Press Releases

Stay up-to-date on Interfaith Immigration Coalition’s latest news. Keep informed on the members’ reactions to immigration reform efforts and our statements asking for reform.

  • IIC Mourns the Death of Carlos Ernesto Escobar Mejia

    May 8, 2020
    IIC Mourns the Death of Carlos Ernesto Escobar Mejia
    Washington, DC – The Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) mourns the death of Carlos Ernesto Escobar Mejia and offers love, prayers, and solidarity to his family members and friends. Mr. Mejia died of COVID-19, which he contracted while detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Otay Mesa Detention Center.   San Diego Union-Tribune spoke with ...
  • No Public Health Rationale to Ban Asylum Seekers

    April 24, 2020
    No Public Health Rationale to Ban Asylum Seekers
    Washington, DC – Yesterday, several faith-based organizations who work directly with immigrants and refugees submitted comments on an interim final rule promulgated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The rule, combined with an order also issued by the CDC, has blocked all asylum ...
  • Trump’s Exploitation of COVID-19 Emergency a National Disgrace

    April 21, 2020
    Trump's Exploitation of COVID-19 Emergency a National Disgrace
    Washington, DC – In a late-night Tweet, President Trump made another major policy announcement that his aides are now scrambling to implement.  It was not an announcement that the federal government would stop seizing PPE from the states and other nations. Not an announcement that the federal government would stop deporting people who test positive for ...
  • Faith Leaders: Include Immigrants in COVID-19 Protection

    April 20, 2020
    Faith Leaders: Include Immigrants in COVID-19 Protection
    Washington, DC – Two hundred twenty-four faith-based organizations and over 1,000 faith leaders sent a letter to the Trump administration, Congress, and Governors, telling them that “immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers must be included in our emergency response if we are to assist everyone who is in need.” The organizations and individuals span ...
  • Abdicating Responsibility on Venezuelan TPS

    April 15, 2020
    Abdicating Responsibility on Venezuelan TPS
    Washington, DC – Today marks one year since the Department of Homeland Security brushed off concerns from non-governmental organizations about the conditions in Venezuela and the need for a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for this country.  A year later, another one million people have been forced to flee Venezuela, and the Trump administration continues to ...
  • A Pandemic is No Time to Issue DACA Decision

    March 27, 2020
    A Pandemic is No Time to Issue DACA Decision
    Washington, DC – Today, lawyers for Batalla Vidal, et al., No. 18-589, one of the DACA cases under consideration at the U.S. Supreme Court filed a letter asking the Court to consider how the COVID-19 global health pandemic would impact DACA recipients and their families. The Interfaith Immigration Coalition urges the Supreme Court to ...
  • COVID-19: Faith Groups Call for End to Medical Prejudice Against Immigrants

    March 18, 2020
    COVID-19: Faith Groups Call for End to Medical Prejudice Against Immigrants
    Washington, DC – Now is a time to come together–U.S. born citizens, immigrants, and refugees–and recognize that we are all part of one race, the human race. We are stronger together, and we will get through this challenging time together.  The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is concerned about all members of our human family, in the United ...
  • DACA Recipients: Blessing of Home and Strengthening Our Faith in God

    March 17, 2020
    Facebook Live: March 18, Noon ET/9am PT  Washington, DC – Diverse religions practice the blessing of home, the center for our families and sense of security. In a Facebook Live event on Wednesday, March 18th, at noon eastern, DACA recipients from Muslim and Christian faiths will talk about their spiritual beliefs and what “home” means to ...
  • Turning Our Backs on Refugees “Endangers the Soul and Substance of our Country”

    March 16, 2020
    Turning Our Backs on Refugees “Endangers the Soul and Substance of our Country”
    40th Anniversary of Refugee Act Washington, DC – March 17 is the anniversary of implementation of the Refugee Act of 1980. After forty years of history and leadership in humanitarian protection, the Trump administration has dismantled the U.S. asylum and refugee programs. Faith leaders decry this deterioration of our proud tradition of offering welcome and a ...
  • MPP Injunction: Faith Leaders Urge Congress to Restore Asylum Protections

    February 28, 2020
    WASHINGTON, DC – A federal appeals court is bringing the Remain in Mexico/Migration Protection Protocols (MPP) to a grinding halt, at least for the time being. This is great news. Now, Congress must ensure that MPP cannot resume, by blocking the administration’s dismantling of the U.S. asylum system that is supposed to protect individuals fleeing ...