News & Views

A New Day

Dear HIAS PA Supporter,

This last week I have felt, to quote one colleague, giddy. The outlook for immigrants in this country has changed completely. The daughter of immigrants is our Vice President. In Biden’s first few days in office, he already paused deportations, ended the Muslim Travel Ban, paused Border Wall construction, extended DACA, rolled back interior immigration enforcement priorities, and ensured that undocumented immigrants are counted in the census. In addition, Biden has sent a bill proposing a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants.

So what does a new administration mean for Philadelphia’s immigrants and HIAS Pennsylvania?

  1. Peace of mind. Many of our clients, even if they have applied for legal status, live in constant fear of deportation orders that will tear them away from their lives and families.
  2. Clients can reunite with their families. Our neighbors from Syria, Iran, and other countries affected by the Muslim ban and long wait times have been separated from their families for years, without the chance to visit them abroad or have their families visit them.
  3. More people can gain the protection of DACA. Already, DACA has opened for new applicants after being closed for more than two years. DACA remains a temporary protection, with no path to citizenship, but it is a protection we will be thrilled to help more people obtain while we advocate for DREAMers to gain more rights.
  4. The US will again offer refuge to those fleeing violence. In the four years of the previous Administration, the US Refugee Program was almost entirely shut down. We are excited for the restoration of a higher refugee ceiling so that we will be able to resettle hundreds more refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Iran, and hopefully Syria in the next year.
  5. Immigrants will have a better chance to thrive. With fewer government imposed obstacles, our case managers and legal advocates can do more to help immigrants be their best selves. Some immigrants become the founder of Google; others become home health aide workers who care for the homebound and elderly among us. In either case, each brings vital strength to our communities.

The past four years have been so destructive for immigrants, and the pandemic has hit immigrants especially hard. Our clients’ needs remain great, but so do the opportunities to help them. Share our joy, and help us continue the work of bending the arc toward justice. Advocate. Donate. Volunteer.

In gratitude,

Cathryn Miller-Wilson

G'mar chatima tova.

HIAS Pennsylvania's office will be closed on Monday, September 25th, in observance of Yom Kippur. 

TONIGHT (4/20) - Join us ONLINE at the 2023 Golden Door Awards!

Join us ONLINE at 6:45PM TONIGHT, Thursday, April 20th, for HIAS PA's 2023 Golden Door Awards: United for Immigrants!

Happy Passover from HIAS Pennsylvania!HIAS PA is closed in observance of the Jewish holiday of Passover

HIAS Pennsylvania will be closed in observance of the Jewish holiday of Passover from 1PM on Wednesday, April 5th through Friday, April 7th, and on Wednesday, April 12th and Thursday, April 13th.

Join us at the 2023 Golden Door Awards!United for Immigrants

The Golden Door Awards is HIAS Pennsylvania's annual fundraiser. Your generous support helps us serve low-income immigrants from all over the world as they build new lives in our community.

Building closed until further noticeHIAS PA remains open!

HIAS PA’s physical offices at 600 Chestnut Street are CLOSED until further notice due to a burst pipe in the building.

Our organization remains open, and HIAS PA staff continue to work remotely at this time.

Please call (215) 832-0900 with any questions.

Building closed until further noticeHIAS PA remains open!

HIAS PA’s physical offices at 600 Chestnut Street are CLOSED until further notice due to a burst pipe in the building.

Our organization remains open, and HIAS PA staff continue to work remotely at this time.

Please call (215) 832-0900 with any questions.

TONIGHT: Join us at the table!Join us for Thankful Together!

Thankful Together, formerly known as Refugee Thanksgiving, is happening TONIGHT at 6PM!

Register here to join us tonight: https://hiaspa1.wpengine.com/event/thankful-together-2021/

Celebrate our volunteers who make this all possible!Click here at 11:45AM to join our Annual Meeting!

Click here to join our virtual Annual Meeting!

The Annual Meeting starts at noon, but join us at 11:45AM for an informal chat before the event!

POSTPONED! Speed Advocacy: Afghanistan

Today's Speed Advocacy: Afghanistan Facebook Live event has been postponed due to a worldwide Facebook outage. We will update you as soon as possible about rescheduling the event.