Photography by Bruce Byers
“All I asked for is a chance for a better future for my child.”
Beirut Mafraq Istanbul
International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) was founded by Pope Pius XII in 1951 to respond to the pressing refugee crisis created in the aftermath of WWII. Since that time, it has partnered with organizations throughout the world to concretely respond to the Gospel mandate “to welcome the stranger” by caring for over 1,000,000 refugees during their resettlement to the United States. ICMC advocates for global migration policies that respect universal human rights while concomitantly promoting migrants’ realization of their duties to their new country and their integration as productive future citizens. ICMC also prioritizes anti-trafficking efforts around the world to seek to respond to the crisis of an estimated 27 million trafficked persons currently held in slavery.
ICMC’s work is made possible through the generosity and prayers of individuals who wish to personally and concretely respond to the Gospel mandate to “welcome the stranger.” (Matthew 25:13)
Beirut
Beirut, Lebanon
ICMC Middle East
ICMC has been assisting Iraqi asylum seekers in Lebanon and Jordan since 2002 and in Syria since 2006, working together with Caritas Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Terre des Hommes. ICMC’s assistance reaches the most vulnerable members of the dispersed asylum seekers in these communities, providing humanitarian assistance and facilitating access to ambulatory medical treatment, medication, and when necessary, hospitalization.
ICMC also offers assistance in the form of remedial education, purchase of uniforms and books, and payment of tuition to allow Iraqi children to attend either public or, in some cases, private educational institutions. To date, ICMC has assisted some 45,000 vulnerable Iraqis.
ICMC’s work has been supported by the US Government’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migrants (PRM), the European Commission’s Humanitarian Organization (ECHO), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Swiss Federal Department for Foreign Affairs.
For most refugees, ICMC’s work means the difference between life and death. ICMC staff assists people in navigating the lengthy process of relocating to safety. While refugees are waiting to move to their new permanent homes, ICMC assists families and individuals with shelter, vocational training, food, baby packs, and other essential aid.
Mafraq
Mafraq, Jordan
It is a cruel irony that the Syrian people, who in recent years welcomed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees, now find themselves compelled to seek refuge in neighboring countries such as Jordan. This traditionally welcoming people now depend on their neighbors’ assistance in their fight to survive the ravages of civil war and allow their children to have a brighter future.
Most refugees find themselves in a threatening situation, desperate to escape lives of fear and danger. Many families escape across borders to other harsh conditions, often with newborns, waiting for the chance for a better life. ICMC works with these families to provide shelter, food, baby packs, materials for surviving harsh weather conditions, and other assistance vital to their survival.
Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey
For three decades, ICMC has proudly partnered with the US State Department to conduct resettlement processing and cultural orientation for hundreds of thousands of refugees seeking to be resettled in the United States. Our work together began with the passage of the Refugee Act of 1980, when the State Department entered into cooperative agreement with ICMC to create the first Joint Voluntary Deployment Agency (JVDA) to lead the operations of the Orderly Department Program for Vietnamese refugees.
In 1983, our JVDA created the Amerasian case processing pursuant to the Amerasian Homecoming Act and, in 1989, ICMC led a separate reeducation sub-program to better meet the needs of reeducation camp detainees. ICMC directly assists refugees in need of resettlement through the Resettlement Support Services (RSC) in Istanbul, Turkey, by preparing cases for presentation to US Citizenship and Immigration Services and facilitating pre-departure processes, such as cultural orientation and medical examinations. An ICMC sub-office in Lebanon further provides support, while mobile teams work with individuals and their families in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Since 2007, ICMC’s resettlement program has experienced steady growth, largely in response to Iraqis who have fled to Turkey and Lebanon since 2006. Of the more than 18,600 Iraqi nationals resettled to the US in 2010, ICMC in Turkey supported more than 6,100. In addition to Iraqis, ICMC works with people of more than 25 different nationalities, including Afghans, Iranians and Syrians.
At 16 and out of school for more than two years, this young Iraqi man has many challenges ahead. ICMC has assisted him, his brother, and their parents in relocating to the United States where a brighter future awaits. He cannot wait to go to school in America.
English classes prepare him to be a productive new citizen.
“The émigré Holy Family of Nazareth, fleeing into Egypt, is the archetype of every refugee family. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, living in exile in Egypt to escape the fury of an evil king are, for all times and all places, the models and protectors of every migrant, alien and refugee of whatever kind who, whether compelled by fear of persecution or by want, is forced to leave his native land, his beloved parents and relatives, his close friends, and to seek a foreign soil.”
Exsul Familia Nazarethana, Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII, August 1, 1952.
The International Catholic Migration Commission serves and protects uprooted people, refugees, internally displaced persons, migrants and trafficked persons regardless of faith, race, ethnicity or nationality. We advocate for rights-based policies and durable solutions through a worldwide network of member organizations.
The ICMC Governing Committee carries out the decisions of the Council and supports their work, particularly in the preparation of annual budgets. Moreover, the Governing Committee is responsible for prioritising and guiding the work of the Secretariat, appointing the ICMC Secretary General and establishing branch offices as necessary.
The eleven members of the Governing Committee are regionally elected, and each serves a four-year term.
President Mr. John KLINK USA/Ireland
Treasurer
Secretary
Members
H.E. George Cardinal PELL Australia
H.E. Bishop Precioso CANTILLAS Philippines
H.E. John Cardinal NJUE Kenya
H.E. Oscar Andres Cardinal RODRIGUEZ MARADIAGA Honduras
H.E. Cristoph Cardinal SCHONBORN Austria
H.E. Patriarch Gregorius III Syria
H.E. Archbishop Emilio BERLIE Mexico
Rev. Mgr. Dr. Francis NDAMIRA Uganda
Rev. Fr. Neil KARUNARATNE Sri Lanka
Ambassador Johnny YOUNG USA
Observers
H.E. Archbishop Silvano TOMASI
Representative of the Holy See to the UN in Geneva
Mr. Bernard RYELANDT
President, ICMC Europe
Rev. Fr. Kawecki Poland
Counsellors Sister Maryanne LOUGHRY Australia
Sister Janete FERREIRA Ecuador
Beirut Mafraq Istanbul
