JRS

Jesuit Refugee Service

The Jesuit Refugee Service has continued to provide their services to migrants residing in Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela, who are particularly vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. The JRS heavily supports non-discriminatory policies for COVID-19 vaccination distribution that include refugees and displaced people. Through collaborating with local pharmacies and taxi services, JRS has coordinated the delivery of essential food, medicine, and rent assistance to migrant households in Mexico. In Venezuela, JRS has partnered with local farmers to provide fresh produce to migrant families, prioritizing the elderly and other vulnerable persons. To combat unemployment, JRS has provided work tools and professional development workshops to encourage entrepreneurship among refugees and internally displaced persons (IDP) in Venezuela. JRS has continued their counseling and legal services remotely by providing phone credit and orienting clients to access support services in their communities. Its legal team and psychologists continue to prepare asylum applications and meet with clients on the phone, despite suspended immigration court hearings in the United States.

Additionally, JRS advocates on behalf of refugees, urging national governments to address the impact that COVID-19 has had on IDPs, the informal sector, and human rights abuses at the border. JRS has increased awareness of the rise in gender-based violence (GBV) and provided members of GBV support groups in Ecuador and Colombia with phone credit to continue remote sessions. JRS has recommended that countries protect the health of refugees and their citizens through reinstating asylum at borders and allowing humanitarian organizations to intervene. JRS has collaborated with other Jesuit and relief organizations to advocate for refugee issues, distribute necessary supplies to vulnerable populations, and inform the public about challenges specific to the region. JRS is prioritizing helping hospitals transport supplies to those in greatest need, helping people with special needs and women who need protection, distributing hygiene supplies to both their workers on the front lines and the refugees they serve, and using their technology to provide legal assistance where offices are shut down. JRS provides resources on their website on how to get access to health services during COVID-19 despite immigration status. 

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Select resources for the JRS:

To learn more about the Jesuit Refugee Service in Latin America, visit https://jrs.net/en/jrs_offices/jrs-latin-america-and-caribbean/.

ALBOAN. (2020, June 4). Emergencia Global COVID-19. https://www.alboan.org/es/actualidad/internacional/emergencia-global-covid-19.

El Tiempo. (2020, December 22). Piden al Gobierno no discriminar a venezolanos con vacuna de covid-19. https://www.eltiempo.com/justicia/servicios/piden-al-gobierno-no-discriminar-a-venezolanos-con-vacuna-de-coronavirus-556467.

Jesuit Refugee Service. (n.d.). Ruta para la movilidad humana informada y segura. ‌JRS LAC. https://lac.jrs.net/es/laruta/.

————. (2020). Open Letter on COVID-19 and Humanitarian Disarmament. https://jrs.net/en/news/open-letter-on-covid-19-and-humanitarian-disarmament/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=covid19.

————. (2020, April 22). Historias Inspiradoras en Tiempos de Crisis. JRS Colombia. https://col.jrs.net/es/involucrate/historias-inspiradoras-en-tiempos-de-crisis/?fbclid=IwAR197k6NP5ytyCiOhOEVLiaFxEAj2VMjh7mIaOOjy2cEMnRm667P_DVm4s8.

————. (2020, May 29). Profundización de la crisis humanitaria de migrantes y refugiados venezolanos a causa de las medidas de contención del COVID-19. JRS Colombia. https://col.jrs.net/es/informes/informe-3/.

————. (2020, August 5). Retos de la Hospitalidad en Contexto de Retornos Forzados. JRS Colombia. https://col.jrs.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2020/08/doc_1-1-2-2.pdf.

————. (2020, August 6). Recomendaciones para la población migrante y en condición de movilidad humana / COVID-19. JRS Colombia. https://col.jrs.net/es/noticias/recomendaciones-para-la-poblacion-migrante-y-en-condicion-de-movilidad-humana-covid-19/.

————. (2020, August 6). Refugiados en Apure apuestan por el emprendimiento en medio de la pandemia. JRS Venezuela. https://ven.jrs.net/news/refugiados-en-apure-apuestan-por-el-emprendimiento-en-medio-de-la-pandemia/.

————. (2020, August 25). JRS responds to COVID-19 | Refugees and the Coronavirus. https://jrs.net/en/refugees-covid-19/.

————. (2020, September 21). El Pacífico Colombiano, contra las cuerdas por la crisis estructural y la pandemia por COVID – 19. JRS Colombia. https://col.jrs.net/es/informes/informe-6/.

————. (2020, October 28). Continúa la crítica situación de derechos humanos en el pueblo indígena fronterizo Yukpa. JRS Colombia. https://col.jrs.net/es/informes/informe-n-7/.

————. (2021, February 19). Recomendaciones para la población migrante y en condición de movilidad humana / COVID-19. JRS Colombia. https://col.jrs.net/es/noticias/recomendaciones-para-la-poblacion-migrante-y-en-condicion-de-movilidad-humana-covid-19/.

————. (2021, March 4). JRS calls for equity in vaccine distribution. https://jrs.net/en/news/jrs-calls-for-equity-in-vaccine-distribution/.