Advocate for legal pathways
Advocate for the Suspension of Operation PARRIS
In December, Operation PARRIS launched in Minnesota, reportedly targeting the 5,600 refugees in Minnesota who had not yet been granted Green Cards. Advocate by calling the administration and lawmakers to suspend Operation PARRIS.
On February 27, a federal judge issued a ruling prohibiting the detention of refugees in Minnesota who have not yet received their green cards. While we celebrate the stop to detentions, refugees continue to receive call-in letters, requiring them to attend re-vetting interviews to prove their original stories of persecution. A new order was released on February 19 expanding the reinterviewing of refugees to now include refugees beyond Minnesota and throughout the United States. The federal injunction preventing refugee detentions only applies to Minnesota at this time. Join us in advocating against refugee detentions nationwide.
Action 1: Call your members of Congress to urge them to increase oversight over immigration enforcement officials, to suspend Operation PARRIS and the push to re-litigate refugees’ legal status, and to restart the resettlement of carefully vetted refugees. Find your Congressional representative here.
Action 2: Sign a letter along with fellow Christians through World Relief, urging President Trump to sustain refugee protections and compassionate policies.
The United States Refugee Admissions Program
Every year, the president must decide the “ceiling” – the maximum number – of refugees who will be resettled to the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. The Trump administration has recently announced that the refugee ceiling for Fiscal Year 2026 will be just 7,500, a drastic reduction from the Fiscal Year 2025 ceiling of 125,000, and with a shift in focus away from religious minorities persecuted for their faith.
Setting the refugee ceiling at the historically low level of 7,500 – at a time when more people are forcibly displaced today than at any other time in recorded history – is inconsistent with American values and the Christian commitment to care for those who are persecuted, including those persecuted for their faith.
Act today and 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.
Ways to reach out to cabinet members, the White House, and your elected representatives:
- 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)
- Leave a message for Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on the Department of Homeland Security Comment Line by calling 202-282-8495
Sustain Legal Protections for Parolees
Urge Congress to protect lawfully present Afghans, Ukrainians, Venezuelans, Haitians and Others
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.
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
