U.S. House Committees Advance Harmful Immigration Bills 

In recent days, three committees of the U.S. House of Representatives—Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Foreign Affairs—have worked on a partisan basis to advance bills relating to immigration. If passed as currently written, these bills would collectively:  

1. Further limit access to asylum by narrowing the eligibility criteria, imposing an even stricter standard of proof, and requiring a fee;  
2. Make it impossible for most asylum seekers and humanitarian parolees to work legally in the United States;  
3. Require detention or removal of all those without a visa or prior authorization to enter the United States, including families with young children, asylum seekers at ports of entry with bona fide claims, unaccompanied children, and victims of torture/trafficking; 
4. Prevent the government from funding legal representation for unaccompanied children (and others) in removal proceedings and subject them to expedited removal proceedings/indefinite detention by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS);  
5. Severely restrict the use of humanitarian parole to the point of preventing its use in emergency situations that provide no viable alternative;  
6. Criminalize visa overstays, even those that are inadvertent or based on a pending adjustment of status (for which the law currently provides flexibility); 
7. Eliminate regulatory protections for noncitizen agricultural workers;  
8. Require the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border;  
9. Eliminate funding for alternatives to detention; and 
10. Prevent DHS from providing any funds to NGOs that serve noncitizens. 

The bills and recordings of their committee markups can be viewed below: 

• Border Security and Enforcement Act of 2023 (H.R. 2640) 
• Border Reinforcement Act of 2023 (H.R. 2794) 
• Regional Immigration Diplomacy and Enforcement Act (H.R. 1690) 

The USCCB's Committee on Migration expressed strong opposition to these measures before they were marked up in their respective committees. These bills are expected to go to the House floor for a vote by May 11. A formal letter of opposition from the Committee on Migration, action alert, and other materials will be provided soon.  

USCCB Transmits Migration-Related Appropriations Requests to Congress 

On April 14, 2023, Bishop Seitz transmitted the USCCB’s annual migration-related appropriations priorities for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. Funding recommendations in the letter pertain to four separate appropriations bills: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS); Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS); and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS). These requests support agencies and programs that are crucial for the wellbeing of immigrants, refugees, asylees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied migrant children, survivors of torture, victims of human trafficking, and others.  

The current fiscal year ends on September 30, 2023, by which point Congress must pass appropriations for the next fiscal year or, alternatively, pass a continuing resolution, extending funding at FY 2023 levels for a period of time to allow an agreement to be reached. Otherwise, a partial government shutdown would ensue. For several years in a row, Congress has been unable to enact appropriations by the end of the fiscal year, leading to one or more continuing resolutions, sometimes well into the new calendar year, before reaching an agreement. For now, Congress and the White House are embroiled in a battle over the looming debt ceiling, the outcome of which could have a significant impact on the appropriations process.  

Policy Update / Actualización de Política

We are thankful to the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS) for its weekly Migration Update. Please visit their bilingual Migration Update page to stay up-to-date on recent migration policy updates.

View the April 24 CMS Migration Update, which includes: 

• Senator Menendez Unveils Border Plan 
• House Republicans Release Immigration Enforcement Legislation 
• Texas May Deputize Citizens to Patrol the Border 

View the April 17 CMS Migration Update, which includes:  

• Biden Administration Makes DACA Recipients Eligible for Health-care Coverage 
• DHS and State Department Expand Eligibility for the Central American Minors Program 
• DeSantis Pushes Legislative Package to Crackdown On Immigration 
• DHS Places New Expedited Asylum Policy On Hold 
• Legislation to Combat the Trafficking of Girls Gains Traction In Congress 

Ver la Actualización de Migración del CMS del 24 de abril, que incluye: 

• Senador Menéndez Revela Plan Fronterizo 
• Republicanos de la Cámara publican legislación para el cumplimiento de la ley de inmigración 
• Texas puede delegar a los ciudadanos para patrullar la frontera 

Ver la Actualización de Migración del CMS del 17 de abril, que incluye: 

• La administración de Biden hace que los beneficiarios de DACA sean elegibles para la cobertura de atención médica 
• El DHS y el Departamento de Estado amplían la elegibilidad para el Programa de Menores Centroamericanos (CAM) 
• DeSantis impulsa un paquete legislativo para tomar medidas enérgicas contra la inmigración 
• DHS pone en espera nueva política de asilo acelerado 
• Legislación para combatir el tráfico de niñas gana tracción en el Congreso 

Migration-Related Stories, Op-Eds and Interviews by Catholic Bishops, Arch/Dioceses and Catholic Agency Executives 

• Catholic Legal Immigration Network, INC. Press Release:

Promising Initiatives Are Undermined by Unjust Border Policy

• The Root Causes Initiative, co-led by the Hope Border Institute and Faith in Action International:

Resetting U.S. Priorities toward Central America: Year two assessment of the Biden-Harris root causes strategy 

• Christopher Kerr, Executive Director, Ignatian Solidarity Network; Rev. Ted Penton, S.J., Secretary, Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology; Joan Rosenhauer, Executive Director, Jesuit Refugee Service/USA; Joanna Williams, Executive Director, Kino Border Initiative:

U.S. Jesuit Organizations Denounce Continuing Attacks on Asylum

Notable New Publications, Reports, Films, Articles, Etc. 

