JFI Biweekly Review: September 18-29, 2023

JFI Colleagues,

Please see below for the latest updates from JFI.

USCCB President Urges bipartisan Action on Appropriations, Reaffirms Deep Concern About Proposed Inclusion of Harmful Immigration Provisions

On September 21, 2023, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Military Services, USA, president of the USCCB, sent a letter to congressional leadership reiterating the USCCB’s prior calls “for bipartisan action to avert or bring an end to federal government shutdowns and the hardships that come when Congress and administrations fail to reach agreements on such actions.” In that same letter, the Archbishop explicitly restated the USCCB’s opposition to including provisions from the Secure the Border Act (H.R. 2) as part of an appropriations measure, stating: “Proceeding with their inclusion would make the measure objectionable and untenable. Immigration reform is long overdue, and compromise is necessary to achieve it, but unjust ultimatums must be rejected.”

USCCB Migration Chairman Reiterates Opposition to H.R. 2 in Letter Addressing Senate Companion

Earlier this month, the Senate companion of H.R. 2, known as S. 2824, was introduced. In part because of the ongoing discussions that are taking place in Congress on the possibility of including migration-related policy provisions in Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills, Bishop Mark Seitz, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, sent a letter to all Senate offices on September 28, identical to the letter he sent to the House in May of this year, discussing in detail many of the expected harms from various provisions of S. 2824/H.R. 2 that make its passage “beyond justification.”

Pope Francis in Marseille: “People have a duty to save migrants in danger of drowning”

Praying for those who have died in the Mediterranean Sea and praising those who help rescue and welcome migrants attempting the treacherous crossing, Pope Francis insisted compassion, encounter and fraternity are the only possible responses to migration. Read more in this article.

National Migration Week 2023 took place last week, September 18 – 24. Please send us photos, news stories, videos and other information that publicized your events.

Take Action on the Latest JFI Action Alert:

Call on Congress to Pass Funding Measures that Further the Common Good

Much is at stake as Congress debates federal funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, including our nation’s fundamental commitment to humanitarian protection. If the stopgap funding measure known as a “continuing resolution” is not passed by the annual deadline of midnight on September 30th, a partial shutdown of the federal government will occur, impacting many programs and services relied upon by citizens and noncitizens alike. Take action now on this important alert.

JFI has two other active action alerts, one for the Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Youth Act (PVIYA) and another for the Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA). In the last two weeks, Bishop Seitz sent letters on behalf of the USCCB in support of the AAA and PVIYA. The links for the action alerts are below:

Stand in Solidarity with Our Afghan Neighbors

Please Safeguard Children and Ensure Access to Religious Workers

Please consider sending these action alerts to your national networks and ask your advocates to send advocacy messages to their U.S. Senators and Representatives.

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 Updat e page to stay up-to-date on recent migration policy updates.

View the September 27 CMS Migration Update , which includes:

DHS Extends and Redesignates TPS for Venezuelans, Afghans
DHS Ombudsman Cites Violations of Detention Standards in Texas and Virginia

View the September 19 CMS Migration Update, which includes:

Federal Judge Declares the DACA Program Illegal
Department of Labor Issues New Rule Protecting Migrant Farm Workers
Biden Administration is Considering Plan to Keep Migrants in Texas

Agradecemos al Centro de Estudios de Migración de Nueva York (CMS por sus siglas en inglés) por su Actualización de Migración semanal. Visite su página bilingüe de Actualización de Migración para mantenerse al día sobre las actualizaciones recientes de la política de migración.

