Welcome to Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area's (LSSNCA) newsroom. LSSNCA, a human services and immigration relief and refugee welcome agency throughout Maryland, Virginia, and the Washington D.C. metro area serves those on their immigration journey. Read how we're working together to amplify voices of refugees and asylum-seekers, create loving and responsible foster homes for unaccompanied children and refugee minors, advocate for new neighbors, and work torward creating a more just, welcoming, and thriving community.
For press inquiries, please email media@lssnca.org.
LSSNCA helps unaccompanied refugee children rebuild their lives through foster care, education, legal support, and pathways to independence. Sam’s story is one example of what support can make possible.
LSSNCA, ArtLords, and Imanistan gathered with more than 60 community members at John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Annandale, Virginia to celebrate partnership, community support, and shared purpose through art, culture, and storytelling.
LSSNCA is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Monteiro to its board of directors. A longtime public servant and civic leader, Monteiro brings extensive experience across federal, state, and local government, higher education, and community partnerships to LSSNCA’s work with refugees, immigrants, children, and families across the Washington metropolitan area.
LSSNCA opposes a new DHS rule that reduces the response period for refugees from 30 days to 10 days, raising concerns about due process, access to legal counsel, and the ability of refugees to defend their protected status.
LSSNCA calls for urgent action as Medicaid changes threaten health coverage for refugees and immigrants with serious medical needs.
LSSNCA is deeply concerned by reports that the Trump administration plans to set the U.S. refugee admissions ceiling at 17,500 for fiscal year 2027, with admissions primarily allocated to Afrikaners from South Africa.
LSSNCA remains deeply concerned about the looming expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 170,000 Salvadorans. For decades, TPS has provided safety and stability to people who cannot safely return to their countries because of conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. Salvadoran TPS holders have built lives in the United States, raised families, contributed to their communities and workplaces, and made this country their home.
LSSNCA is deeply concerned by reports that immigration judges have been instructed to sharply limit continuances in removal proceedings, including for vulnerable children and survivors of violence who may be waiting for protections from abuse, serious crimes, or human trafficking.
LSSNCA urges the federal government to protect due process for refugees by preserving meaningful notice before terminating refugee status.
For families facing sudden and complex legal challenges, access to skilled representation can be life-changing. LSSNCA’s attorneys provide immigration legal assistance and support to families during moments of crisis.
LSSNCA met with Omaid Sharifi to learn more about his personal journey from Kabul to Northern Virginia and how ArtLords brings healing through art as a way to connect with and support refugees in the Capital Area.
This article features an interview with LSSNCA CEO Kristyn Peck and LSSNCA program participant Sayed Sadat.
Tens of thousands of Afghans are stuck in legal limbo as the Trump administration makes it more difficult for them to arrive in the United States and resettle.
As we mark this anniversary, we remember the Afghan allies who risked everything in service to the United States, honor the courage of their families, and renew our call for America to uphold the promise that those who stood with us would not be left behind.
LSSNCA condemns the Administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians. This decision comes at a time when Haiti remains profoundly unsafe: armed groups continue to terrorize communities, force families from their homes, disrupt access to food, health care, and schools, and leave many people without a functioning path to safety or democratic stability.
LSSNCA is deeply concerned by the Administration’s decision not to renew contracts with immigration legal services providers serving unaccompanied children.
Legal representation is a cornerstone of safety and stability for unaccompanied children. Children in our Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) program have been served through a partnership between LSSNCA’s in-house legal team and a federally funded legal services partner whose contract was not renewed.
