USCCB Submits Comments on Unaccompanied Children's Program Foundational Rule

In October, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) published a proposed rule to codify key aspects of the placement, care, and services provided to unaccompanied migrant children referred to ORR. This week, the USCCB submitted comments on the rule that addressed a wide range of issues, from its proposed deviations from the Flores Settlement Agreement and the scope of proposed legal services for unaccompanied children, to the sanctity of human life and religious liberty considerations. These comments stem from the USCCB’s decades of experience serving unaccompanied children and advocating for their protection. Their submission follows a letter sent to Congress by Bishop Mark Seitz, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, which included a set of actions that could be taken to further the protection of these vulnerable children, with an emphasis on preventing human trafficking and other exploitative situations after children are released to a sponsor in the United States by ORR.   



USCCB and Clinic Request Administrative Relief in Response to Challenges Facing Foreign Born Religious Workers

On November 17, the USCCB’s Department of Migration and Refugee Services and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), sent a letter to the Department of State and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with a series of administrative actions that could be taken to help alleviate some of the issues now confronting those who rely on the Religious Worker Visa Program and the American communities they serve.   

C. Mario Russell, Executive Director - Center for Migration Studies of New York: Statement on Negotiations on Border Funding and Policy Changes

Dylan Corbett, Executive Director - Hope Border Institute:

Congress Must Reject Asylum-Restricting Proposals in Budget Negotiations

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

Center for Migration Studies Webinar Recording: Rise in the Undocumented Population After Years of Decline

On Thursday, November 9, the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS) hosted a webinar and discussion of its latest report, An Analysis of Trends in the US Undocumented Population Since 2011 and Estimates of the Undocumented Population for 2021, by Robert Warren. The report focuses on the gradual decline or near-zero growth of the undocumented population residing in the United States between 2011 to 2021, though reporting an unexpected increase in 2021. CMS compiled the most accurate demographic estimates of the undocumented population from data collected in the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

Migration Policy Institute: Recent Immigrant Children: The Unmet Potential of Community Consultations in U.S. Refugee Resettlement  

The refugee resettlement consultation process between federal, state and local stakeholders is falling short as the U.S. government has turned to new temporary and emergency humanitarian pathways to bring in sizeable numbers of people in need of protection. This report explores the United States’ formal consultation processes through which resettlement agencies and state refugee coordinators are required to brief receiving communities on anticipated refugee arrivals, gauge local capacity to receive them, and solicit input. Drawing on interviews with key stakeholders, the report finds that these consultations are coming up short due to the narrowness of their scope and a rigid structure that allows little time for two-way dialogue and relationship building. 

Congressional Research Service (CRS): Nonimmigrant Overstays: Overview and Policy Issues 

Nonimmigrants are foreign nationals who are lawfully admitted to the United States for a temporary period and specific purpose (e.g., tourism, study, work). They are required to depart the U.S. prior to the end of their authorized period of admission, unless they obtain an extension of stay or change of status that permits them to remain in the country. Those who do not depart in time are called overstayers. This CRS report highlights that 42% of the approximately 11 million unauthorized population living in the U.S. entered the country legally but overstayed their period of admission.

Request: Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe 2023

The annual celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (OLG) is on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. 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

• The Cardinal’s Christmas Concert hosted by Cardinal Blase Cupich, December 10, 2023 at 2 PM. This event is free, and all are welcome. This concert is a wonderful celebration for the whole family to enjoy, so mark your calendar and plan to be at the Church of the Holy Family, 1080 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL. See the event website for more information. 

• Center for Migration Studies of New York Webinar, Catholic Leaders Speak on Immigration, December 11, 2023 at 2 PM Eastern, the Center for Migration Studies of New York will host this webinar on the eve of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and will feature Catholic leaders speaking on the current immigration situation in the United States and offer recommendations and perspectives based on the teaching and the work of the Church. Please join us!

• Pax Christi USA’s Advent Evening Prayers, the First Three Mondays of December 2023 at 8:30 PM Eastern. Join Pax Christi USA members from around the nation for a short Advent evening prayer service over Zoom, beginning at 8:30pm ET. The prayer service will be less than 30 minutes, help connect us across the miles, and focus us on the promise of Advent, Jesus, our Emmanuel, our “God-with-us”, coming with the promise of liberation and peace. The simple service will include readings, reflections, the lighting of the Advent candles, and more. Get more information and sign up. 

• CLINIC Webinar: Preparing to Manage an Immigration Legal Services Program, December 14, 2023 at 2 PM Eastern. Current capacity does not meet current demand for low-cost legal representation in immigration matters. Many immigrants seek services from nonprofit and community-based agencies, which often provide a wide array of both social and legal services. In many instances, these agencies are staffed by non-attorney legal workers who provide both counseling and direct services to clients. Join this FREE webinar to learn more about considerations to contemplate when opening an immigration legal services program.