Ver la Actualización de Migración del CMS del 27 de septiembre , que incluye:

DHS extiende y re-designa el TPS para venezolanos y afganos
El Defensor del Pueblo del DHS cita violaciones de las normas de detención en Texas y Virginia

Ver la Actualización de Migración del CMS del 19 de septiembre, que incluye:

Un juez federal declara ilegal el programa DACA
El Departamento de Trabajo emite una nueva regla que protege a los trabajadores agrícolas migrantes
La administración Biden está considerando un plan para mantener a los migrantes en Texas

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

A Word from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York: The Baby and the Immigrants

Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark: May we embrace our migrant sisters, brothers

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami: ‘Change the narrative about migration’

Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington (VA): The Walk Humbly Podcast: World Da y of Migrants and Refugee s

Washington State Catholic Conference: WSCC Statement on Immigration
Our Sunday Visitor Editorial Board: Migrant children face trauma amid ongoing family separations

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

Center for Migration Studies: A New Residual Approach for Estimating Undocumented Populations

Demographers generally agree that the total undocumented population in the United States increased from 3.5 million in 1990 to about 12 million in 2008 and declined from 2008 to 2010. The consensus breaks down after 2010, however, with three of the five organizations that derive annual estimates of the population showing increases from 2010 to 2018 and two organizations reporting substantial declines over the period. The primary reason for this divergence is that organizations use a variety of estimates of emigration of legal residents, and in some cases the data are decades out of date. Reliable information about trends in this population is important for developing legislative and administrative policies to reduce the population and for assessing the effectiveness of enforcement efforts. This research note describes an improved residual method for updating annual estimates of the undocumented population counted in the American Community Survey (ACS; Ruggles et al. 2022); the method incorporates a time-varying estimate of emigration. Data needed to update estimates are available in the year estimates are derived, and a new estimate can be compiled as soon as ACS data are released. The methodology and data needed to update an estimate of the undocumented population each year are described.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General: DHS Does Not Have Assurance That All Migrants Can be Located Once Released into the United States (Redacted)

This report finds that, between March 2021 and August 2022, "addresses for more than 177,000 migrant records were either missing, invalid for delivery, or not legitimate residential locations," representing around 18% of the Border Patrol’s 981,671 migrant records reviewed by the agency’s watchdog.

National Immigration Forum Explainer: U.S. District Court Judge Hanen Finds New DACA Rule Unlawful

This explainer details the September 13 decision on DACA holding that the program is unlawful. It also explores the decision's implications for current DACA recipients and other Dreamers, discusses potential solutions, and provides a timeline for the court challenge around DACA.

New Master of Arts in International Migration and Refugees at Georgetown

Drawing on the expertise of Georgetown University’s faculty and the broader Washington DC community, the Master of Arts in International Migration and Refugees - ISIM offers a rich variety of course work and extra-curricular activities that will prepare students for further work in this field – whether advising private sector companies about migration or working in the field with displaced populations or advocating for immigration policies with an NGO or research institute.

Other Upcoming Events, Opportunities, and Resources

Pax Christi USA Celebration: Joe Nagle, OFM - 2023 Teacher of Peace Award Recipient, September 29, 2023 at 6 PM in Arlington, VA. The celebration will be held at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Arlington VA, where Fr. Joe serves the Spanish-speaking community. But don’t worry if you can’t make it in person! We will livestream the ceremony, too.

CLINIC Training: All About the Child Status Protection Act, October 2, 2023 at 2 PM ET. The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) helps preserve the age of a "child" so they can remain in the immediate relative or F-2A category, or as a derivative in one of the preference categories. But calculating the age of a child can get complicated, especially now that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the State Department apply different interpretations of the law. In this webinar the presenters will explain the CSPA and its application in the family-based immigration context. Register for this FREE session on CLINIC’s website.

Catholic Mobilizing Network’s National Catholic Conference on Restorative Justice at the University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minneapolis, MN), October 5 - 7, 2023. Ever aware of past and ongoing violations of dignity and relationships, this year’s conference theme of “Journeying Toward Restoration” signifies renewed promise for restorative justice as an instrument for human flourishing both within and beyond the institutional Church. We hope you can join us virtually for the conference.

Diocese of Arlington, VA: Diocesan Pilgrimage to the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, October 7, 2023. Join Bishop Michael Burbidge on a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, Emmitsburg, MD. See our pilgrimage websit e for information to sign up.

In solidarity,

Tony Cube

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