Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Founded 1939
Location
  • Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Key people
 Linda Hartke, President and C.E.O.
Revenue
US$ 50.4 million (2013)[1]
Employees
103
Mission Witnessing to God’s love for all people, we stand with and advocate for migrants and refugees, transforming communities through ministries of service and justice.
Website http://lirs.org/

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is a non-profit organization that welcomes and supports refugees and migrants entering the United States. It is one of nine refugee resettlement agencies working with the Office of Refugee Resettlement[2] and one of only two that serves unaccompanied refugee minors.[3] LIRS also advocates for just policies and practices relating to immigration and detention.[4][5]

As an organization, LIRS originates from the response of American Lutherans in 1939 to the needs of Europeans displaced because of World War II,[6] but the roots of the organization reach back to the 1860s when the New York Ministerium and the Pennsylvania Synod joined together to help and protect Lutheran immigrants in the US.[7] Since then the organization’s scope has expanded to include any refugees entering the US, support for asylum seekers[8] and migrants,[9][10] and services to unaccompanied children (UACs).[11]

LIRS continues to be a faith-based organization and maintains relationships with three national Lutheran denominations: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.[12]

References

  1. ↑ LIRS 2013 Annual Report
  2. ↑ "Voluntary Agencies | Office of Refugee Resettlement | Administration for Children and Families". Acf.hhs.gov. 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
  3. ↑ "About Unaccompanied Refugee Minors | Office of Refugee Resettlement | Administration for Children and Families". Acf.hhs.gov. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
  4. ↑ "Immigrant Detention Centers in Texas, New Mexico Have Old Problems, Report Finds". US News. 2014-10-30. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
  5. ↑ "'Locking Up Family Values, Again' Report". Lirs.org. 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
  6. ↑ Solberg, Richard W. Open Doors the Story of Lutherans Resettling Refugees. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House, 1992. Print.
  7. ↑ Bouman, Stephen Paul., and Ralston H. Deffenbaugh. They Are Us: Lutherans and Immigration. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2009. Print.
  8. ↑ First Posted: Oct 30, 2014 04:24 PM EDT (2014-10-30). "Immigration Reform Update: Immigrant Rights Groups Call for Closing Artesia, Karnes Detention Centers as Report Details 'Inhumane' Conditions : US News". Latin Post. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
  9. ↑ Hartke, Linda (2012-04-24). "See It, Say It: The Supreme Court Should Strike Down SB 1070 | Sojourners". Sojo.net. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
  10. ↑ Roman, E., and Aziz, S. (2014-09-22). "If High Court Upholds Arizona's SB 1070, Priests and Rabbis Could Be Prosecuted for Providing Humanitarian Aid". Truth-out.org. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
  11. ↑ "Shelters for child border-crossers aren't all government-run". CBS News. 2014-08-01. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
  12. ↑ "Church Partners". Lirs.org. 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
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