Escalating anti-refugee sentiments and actions of governments worldwide leave us in little doubt that it is time for each one of us to take our responsibility in welcoming and including refugees and working to change the political environment for their protection.

There is a clear intensification of global trends to close borders and to detain and deport people who risked their lives to seek the protection they desperately need. Attempts to justify these human-rights abuses dehumanize refugees, labelling them as having nothing to offer to the countries hosting them and as being dangerously different.

Nothing could be further from the truth. To mark World Refugee Day on this Jubilee Year dedicated to ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) invites each one of us to do whatever we can to welcome refugees and the gifts they bring us. We also hope to do more to enable local communities to join refugees in defending their rights – to become welcoming and inclusive communities.

The resolve of JRS to contribute to communities of justice and peace, opposed to division and hate, is inspired by the first words spoken by Pope Leo XIV on 8 May: “Peace be with you all! It is the peace of the risen Christ.  A peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering.  A peace that comes from God, the God who loves us all, unconditionally.”

Today, each of us is faced with a clear decision: either to passively accept or to decisively reject the politics of fear, exclusion and dehumanisation. Whose side we choose to be on is the key question of our times. Will we abandon refugees or stand in solidarity with them?

The alarming tenor of current rhetoric and actions – and not only of politicians – makes ours an extremely urgent appeal. Core values of solidarity, inclusivity and compassion for all, no matter who they are, are being jettisoned in favour of exclusive attention for one’s own and disdain for the needs of others. Equally worrying is the tendency to equate security with sameness, i.e., those who seem to be, think and act like us, and to repress those who differ. These worldviews – emboldened by a growing disregard for multilateralism – threaten not only the fate of the refugees but of us all. Stripping one group of their dignity today paves the way for the same to happen to another tomorrow.

In doing our part to reverse these destructive trends, wherever we are, we are called to acknowledge our own role in the patterns that create and sustain them – those harmful borders in our hearts and minds and in our surroundings – fears, prejudices, stereotypes, and much more. We are called to demolish these borders to discover the beauty that lies beyond.

Today, make a choice to protect refugees and include them in your community. Every action matters. Every day counts. Choose to be part of the change.

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What can you do to stand in solidarity with refugees?

Welcome and include refugees in your community:

1. Sponsor refugee families to come to your country.
2. Support refugees by helping them find housing, schools, doctors, and work.
3. Help refugees learn the language, culture, and how to stay safe and healthy in your community.
4. Organise community events where people can learn about refugees and their individual stories.
5. Organise community events to talk about how you can provide a welcoming and inclusive environment to refugees and migrant in your community.
6. Hire a refugee if you have a business.

Raise awareness and speak out for refugee rights:

1. Join a refugee rights organisation in your city, country or region and write letters to your political representative about upholding the 1951 Refugee Convention and promoting refugee resettlement and other complementary pathways for refugees to find protection in your country.
2. Join a refugee rights organisation in your city, country or region and write letters to your political representative against the detention and deportation of migrants and refugees.
3. Write articles or letters to newspapers and magazines highlighting the contribution of refugees to your community.