Immigration

Take action with JCJ

Call on the United States to welcome the refugee, the immigrant, and the asylum seeker

Join us as we mobilize Jewish communities and pro-democracy people of faith in support of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.

What’s the injustice?

Millions of migrants and refugees are displaced by violence, persecution, and economic instability. America isn’t doing enough to welcome them.

With more than 82 million people displaced across the globe, the world is experiencing the most severe refugee crisis since the Second World War. No two refugees or migrants share the same story: Millions have fled Syria in the last decade of horrific violence; in Central America, many are seeking relief from gang violence and economic suffering; others across the globe have been struck by climate conditions like famine and drought.

The challenges plaguing refugees and asylum seekers rarely end once they have crossed the borders of their home country; more than 80 percent of refugees today are living in places that lack the resources and infrastructure to absorb such a significant influx. Plagued by a global rise in nationalism, wealthy nations that do have the capacity, money, and will to shoulder the burden of resettlement are shirking their responsibility.

Under the Trump Administration, the United States was no exception: America’s resettlement program was dismantled and replaced with a cruel regime of policies to deny entry and relief to the world’s most vulnerable — all in the name of “deterrence.” Many undocumented immigrants, DREAMers, and asylum seekers continue to live in a state of fear and anxiety. Among these families, peace of mind and security remain a rare commodity.

What we believe

Every human being has the right to a safe and secure home.

Seeking asylum is at the very core of the Jewish story. From wandering in the desert to fleeing persecution in modern times, Jews understand what it means to be a refugee and pursue a better life. We support efforts to rebuild and expand America’s resettlement program and position the United States as the world’s leading force for refugee relief. Further, we call on Congress to address the crisis at the Southern border through immediate humanitarian measures and long-term immigration reform.

At the federal level, we are engaged with our coalition partners in the fight to pass core pieces of transformative legislation:

  • The American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 would provide a pathway to legal status for DACA recipients and Dreamers.

Related Blog Posts

Tips for a justice-centered Passover Seder

Tips for a justice-centered Passover Seder

During our Passover Seder, we retell the story of our ancestors' movement from enslavement to a free people. Our Israelite forebears endured generations of cruelty and oppression until God appeared...

read more

Connections: Jewish Sources

You shall not oppress the stranger, for you know how it feels to be a stranger in a new land for you were a stranger in the land of Egypt. — Exodus 23:9

You shall not turn over to his master a slave who seeks refuge with you from his master. He shall live with you in any place he may choose among the settlements in your midst, wherever he pleases; you must not ill-treat him. — Deuteronomy 23:16-17

Shammai said: Make your Torah fixed, say little and do much, and receive every person with a cheerful countenance. — Pirke Avot 1:15

There shall be law for the citizen and for the stranger who dwells among you. — Exodus 12:49