August 6, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC – As a part of the annual legal training conference of the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), the Institute on Religion and Public Policy this week trained United States immigration judges and Board of Immigration Appeals staff attorneys on international religious liberty issues.

Institute Founder and President Joseph K. Grieboski moderated and spoke on six asylum country conditions panels, focusing on the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Mr. Grieboski also addressed a session on International Religious Freedom Policy along with Mark Hetfield, Senior Vice President for Policy and Programs at the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Elizabeth K. Cassidy, Associate Director for Policy and Research at the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

EOIR is responsible for adjudicating immigration cases. Specifically, under delegated authority from the Attorney General, EOIR interprets and administers federal immigration laws by conducting immigration court proceedings, appellate reviews, and administrative hearings. EOIR consists of three components: the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge, which is responsible for managing the numerous immigration courts located throughout the United States where immigration judges adjudicate individual cases; the Board of Immigration Appeals, which primarily conducts appellate reviews of immigration judge decisions; and the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer, which adjudicates immigration-related employment cases. EOIR is committed to providing fair, expeditious, and uniform application of the nation's immigration laws in all cases.

About Institute on Religion and Public Policy

The Institute on Religion and Public Policy is an international, inter-religious non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring freedom of religion as the foundation for security, stability, and democracy.

The Institute works globally with government policymakers, religious leaders, business executives, academics, international and regional organizations, non-governmental organizations and others in order to develop, protect, and promote fundamental rights – especially the right of religious freedom – and contributes to the intellectual and moral foundation of the fundamental right of religious freedom. Nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize, the Institute encourages and assists in the effective and cooperative advancement of religious freedom.

Institute on Religion and Public Policy