#182 Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services

Sometimes an image is so powerful it breaks through political rhetoric, media noise and sears into the soul. A recent video of Afghani children being foisted over the Kabul airport wall and into the arms of American soldiers resonates in this way. What we don’t see is the organized process underway by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) to help Afghans who supported the U.S. Military as translators, drivers and guards, flee Afghanistan and resettle in America. LIRS has been at the forefront of this work for 80 years and is now mobilizing a network of churches, nonprofits and volunteers to welcome these families. CEO Krish O’Mara Vignarajah knows that in these divisive times even resettlement work will be politicized and Afghan families will be demonized. LIRS not only resettles families it advocates in Congress for immigration policies that are long overdue. Having lived the refugee experience and served at the highest levels of the State Department during the Obama Administration she is committed to the mission and prepared for resistance. Krish perseveres to honor these families and her own.