OMAHA, Neb. (January 27, 2017) – Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska (LFS) strongly opposes President Trump’s executive order to pause the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days, halt the arrival of Syrian refugees and reduce the overall number of refugees who will enter the United States this federal fiscal year from 110,000 to 50,000.
“Our mission calls us to express God’s love for all people and to welcome the stranger seeking refuge from oppression and the horrors of war. As people of faith, we stand in solidarity alongside refugees,” said LFS President and CEO Ruth Henrichs.
“We cannot forget who refugees are — they are parents, children and the most vulnerable among us who have lost everything. They have fled discrimination, threats and violence seeking safety and hope for a better future.”
“LFS remains firmly committed to refugees and resettlement,” said Henrichs. “We serve refugees and immigrants, not because they are Lutheran or Christian (most of them are not), but because LFS is! It is precisely because of our faith understanding of the Gospel call to serve and care for our neighbor that we do this work.”
LFS will continue to work through its’ LFS International Center of the Heartland with community partners, organizations and faith communities across Nebraska to serve refugees who have already arrived and now call Nebraska home.
The United States can and must continue to welcome refugees while continuing to ensure our own security. This does not have to be a choice. We can and should continue to do both. LFS will continue to advocate for America to be a beacon of hope for people around the world.
To join with LFS in continuing advocacy and support for refugees and resettlement in our state and our nation, contact LFS at WelcomeRefugees@lfsneb.org.
About Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Inc.
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; and
- Community Services, providing refugee resettlement services, immigration legal services, AmeriCorps and other education and employment services for new populations.
This year marks the 125th anniversary LFS’ founding as two orphanages in Fremont and Omaha, Nebraska.
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