WJCI mobilizes the Jewish community to welcome refugees, asylum seekers and other immigrants to communities in Westchester and throughout New York where they can live safely with dignity.
UPDATES
We Stand With Ukraine
Learning What We Can Do
USCIS recently launched Uniting for Ukraine, which allows U.S. residents to apply to sponsor Ukrainians seeking refuge in the United States. Under the Uniting for Ukraine program, up to 100,000 Ukrainians will be able to resettle in the U.S. under humanitarian parole. Ukrainians admitted under humanitarian parole will not receive the benefits of refugee status, which include work authorization, health care and housing assistance. For more information on the Uniting for Ukraine program, please see Jewish Federations’ updated FAQs here.
Although those arriving through this program are not eligible for traditional resettlement, local resettlement affiliates are working to provide as much support as they can. In response, WJCI, backed by HIAS, will be launching a modified version of its Welcome Circles program, originally created in October 2021 in order to resettle Afghan evacuees waiting on U.S. military bases. To learn more, visit our Welcome Circles page.
As new details emerge, WJCI will continue to provide updates on the ways individuals can help, whether through sponsorship, volunteering, or advocacy:
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HIAS is on the ground in Ukraine and Poland. Follow its humanitarian work here.
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Read HIAS’ Humanitarian Parole for Ukrainians Toolkit.
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Download Recommendations To Help The Most Vulnerable People Displaced From Ukraine and HIAS’ Welcome Circle Directory, a curated list of resources to help you dive deeper into the topics that you may have more questions about.
We engage individuals and communities to welcome the stranger, and protect immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers by concentrating on:
Using an ethics-based framework to mobilize our community to channel obligation into action
Westchester Jewish Coalition for Immigration (WJCI) is a non-partisan organization that envisions the United States as a place where refugees, asylum seekers, and other immigrants can live in safety with dignity.
WJCI Mentioned in June 5th NYT Magazine piece about Refugee Resettlement!
