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Arrive Ministries Arrive Ministries Arrive Ministries
office@arriveministries.org 612-798-4332
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • What is Operation PARRIS?
    • Outlook
    • News & Stories
    • Events
    • Contact
  • Immigrant Services
    • Request Support / Referrals
    • Resettlement
    • Employment
    • Immigration Legal Services
    • Technology Empowerment
    • Education Classes
  • Volunteer
    • Volunteer With Us
    • Regional Sites
  • Get Involved
    • Ways to Get Involved
    • Give Items
    • Rent To Refugees
    • Hire Immigrant Neighbors
    • Join Our Team
    • Classes for Churches
    • Advocate
  • Donate
    • Ways to Give
    • Give Items
    • Planned Giving

Advocate with us

Policy Change: Refugee families who were vetted, invited, and welcomed to the U.S. are now being stripped of their refugee status, with just 10 days to appeal.  This is a deadline designed to be impossible to meet. Under this newest phase of Operation PARRIS beginning October 14, 2026, upwards of 5,600 lawfully present refugees in Minnesota could receive termination notices before ever receiving a re-vetting interview.

Action: Public Comments Matter!

Now through November 13, this notice is open for public comment at regulations.gov, citing DHS Docket No. USCIS-2026-0397

Template for Public Comment – Individualized comments carry more weight 

Take this template and add your own personal details such as: 

  • Your city, state of residence, the name of your congressional representative, your immigration status
    (FYI: Do not submit personally identifiable information (ex. name, address, phone number) inside the comment box as it could be publicly disclosed)
  • Your personal opinion/impact (for example “As a veteran, I…” or “As a Christian, I believe…”) 

     

Template to adapt: 

It is unjust and unfair that refugees in Minnesota are receiving Notice of Intent to Terminate their lawful status, with just 10 days to appeal. This is not nearly enough time for them to build a good and strong defense against termination. We must give our refugee neighbors enough of an opportunity to provide proof in support of their refugee claim. 

Refugees who arrived between 2021-2024 were fully and strictly vetted, invited, and welcomed to the United States. They are mothers, fathers, and children who experienced fear and persecution in their countries of origin, and are now enduring the same fear and uncertainty in the United States. They are Karen Christians who fled war in Myanmar. Ukrainians, many who continue to watch their communities and loved ones suffer in their homeland. Syrians who waited more than a decade in refugee camps and cities following the civil war that began in 2011. South Sudanese families who have lived much of their lives displaced due to conflict and persecution. 

Without a viable appeal process, refugees lose their lawful status, work authorization, and are subjected to removal proceedings. This is not upholding the values of our country that invited these precious people after fleeing persecution to find and seek refuge at our shores. Reverse this change in policy from 10-days to appeal, back to granting a 30-day window to appeal. 

Bonus personalized section:  

Feel free to add in your unique views on why the regulation’s implementation is burdensome to our community.
For example: “I don’t want my tax dollars used to reinterview my refugee neighbors”
or “I support the reverification of refugee status as long as it doesn’t infringe on the due process provisions that my refugee neighbors are entitled to…”

Policy Change: Medicaid access is ending for 5,000 Minnesota immigrants and refugees. And the majority of the 5,600 refugees affected by Operation PARRIS still await a decision for their families’ future, as most green card processing remains on hold.

As of Oct. 1, hundreds of clients served by Arrive Ministries are no longer eligible for federal Medical Assistance.

In 1980, Congress decided that refugees should be able to receive lawful permanent residence. Today, tens of thousands of people invited to the U.S. under humanitarian protection are caught in limbo. Because of a federal policy, refugee green card processing has been paused since November 2025.

Action: Urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and USCIS to:
  • End the Green Card Freeze and immediately resume full adjudication of refugee I-485 applications.
  • Publicly commit to clearing the green card backlog.
  • End the unnecessary re-vetting of refugees who have already cleared the most rigorous screening in the U.S. immigration system.

USCIS comment email: public.engagement@uscis.dhs.gov
DHS comment line: 202-282-8495

Policy Change: Another restrictive Presidential Determination on refugee admissions was released, setting next year’s ceiling for refugees at 17,500 individuals.

This mirrors last years’ lowest ceiling in the history of the U.S. refugee program. The president’s refugee determination names only one population as a priority for resettlement, Afrikaners from South Africa. As it has since January 2025, the administration intends to keep the ongoing refugee ban in place restricting the world’s most vulnerable refugees from resettlement. Arrive Ministries grieves yet another refugee ceiling that closes the door on refugees who meet the traditional, international legal definition of a refugee – those outside of their country of origin who have a well-founded fear of persecution.

