The LFS mission is to provide human care services that build and strengthen individual, family and community life. As a multi-service organization, LFS demonstrates its mission through three broad service areas:
Behavioral Health Services: including mental health counseling, sexual abuse/incest treatment, substance use treatment, and specialized counseling for children, adolescents, adults and families
Children Services: providing infant, international and foster care adoption services and searches, foster care, pregnancy counseling, maternal health care and family support services
Community Services: providing refugee resettlement services, immigration legal services, and education and employment services for new populations.
To learn more visit www.LFSneb.org.
