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BRI’s vision is a society transformed by the strength and resilience of asylum seekers and migrants. Meet our Leadership Team Beth Strano Co-Founder & Executive Director Beth Strano is deeply committed to advocating for the rights and welfare of migrants and asylum seekers. Beth's expertise in human rights advocacy is backed by over two decades of community organizing, and a decade spent working directly with asylum seekers. Before her current role, Beth worked for four years at the International Rescue Committee, where she developed the Asylum Seekers & Families Program and founded the first asylum seeker emergency shelter in Phoenix, Arizona, known as the Welcome Center. Her initiatives have since provided critical support and a safe haven for more than 100,000 individuals and families navigating the challenges of forced displacement and migration. Beth's impact on the sector was highlighted in April 2021, when she testified before the U.S. Senate U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs’ Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management. Her testimony underscored the vital importance of informed, compassionate policies that uphold the dignity and rights of migrants arriving at the southwest border. Residing in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and their four teenagers, Beth’s vision is to continue fostering partnerships across state and national borders, and work alongside other advocates to make a lasting impact on the lives of asylum seekers. Tyler Southwell, MD Co-Founder & Board Member Dr. Tyler Southwell is a personal physician and family medicine specialist based in Paradise Valley, Arizona, with over 22 years of experience in the medical field. Dr. Southwell practices at Southwellness Medical, a facility renowned for offering a broad range of medical services including pain management and aesthetic medicine. His approach combines medical expertise with a strong focus on community health needs, ensuring that his patients receive the most effective and compassionate care possible. Dr. Tyler Southwell played a foundational role in establishing ProtectAZ Health, a medical organization dedicated to providing free medical evaluations, medications, and, during the pandemic, COVID-19 testing, vaccinations, and treatments. This organization established a full service medical clinic offering a vital first point of care for medically vulnerable asylum seekers in Arizona. This clinic is instrumental in providing urgent medical services to a diverse group of patients from around the world, including those with critical conditions such as HIV/AIDS and diabetes, and pregnant women in need of immediate care.

Asylum Explained Some people cannot obtain a visa because they are political dissidents or their government has failed. They have to seek asylum by arriving at a port of entry or crossing into the United States by land or sea. These asylum seekers will be processed through government custody & possibly detention. They will have to plead their asylum case in immigration court. Some people are able to obtain a temporary visa to come to the United States as a student, worker, or tourist. Once they are safely here, they apply for asylum. These asylum seekers do not have to plead their case in court, and will not be detained. They can file their asylum case directly with the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services and receive a decision within a few weeks.

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