Action: Urge the President to reverse course, consult with Congress, and set the refugee ceiling at 50,000, consistent with the refugee ceiling in his first term. 
  • Call the White House Comment line at 202-456-1111, and leave a message on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 10am-2pm CST or email the White House at comments@whitehouse.gov

Policy Change: Travel bans remain for 39 countries.
Preventing refugees overseas from finding safety and permanency through resettlement in the U.S.

Action: Urge your Congressional representative and the White House to lift travel bans, so refugees displaced around the world can find permanence to rebuild their lives in the U.S.

Policy Change: A small number of refugees have received Notices of Intent to Terminate their refugee status (NOIT).

Action: Urge your Congressional representative and the White House to stop the mass revetting of refugees under Operation PARRIS.

Find and call your Congressional representative – Calling is the most effective way to advocate through your representatives.

Find & Call Your Congressional representative
  • Find and Call your Elected Officials (or call the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the House or Senate office you request
  • Call the White House Comment line at 202-456-1111, and leave a message on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 10am-2pm CST or email the White House at comments@whitehouse.gov
  • Fill out the Contact Us Form for the Department of State at the bottom of this webpage
Policy Change: Hundreds of thousands of immigrants who are currently present and authorized to work lawfully in the United States from countries facing severe crises are at risk of losing their temporary legal protections and facing deportation, harming them and further destabilizing their home countries.
 
Already, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the termination of parole for more than half a million individuals from Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, and other countries who entered the U.S. lawfully with a U.S.-based sponsor (often a family member or a church).
 
Other individuals from these countries who have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will also lose those protections in the coming months, putting them at risk of deportation. Individuals from Ukraine who entered the U.S. lawfully through similar parole programs are fearful that their protections could be withdrawn soon.
Action: Urge Congress to protect lawfully present Afghans, Ukrainians, Venezuelans, Haitians and Others. Ask Congress to pass legislation to protect these individuals and allow them to remain lawfully in the United States.
Email Congress Now

Know Your Rights

Know Your Rights are multilingual resources for immigrants providing general information on what to do if you are stopped, arrested, or detained by immigration or other law enforcement.

Know Your RIghts

Education and Awareness Resources

Speak the truth in love and with humility
  • Use platforms such as social media, write an op-ed, read and share stories of local refugees and immigrants, highlight the biblical imperative to welcome the stranger and advocate for policies that uphold human rights and dignity.
  • Invite Arrive Ministries leaders to speak at your church or teach a class as a way to educate members about biblical perspectives on immigration and the experiences of immigrants today.
  • If you are a church leader, preach and teach on welcoming at your congregation
  • Use these resources that include articles, trainings, podcasts and books to explore immigration from a biblical and humanitarian lens.
  • Do the “I Was a Stranger” Challenge – a 40-day Scripture-reading guide, suitable either for individual study or for use by a congregation, focused on God’s heart for vulnerable foreigners
  • Do the Welcoming the Stranger study in your church small groups
    and ministry teams.
  • Download and read the Closed Doors Report on Persecuted Christians and the U.S. Refugee Resettlement and Asylum Processes and the LifeWay Study on 2024 Evangelical Views on Immigration Study

Prayer and Spiritual Support

  • Offer pastoral care and support to immigrant members of the congregation, including counseling, advocacy and practical assistance with legal and social services from your local Arrive Ministries regional site.
  • Pray together as a church community, dedicating time during services or in small groups to pray for immigrants, refugees, policymakers and all those affected by immigration policies.

    Specific prayer points:
    – For our elected officials, as Scripture commands of us (1 Tim. 2:1-2)
    – For the discernment and wisdom over our elected officials (Prov. 21:1).
    – For safety for all refugees and other displaced people around the globe
    – For the courage to advocate and affirm the dignity of refugees and people in vulnerable situations
    – For Christians to welcome the sojourner and foreigner based on biblical principles

  • Download a full list of prayer points relevant to 2025 suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Program

Advocacy Resources

Evangelical Immigration Table 

World Relief 

UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)

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1515 East 66th Street
Richfield MN 55423
612-798-4332
office@arriveministries.org

 

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Arrive Ministries is a Christian nonprofit serving refugees and immigrants in Minnesota, in partnership with the local church. We are providing ongoing services to thousands of immigrant and refugee neighbors in the Twin Cities and Central Minnesota.

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