Liz Dong is a member of Wheaton Chinese Alliance, part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance – the same denomination I am a part of.

Following the November election, I was eager to find a way to voice my dissent in positive ways. When World Relief called, I jumped at the opportunity to make a resource that speaks both to my political views and my calling as a Christian to “do” justice, love mercy and walk humbly.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, is an executive order implemented by President Obama in 2012 to temporarily protect from deportation undocumented immigrants who were brought into the US as children.

To qualify for DACA, candidates must have come to the US before age 16, are in school or have a high school degree or GED or have been honorably discharged from the US military, and are no threat to national security or public safety. DACA applicants go through biometrics background checks and pay a few hundred dollars in processing fee every two years for application and subsequent renewals.

Under DACA, qualified individuals have been able to attain work permits, driver’s license, and pursue higher education, allowing them to come of the shadows, out of constant fear of deportation and separation from family, to lead productive lives and contribute more to their communities. To date, over 740,000 individuals have been approved for deferred action. DACA recipients, also known as DREAMers, are working as teachers, doctors, artists and starting businesses as entrepreneurs and innovators.

President Donald Trump has promised to undo all executive orders, including DACA, immediately upon assuming office. Cancelling DACA or letting it expire without a permanent solution in place will remove temporary legal status and work authorization for DREAMers.

This would not only devastate the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals who did not have a say in coming to America as children, but also harm the US economy by removing these productive workers and consumers. One study has found that ending DACA would wipe away at least $400 billion from the U.S. GDP cumulatively over a decade.

The post What Will Happen if DACA is Cancelled? appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

This is a video I produced for World Relief DuPage/Aurora. It’s the story of Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church and the transformation that occurred when they welcomed two distinct refugee communities into the life of their congregation.

The post World Relief DuPage/Aurora, Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Sanctuary: Refugee Chirstmas is a documentary produced by the Greater Chicago Broadcast Ministry and Tim Frakes Productions.

Follow three Chicago area refugee families as they share their stories and reflect on Christmas in America. With feature commentary on the scriptural theme of displacement by Rev. Phil Blackwell, First United Methodist Church, Chicago Temple, Rev. Lillian Daniels, First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn and Rev. Bassam Abdallah, The First United Lutheran Church, Hammond, Indiana. The program aired on Sunday, December 30, 12:30 p.m, ABC 7 Chicago

Here is a promo:

The post Sanctuary: Refugee Christmas appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

(Short Version 7:38)

(Long Version 16:00 ) (Turn off the HD button if you experience buffering issues.)

The post Iraqi Voices Amplification Project appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

The post Refugee Sketches appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Laughter, tears and dancing mark our Iraqi Voices Amplification Project Team visit with Iraqi refugee families in Beirut, Lebanon.

The post Mourning Into Dancing: IVAP Visit appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Members of the IVAP team spend the day with 60 Iraqi refugee children on a bus ride up to a mountain retreat outside Beirut, Lebanon.

The post Bus Rides and Music appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

As part of the Iraqi Voices Amplification Project, Intersections International has brought together a delegation of creative artists, for a trip to meet with Iraqi refugees and various humanitarian agencies. We’ve created the Iraqi Voices Amplification Project Blog (www.intersectionsinternational.org/iraqivoices) to share our daily experiences with you. We will post video clips, audio interview files, photographs and reflections. You will also find complete biographies about the other artists as well as the history of the project to date. Please subscribe, check in daily and share your own reflections with us.

The Iraqi Voices Amplification project will lift up the stories of Iraqi refugees who have been forced to leave their homes and country as a result of the current “Global War on Terror.” The Iraqi refugee crisis is one of the most underreported humanitarian crises in recent history.

An estimated 5 million Iraqis have been displaced from their homes, many living as illegal migrants abroad, unable to work or access health care and other social services.
Intersections International reached out to us and we have all formed a group of story-tellers, dancers, musicians, journalists, playwrights and photographers to gain a more complete understanding of this crisis and then help tell the story. Once we return to New York we’ll craft a multi-media presentation about our experience. We hope you’ll join us for the journey. Sign up for the Intersections newsletter to get updates as we travel and about this project.

You can do even more with us on the trip. To help offset the cost of our travel, room and board you can donate to Intersections International. For donations of $50 or more, we’ll send you a postcard from our trip. For donations of $100 or more, we’ll also give you a shout-out on the blog as a project “Amplifier!”  To support the work of Intersections International and the Iraqi Voices Amplification Project go to:

https://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5515/t/4928/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=772

P.S. Remember,to join us on the web as we travel through Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. We will be posting audio and video updates along with daily summaries to our blog.

The post Iraqi Voices Amplification Project appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.