Center for Migration Studies of New York:  

Journal on Migration and Human Security (JMHS):

Protracted Displacement, the Search for Solutions, Promising Programs and Strategies

This special issue features 11 papers that offer topline findings, recommendations, and cross-cutting themes from the papers that form the heart of the collection. These papers -- by leading scholars and researchers, including displaced persons -- focus on the situations of several large and some smaller and less-publicized populations in protracted displacement. The special issue covers both groups outside their countries of origin and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Among other populations, the papers highlight Rohingya refugees in southeast Bangladesh; Syrians in Turkey since 2011; Afghans in Pakistan since the 1970s; IDPs living on the outskirts of Baku, Azerbaijan; IDPs and Venezuelans in Colombia; Somalis in Ethiopia and Kenya; Central Americans seeking protection in Mexico and the United States; IDPs in Northern Mexico; and Syrian, Iraqi, Yemeni, Sudanese, Somali, and Iranian refugees in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. 

The Root Causes Initiative, co-led by the Hope Border Institute and Faith in Action International:

Resetting U.S. Priorities toward Central America: Year two assessment of the Biden-Harris root causes strategy 

Our assessment finds that the Biden administration continues to prioritize short-term pressure on countries to harden borders over long-term efforts to promote democracy and sustainable development in Central America. Our recommendations, based on two years of engagement in the region, include channeling development aid through local organizations rather than large foreign contractors, monitoring private investment commitments to ensure that they promote job development and environmental protection, imposing tough financial sanctions on officials and elites who are undermining human rights and rule of law, continuing to increase the number of temporary work visas, and restoring the right to asylum at the US-Mexico border. 

Journal of Urban Economics:

Did DACA Harm US-Born Workers? Temporary work visas and labor market competition

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals granted more than 900,000 temporary work permits to eligible immigrants. I estimate the impact of the policy on the labor market outcomes of natives and immigrants ineligible to take up the policy using ACS data and a continuous difference-in-differences strategy to compare individuals who are more and less exposed to the eligible population. I find that DACA does not depress labor market outcomes for natives, and possibly increases the fraction working. I also find that the policy likely had no impact on ineligible immigrants. 

Pew Research Center Updated Report:

How Temporary Protected Status has expanded under the Biden administration 

The Biden administration recently renewed TPS eligibility for over 280,000 immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan. The administration also recently extended, designated or redesignated TPS protections for an estimated 135,000 eligible immigrants from Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia and Yemen. This report looks deeper into the numbers. 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Office of Public Affairs:

The U.S. Immigration System: Explained (video) 

This new informational video shows how the immigration process works. This is especially helpful as we prepare for Title 42 to lift and for DHS to return to Title 8 processing. 

LAST CALL: RCUSA Advocacy Days - May 1-3, 2023 

Registration is now open for Refugee Council USA's 2023 Advocacy Days! This year, Advocacy Days will take place May 1-3, 2023, in Washington, D.C. For the first time since 2019, Advocacy Days will be held as an in-person event. During Advocacy Days, RCUSA brings together hundreds of participants from across the country for advocacy training opportunities and meetings with their members of Congress in support of pro-refugee policies. There is no fee to participate in the event, and food will be provided during meeting times; however, participants traveling from outside the D.C. area will be expected to cover their cost of travel and hotel accommodations. RCUSA has reserved blocks of hotel rooms at a discounted rate for participants to utilize, and organizers will provide links to them after registration. This is a great opportunity for those with (and without) a connection to resettlement to underscore the importance of providing humanitarian protection, especially through the Refugee Admission Program. Complete the event registration and join us on advocacy day. 

Other Upcoming Events, Opportunities, and Resources

• Diocese of Arlington (VA) Marian Symposium: “Mary went in haste”, April 29, 2023 at St. Bernadette Catholic Church, Springfield, VA starting at 9 AM. Join Archbishop Timothy Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services USA, at this special service. Bishop Micheal Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington will celebrate Mass. Advance registration required. 

• Ignatian Solidarity Network: Virtual Ignatian Parish Justice Summit, May 3, 2023 at Noon Eastern. Are you ready to revitalize your parish’s faith-justice work? We’ll provide you with the strategies and connections to take a holistic, synodal-based approach to nurturing a more just, spiritually grounded, and vibrant parish community. We hope you can join us. 

• Franciscan Action Network (FAN) Film Screening: The Ants & The Grasshopper, May 3, 2023 at 4 PM Eastern. Join FAN in a screening of this documentary 10 years in the making that weaves together the most urgent themes of these times: climate change, gender and racial inequality, the gaps between the rich and the poor, and the ideas that groups around the world have generated in order to save the planet. Immediately following the film, we will explore ways to respond to the film’s message particularly through advocacy around the Farm Bill. Please register in advance. 

• Catholic Charities USA Webinar: Engaging Parishes through Ambassadors, May 9, 2023 at 3 PM ET Many Catholic Charities agencies engage local parishes through representatives often called "ambassadors." Join this webinar to learn how four Catholic Charities agencies (Arizona/Phoenix, Santa Clara, Palm Beach and Saint Louis) utilize ambassadors to strategically assist parishes in meeting community needs and increase awareness of Catholic Charities services. Register for the webinar and learn more.

In solidarity,

Tony Cube

Visit the JFI website to learn about us, read policy recommendations and letters to Congress, find materials for your parish, get advocacy resources, access previously recorded webinars, and more! Send us an email to get connected.