JFI Biweekly Review: Oct. 30 - Nov. 10, 2023

JFI Colleagues,

Please see below for the latest updates from JFI.

U.S. Bishops’ Migration Chairman Sends Recommendations to Congress on Enhancing Protections for Noncitizen Children Released from Federal Care

On November 9th, Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Migration, sent a letter to Congress with a set of actions that could be taken to further the protection of unaccompanied noncitizen children. Bishop Seitz’s full letter , including the recommendations, is available on the USCCB website.

Welcome Wednesdays is Here!

Welcome Wednesdays is a new weekly series that will feature interviews with MRS' network across the country. You can watch the first and second videos in the series.

For more information, please check out: https://www.usccb.org/welcomecircles

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 continues to debate federal funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, including our nation’s fundamental commitment to humanitarian protection. If either full-year appropriations or the stopgap funding measure known as a “continuing resolution” is not passed by the extended deadline of midnight on November 17th, a partial shutdown of the federal government will occur, impacting many programs and services relied upon by citizens and noncitizens alike.

Join the U.S. bishops in calling for bipartisan cooperation in Congress to avoid a government shutdown and enact a just budget that reduces future unsustainable deficits, protects poor and vulnerable people, advances the common good, and promotes human life and dignity—without sacrificing vital humanitarian protections. Send the action alert now!

JFI Prayer and Devotional Resources

Check out our webpage of prayer and devotionals, which you can use as you contemplate the situation confronting migrant populations and how we might respond to their spiritual and material needs. We hope that as you reflect on migration, it will inspire you to learn more about both what is happening on the ground and what the Church teaches on this issue. Check back regularly as we will provide new prayers and other spiritual reflections that will help you to respond to the Gospel call to welcome the stranger. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to read and reflect on Pope Francis’ most recent World Day of Migrants and Refugees message and related resources, which focus on some key concerns related to the migration experience. Also, feel free to send us prayers and spiritual devotions that your parish or religious community has created so we can share your resources. Thank you!

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 November 6 CMS Migration Update, which includes:

Biden Administration’s New Regulation on Artificial Intelligence Directs DHS to Expedite Skilled Immigration
Texas Judge Blocks Biden Administration from Removing Razor Wire at US-Texas Border
US State Department Announces the Establishment of Safe Mobility Offices in Ecuador

View the October 31 CMS Migration Update, which includes:

DHS Resumes Deportations of Venezuelans and Continues Removals of Haitians
Senate Republicans Plan to Add Border Policy Changes to the Administration's Supplemental Budget Request
Texas Legislature Advances Bills to Increase Immigration Enforcement

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 6 de noviembre, que incluye:

La nueva regulación de la administración Biden sobre inteligencia artificial ordena al DHS acelerar la inmigración calificada
Juez de Texas impide que la administración de Biden retire el alambre de púas en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y Texas
Departamento de Estado de EE.UU. anuncia el establecimiento de Oficinas de Movilidad Segura en Ecuador

Ver la Actualización de Migración del CMS del 31 de octubre, que incluye:

DHS reanuda las deportaciones de venezolanos y continúa las deportaciones de haitianos
Los republicanos del Senado planean agregar cambios en la política fronteriza a la solicitud de presupuesto suplementario de la administración
Legislatura de Texas avanza proyectos de ley para aumentar la aplicación de la ley de inmigración

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

Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle

Weekly blog: Welcoming refugees

Kerry Alys Robinson, President & CEO Catholic Charities USA

CCUSA expresses appreciation for introduction of Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act of 2023

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

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): Mid-Year Trends Key displacement and solutions trends in the first half of 2023

UNHCR's 2023 Mid-Year Trends analyses changes and trends in forced displacement during the first six months of 2023. The report provides key statistics on refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people and stateless people, as well as their main host countries and countries of origin.

Congressional Research Service: Barriers Along the U.S. Border: Key Authorities and Recent Developments

This legal sidebar explores statutory authorizations for border barrier construction amid Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ waivers of federal statutes to build sections of border wall in the Rio Grande Valley earlier this month.

Refugee Processing Center: Admissions and Arrivals

Refugee resettlement numbers for October show a positive trend. The U.S. resettled 7,354 refugees in the first month of fiscal year 2024, compared with 2,152 in October 2023. Other information is also available in the report.

National Immigration Forum: Illicit Fentanyl and Drug Smuggling at the U.S.-Mexico Border: An Overview

This paper gives a detailed overview of fentanyl and drug smuggling at the U.S.-Mexico border, including the fact that "most illicit fentanyl encountered by CBP is smuggled through POEs [ports of entry]."

Request: Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe 2023

The annual celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (OLG) is on December 12th. Please send us information of your upcoming OLG celebrations, Masses, and events so we can help publicize your events.

Other Upcoming Events, Opportunities, and Resources

Glenmary Home Missioners Eucharistic Revival Retreat. On December 2, 2023, Glenmary Home Missioners, a religious community of priests and brothers, is hosting a Eucharistic Revival retreat at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Erwin, Tennessee. Please see the flyers below for more information.

Donations to the Newcomer Network. Catholic Charities of Washington, DC is seeking donations to it's Newcomer Network, a service dedicated to helping newcomers to our country become more stable, empowered and connected to their communities. It works with newcomers to identify goals and make many services available to them in a convenient referral system. Your support is appreciated.

Have a wonderful Veterans' Day weekend,

Tony Cube

Stay Connected

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