Last week, in a report to congress, the Administration proposed setting the refugee admissions goal at an all time time historic low of 15,000 refugees. The administration is required by U.S. law to consult with Congress about the refugee admissions goal, also known as...

Since the beginning of 2020, the security and human rights situation in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon has greatly deteriorated. In the armed conflict known as the Anglophone Crisis, over 3,000 people have been killed and hundreds of villages have been destroyed,...

By September 30th, the administration is required by U.S. law to consult with leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees before deciding how many refugees can be resettled to the United States in FY 2021. But all Senators and Representatives should hear from their...

August 6 and 9 will mark the 75th anniversary of the US’s bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The consequences of the attacks were devastating. The bombings killed an estimated 214,000 people, and the resulting radiation caused higher rates of cancer, leukemia, and...

Tell Your Senator to Support the HEROES Act As COVID-19 cases continue to rise nationwide, there is a need for legislation that protects Americans across the country. On May 15th, the House of Representatives passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency...

Tell Congress: Restore Funding for UNRWA and Humanitarian Needs, and Urge Israel to End its Blockade of Gaza Every place in the world is in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The disease does not discriminate: people of every race, gender, class, and identity are...

The Impact of Economic Sanctions Against Iran Amid COVID-19   COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on Iran and on March 20 the Presbyterian Church (USA) joined 25 faith-based organizations and NGO's to urge Trump to ease Iran sanctions to combat the coronavirus...

We are in the midst of a global crisis and are in need of immediate action. The Office of Public Witness has joined with leading faith and advocacy organizations calling upon Congress to address the coronavirus pandemic. Congress recently passed an $8 billion package...

On January 31st, the Trump administration announced the expansion of the Muslim ban, which will now suspend immigrant visas that can lead to permanent status in the United States for nationals of Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Burma, and Nigeria. It will also ban...

The targeted assassination of a top Iranian military commander is a dangerous escalation of the conflict between the US and Iran.  After withdrawing from the Iran Nuclear Deal in May of 2018, the Trump administration took several steps that increased tension in the...

On November 18, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US no longer considers Israeli settlements inconsistent with international law, reversing a 1978 Department of State legal opinion that asserted that inconsistency, a position the US has affirmed since...

On the morning of the 27th of September, Azerbaijan began an unprovoked military attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory whose population is 90 percent Armenian and supported by Armenia. The attack brought Armenia...

Yesterday was National Voter Registration Day. There is still time! Check your registration status—even if you voted in the last election.  Make sure you’re in good standing to lift up your voice and your...

On May 15th, the House of Representatives passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES Act). The HEROES Act provides support for essential workers, protects voting rights and the census, and provides aid to low-income...

Food insecurity is a life-threatening issue globally especially for the LGBTQIA+ community. The National LGBTQ Task Force has determined that more than 1 in 4 LGBTIA+ adults, approximately 2.4 million people, experienced food insecurity within the last year. According to...

While U.S. allies, leadership of the the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and hundreds of past and present world leaders advocate for the the IMF to release Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to help countries combat the global pandemic, the Trump...

The Criminalization of Protest By Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, Director of the Office of Public Witness PC(U.S.A.), and Langley Hoyt, Fellow for Domestic Issues In the weeks following the death of George Floyd, as protestors continue to fill the streets with largely peaceful...

On March 19, 2020, three armed men assassinated local farmer and human rights defender Marco Rivadeneira. Marco was a community leader who promoted peaceful and voluntary coca substitution efforts in his community. He also represented his region in the national network of...

In September 2017, the Trump administration announced the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). In response, over three groups or individuals filed lawsuits which went before the Supreme Court of the United States June 28th, 2019...

Tell Congress to Cosponsor Bipartisan Resolution Commemorating 40th Anniversary of the Refugee Resettlement Program and Honor Refugees on World Refugee Day on June 20th   Crises test who we are as a nation – and we are stronger when we are united. The COVID-19 pandemic...

On May 15, Palestinians commemorated Nakba Day.  “Nakba,” an Arabic word that means “catastrophe,” is how Palestinians describe what happened to them following Israel’s declaration of independence in May 1948 and the corresponding war.  During the period, more...

From Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, Director of the Office of Public Witness PC(USA): George Floyd was the trigger for the protests; Donald Trump is the reason for their continuation.   Let us not deceive ourselves, the murder of Mr. Floyd was the initial event which triggered...

One of the most tragic components of the COVID-19 pandemic is that populations already suffering disproportionately from poverty, incarceration and health disparities are also the same ones hit the hardest by the virus. Many cities have reported that Black and brown...

A Faith Response to COVID-19: Part II Webinar The Office of Public Witness is co-sponsoring part II of the “A Faith Response to COVID-19” webinar series. This webinar will explain important details of the recently passed C.A.R.E.S. Act, the positive provisions, and the...

Urge Congress and the Administration to Lift Sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela to Help Fight COVID-19   The Impact of Economic Sanctions Against Cuba Amid COVID-19 Cuba has been under U.S. economic sanctions for over sixty years, costing the island nation billions of...