Past Missions
HIAS Young Leaders annual Advocacy Mission began in 2003 and has become an important cornerstone of the Young Leaders Program. Each year, students and young professionals from all over the country travel to Washington, DC to learn more about current issues and advocate on behalf of different immigrant and refugee communities. More information about past Missions is below.
Advocacy Mission 2008
In January, Young Leaders gathered for the two-day mission to focus on
- extending Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for elderly immigrants and refugees,
- holding the goverment accountable for visas it had promised to Iraqi refugees,
- and protecting refugees, often the victims of terrorism themselves, from being barred from entry into the US because of broad language as to what qualifies as "Material Support" of terrorist groups.
The 2008 Mission was an important and timely event for many HIAS-assisted immigrants, and a temporary two year extension on SSI benefits was passed in October 2008.
