Jesuit Refugee Service’s Influence on International Refugee Policy

Authors

  • Giulia McPherson Jesuit Refugee Service

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14422/cir.i29.y2024.006

Keywords:

refugee, advocacy, policy, education, asylum, Syria

Abstract

As an organization committed to working with and standing alongside those who have been forcibly displaced from their homes, advocacy is a core element of Jesuit Refugee Service’s work around the world. With policymakers, donor governments, and host communities, JRS advocates for, and with, those who seek safety and the opportunity to rebuild a life for themselves and their families. Through a network of staff across the globe implementing programs each and every day, JRS identifies the challenges faced in meeting the basic needs of those we serve, and which policies can improve those circumstances. In this article, we share examples of three areas where JRS has exerted influence and action on such policies. This includes access to refugee education, protecting the right to asylum, and placing a spotlight on one of the world’s most forgotten crises, the conflict in Syria.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Amnesty International. (2020). Croatia: Fresh evidence of police abuse and torture of migrants and asylum-seekers. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/06/croatia-fresh-evidence-of-police-abuse-and-torture-of-migrants-and-asylumseekers/

Amon, J., et al. (2021). Letter to Acting HHS Secretary Cochran and CDC Director Walensky. https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/research/programs/program-forced-migration-health/voices/january-2021-title-42-letter

Devex. (2020). To stop COVID-19 spread, Colombia halves Venezuela response services. https://www.devex.com/news/to-stop-covid-19-spread-colombia-halves-venezuela-response-services-96780

Dupraz-Dobias, P. (2020). Nicaraguan asylum seekers face hunger in Costa Rica or dangerous returns. The Humanitarian. https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2020/09/28/Nicaragua-Costa-Rica-migration-economy-poverty

Education Cannot Wait. (2023a). Crisis-affected children and adolescents in need of education support: New global estimates and thematic deep dives. https://www.educationcannotwait.org/resource-library/crisis-affected-children-and-adolescents-in-need-education-support-new-global

Education Cannot Wait (2023b). Results dashboard. https://www.educationcannotwait.org/impact-results/main-results-dashboard

Education Cannot Wait. (2023c). 2022 Annual Results Report. https://www.educationcannotwait.org/annual-report-2022/

European Commission. (2023). Syria and the region: international community mobilises €5.6 billion during the 7th Brussels Conference. https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/news/syria-and-region-international-community-mobilises-eu56-billion-during-7th-brussels-conference-2023-06-15_en

Gammeltoft-Hansen, T., & Tan, N. F. (2017). The End of the Deterrence Paradigm? Future Directions for Global Refugee Policy. Journal of Migration and Human Security, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/233150241700500103

HHS & CDC. (2020). Order suspending introduction of certain persons from countries where a communicable disease exists. https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/pdf/CDC-Order-Prohibiting-Introduction-of-Persons_Final_3-20-20_3-p.pdf

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA. (2018). Protecting the promise of a generation. https://www.jrsusa.org/resource/protecting-the-promise-of-a-generation/

Kheshen, N., & Safi, M. (2023). Nightmare realized: Syrians face mass forced deportations from Lebanon. The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. https://timep.org/2023/05/24/nightmare-realized-syrians-face-mass-forced-deportations-from-lebanon

Louarn, A-D. (2020). In Calais, at least 1,200 migrants are on the streets, twice as many as last summer. Info Migrants. https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/25590/in-calais-at-least-1-200-migrants-are-on-the-streets-twice-as-many-as-last-summer

McPherson, G. (2020). Will COVID-19 halt asylum in the United States for good? The New Humaniatarian. https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2020/07/09/US-Mexico-asylum-coronavirus

Mukumbang, F. C., Ambe, A. N., & Adebiyi, B. O. (2020). Unspoken inequality: how COVID-19 has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities of asylum-seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants in South Africa. International Journal for Equity in Health, 141. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-020-01259-4

No Lost Generation. (2023). Brussels VII - No Lost Generation Advocacy Brief. https://www.nolostgeneration.org/reports/brussels-vii-no-lost-generation-advocacy-brief

OCHA. (2023). Humanitarian Needs Overview: Syrian Arab Republic. https://www.unocha.org/syrian-arab-republic

OECD. (2020). What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrants and their children? http://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/what-is-the-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-immigrants-and-their-children-e7cbb7de

Ozy. (2020). Coronavirus pushes biggest migration in the Americas underground. https://www.ozy.com/around-the-world/the-coronavirus-is-driving-the-biggest-migration-in-the-americas-underground/291984/

The Jesuits. (1995). Our Mission and Justice, General Congregation 34 - Decree 3. https://jesuits-eum.org/gc-decrees/our-mission-and-justice/

UNHCR. (2023a). Mid-Year Trends 2023. https://www.unhcr.org/mid-year-trends-report-2023

UNHCR. (2023b). Unlocking potential: the right to education and opportunity. https://www.unhcr.org/media/unhcr-education-report-2023-unlocking-potential-right-education-and-opportunity

UNHCR. (2024a). Global Focus: Syria Situation. https://reporting.unhcr.org/operational/situations/syria-situation

UNHCR. (2024b). Lebanon. https://www.unhcr.org/countries/lebanon

UNHCR. (n. d.). COVID-19 platform: temporary measures and impact on protection. https://im.unhcr.org/covid19_platform/#_ga=2.66742638.1789881933.1594899720-611184440.1594056193

U.S. Customs & Border Protection. (2023). Nationwide Enforcement Encounters: Title 8 Enforcement Actions and Title 42 Expulsions. https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/cbp-enforcement-statistics/title-8-and-title-42-statistics-fy2020

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/cbp-enforcement-statistics/title-8-and-title-42-statistics

Downloads

Published

2024-04-22

How to Cite

McPherson, G. (2024). Jesuit Refugee Service’s Influence on International Refugee Policy. Comillas Journal of International Relations, (29), 90–103. https://doi.org/10.14422/cir.i29.y2024.006