Press Releases

Washington, D.C.—Church World Service today joins with the nation in mourning at the passing of Reverend Jesse Jackson. A man of faith, civil rights icon, and advocate for the underserved, Reverend Jackson leaves behind a world better than he found it.  In response to Reverend Jackson’s passing, Rick Santos, president and CEO of Church World Service, issued the following statement:   …

Ruling Prevents Unlawful Targeting, Arrest and Detention of Legally Admitted Refugees in the State  Washington, D.C.—On Wednesday, in Minnesota, a federal judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) blocking the Trump administration from carrying out arrests and detentions of legally admitted refugees in Minnesota under Operation PARRIS. The order will remain in place while litigation on the issue proceeds. The judge further ordered the rapid release of all refugees detained under Operation PARRIS in Minnesota as well as those transferred to Texas.  More than 100 legally present refugees in Minnesota have been arrested and detained without being charged …

Washington, D.C.—Church World Service expresses its horror and grief in response to the shooting and killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti by federal immigration enforcement officers on Saturday morning in Minneapolis. Pretti was an American citizen and Minnesotan who worked as a registered nurse in the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Pretti was shot and killed just 17 days after the killing of fellow …

Karen Manczko, Luis Guardia, and Susannah Cunningham Join the CWS Board   New York City—Church World Service today announced that it has welcomed three new members to its Board of Directors, Karen Manczko, Director of Institutional Relationships at Wespath Institutional Investments and Wespath Benefits and Investments; Luis Guardia, Chief Financial Officer for the National Association of Counties and founder of Guardia Investors; …

Washington, D.C.—Church World Service today expressed its deep concern over the Trump administration’s detaining of resettled refugees as part of a wider effort to review and potentially revoke their legal status. On January 9, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the launch of Operation “Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening” or “PARRIS,” targeting resettled refugees who have fled violence and …