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JFI Week in Review - February 3-7, 2020
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Justice for Immigrants Colleagues,
Please see below for the latest updates from JFI.
U.S. Bishops Chairmen Very Concerned with Recent "Public Charge" Supreme Court Decision
On January 27th, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision [[link removed]]
allowing the Trump Administration to implement its "public charge [[link removed]]"
rule in the United States (except in Illinois where the rule is enjoined) while
litigation challenging the legality of the rule proceeds through the federal courts.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the USCCB Committee on
Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, Auxiliary
Bishop of Washington and chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Migration, issued
the following statement [[link removed]]:
The Supreme Court's decision will have devastating consequences for immigrant communities,
as those impacted are cast into the shadows because they fear deportation and family
separation for seeking critical support. . . The Church upholds the dignity of all
human life, and the Gospel compels us to serve those who are in need, regardless
of their circumstances. Preventing anyone from having access to life-saving services
is contrary to our belief that all life is sacred from its beginning to its end.
On January 30th, USCIS announced [[link removed]]
that the rule will be implemented nationwide (except in Illinois) on February 24,
2020, but will only apply the final rule to applications and petitions submitted
on or after [[link removed]]
the implementation date, February 24th. DHS will not consider an immigrant's receipt
of the newly listed benefits before February 24, 2020 in the public charge determination.
Read our new public charge backgrounder [[link removed]]
on how the public charge affects refugees and refugee service providers and stay
tuned for more materials on this important issue.
Catholic Leaders Voice Opposition to New Proclamation Restricting Immigration and
Travel from Additional Countries
On January 31st, President Trump issued a proclamation [[link removed]]
restricting the issuance of certain immigrant visas to people from Myanmar, Eritrea,
Kyrgyzstan and Nigeria. Additionally, the proclamation restricted access to the
diversity visa program for citizens of Sudan and Tanzania.
Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, Bishop Joseph Bambera of Scranton, Chairman of the
USCCB's Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and Bishop Jaime Soto
of Sacramento, and Chairman of CLINIC, along with Sean Callahan, president and CEO
of Catholic Relief Services, and Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of Catholic
Charities USA strongly disagreed [[link removed]]
with the President's action by stating:
The proclamation restricting immigration further undermines family reunification
efforts and will make ensuring support for forced migrants in the designated countries
more difficult. This proclamation also serves as a painful reminder of the 2017
ban which threatened our country's founding principle of religious freedom.
New JFI Resource: Backgrounder on the Asylum Cooperative Agreements
From July to October 2019, the United States has negotiated and in some cases officially
signed "asylum cooperative agreements" (ACAs) with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras
that would allow the United States to send asylum seekers to Guatemala and bar them
from applying for protection in the U.S. In mid-November, DHS issued an interim
final rule seeking to implement these agreements, including through the creation
of unprecedented procedures that risk the return of children and families to persecution
and other harm. Please see our ACA backgrounder [[link removed]]
to inform you about the agreements, their implications, and Catholic teaching related
to people migrating to seek safety in other countries.
February 8th: World Day of Prayer, Reflection and Action Against Human Trafficking
The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International Union of Superiors
General designated February 8 as an annual day of prayer and awareness against human
trafficking as it is the feast day [[link removed]]
of St. Josephine Bakhita, who was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery in
Sudan and Italy. Once she attained her freedom St. Josephine became a Canossian
nun and dedicated her life to sharing her deliverance from slavery and comforting
the poor and suffering.
This February 8th, please join us in prayer by downloading the materials available
on the Vatican Migrants and Refugees Section website of this initiative [[link removed]],
including the prayer [[link removed]]
to Saint Josephine Bakhita, and the Pontifical Orientations [[link removed]]
on Human Trafficking.
Are you in the Greater DC area? Please attend our Mass (see the flyer [[link removed]])
honoring St. Josephine Bakhita in partnership with the Coalition of Catholic Organizations
Against Human Trafficking [[link removed]],
USCCB/MRS and the Archdiocese of Washington. Join us for a reception after the Mass!
Update on Comments to Fee Changes: Public Comment Reopened
On November 14, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security published a notice of
proposed rulemaking, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fee Schedule and
Changes to Certain Other, which seeks to increase fees for applications for adjustment
of status, asylum, DACA renewals and naturalization. On December 18th, USCCB/MRS,
Catholic Charities USA, and CLINIC filed a comment [[link removed]]
opposing the proposed fee increases, as did many other organizations throughout
the country. The multitude of comments sent to USCIS led the agency to extend [[link removed]]
the deadline for comment submissions by two weeks, from Dec. 16 to Dec. 30, 2019.
On January 24, 2020 USCIS reopened [[link removed]]
the public comment period, extending it to February 10, 2020.
If you have not done so, please consider submitting a comment on the fee changes.
You can use and adapt a sample template comment [[link removed]]
created by CLINIC for filing your own comment. There is also a JFI webinar [[link removed]]
on the fee proposal that you can watch for more information.
Webinar Notice: USCCB/MRS, Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Charities of Oregon
- State Level Advocacy Support Project Webinar III at 2 PM Eastern on February 19,
2020
USCCB and CCUSA are co-sponsoring a year of state level advocacy support. Catholic
Charities of Oregon is partnering with us to share the holistic, community based,
bi-partisan approach they successfully used in Oregon to secure state level funding
for refugees.
Please join us for the third webinar in this series about pursuing state level funding
support. You can view the previous webinars [[link removed]]
on the JFI website. Here is the webinar flyer:
Upcoming Events and Opportunities

* Volunteer Opportunities with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington
- Ongoing - The Immigration Legal Services program at Catholic Charities of Washington,
DC has various volunteer opportunities available. They currently need volunteer
attorneys, people to create care packs for unaccompanied minors, and interpreters
in different languages. Please visit volunteer website [[link removed]]
to learn more.

* U.S Immigration Policy Discussion: How Did We Get Here? - February 10, 2020 at
7 PM in Wausau, WI - Co-sponsored by Catholic Charities-Wausau, this discussion
is the first in a three-part series to examine the ways in which the Wausau, WI
community is affected by the immigration issue. The event venue is 625 Stewart
Ave., Wausau 54401. More information is on the event website [[link removed]].

* St. Andrew Apostle Catholic Church: Matthew 25 Walk - February 15, 2020 at 8 AM
in Silver Spring, MD - St. Andrew Apostle is hosting a charity walk to raise money
for three local nonprofit organizations who are living out the values outlined by
Christ in Matthew 25: providing food for the hungry, drink for people who are thirsty,
clothing for people who need clothes, and welcoming strangers. The 5K walk [[link removed]]
will provide financial support for their efforts. Join the fun at 11600 Kemp Mill
Rd., Silver Spring 20902.

* Sister Norma Pimentel on Crossing Borders: A Catholic Response to Migration -
February 19, 2020 at 7 PM at Manhattan College, NY - As a part of Manhattan College's
annual Peace Week, Sister Norma Pimentel, a national migration advocate, will deliver
a talk on her work at the U.S.-Mexico border. The event is free. Learn more on the
website [[link removed]].

* Pax Christi USA Young Adult Leadership Gathering - April 2-5, 2020 in Washington,
DC - Pax Christi USA is sponsoring a young adult leadership gathering called Creating
the Beloved Community to bring together young leaders to deepen an existing interest
in and call to involvement with Pax Christi USA. Application deadline [[link removed]]
is Feb. 7, 2020.
In Solidarity,
Tony Cube
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3211 Fourth Street, NE Washington, DC 20017
Phone: (202) 541-3064 Fax: (202) 722-8711
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