Happy New Year! JFI Biweekly Review: January 2-26, 2024 JFI Colleagues, Happy New Year! Please see below for the latest updates from JFI.  USCCB Welcome Circle Program Milestone MRS’ network has launched 100 Welcome Circles! Check out this video featuring a Ukrainian family resettled by Aletheia Church in Cambridge, MA earlier this year through the Welcome Circles program. We'll spotlight their story for the next few weeks. For more information, please visit: [link removed] Feast Day of St. Josephine Bakhita On February 8 we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Josephine Bakhita, which provides the Catholic faithful an opportunity to reflect on the evil of human trafficking and to strategize ways to fight this ongoing scourge. As you prepare for your own celebration, please be sure to check out the St. Bakhita webpage on the Justice for Immigrants site. Here you will find a variety of resources that you can use when engaging on this issue. Be sure to let us know what you are doing to celebrate St. Bakhita and her life as a saint. WEBINAR: Fighting to End the Issue of Human Trafficking through the Lens of Catholic Social Teaching Please join us on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 at 1 PM Eastern for a webinar titled “Fighting to End the Issue of Human Trafficking through the Lens of Catholic Social Teaching”. This webinar will provide an in-depth overview of the issue of human trafficking while using the See–Judge–Act methodology for participants to learn, reflect, and act on this issue. Presenters from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will discuss the Vatican and U.S. Bishop's efforts to combat human trafficking, inform practical aspects of social ministry, and share resources and advocacy actions for social action directors and collaborators to engage in these efforts. Please advance register for both the English and Spanish version.   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 January 8 CMS Migration Update, which includes: Agreement on Asylum and Border Restrictions Possible this Week Biden Administration Sues Texas Over Immigration Law United States Accepts Nearly 22,000 Refugees in the First Three Months of FY 2024 Ver la Actualización de Migración del CMS del 8 de enero, que incluye: Acuerdo sobre asilo y restricciones fronterizas posible esta semana La administración de Biden demanda a Texas por su ley de inmigración Estados Unidos acepta casi 22.000 refugiados en los primeros tres meses del año fiscal 2024 Migration-Related Stories, Op-Eds and Interviews by Catholic Bishops, and Catholic Agency Executives Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archdiocese of New York (video): Migrants coming to the US are victims of a ‘sloppy, unfair’ system Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Archdiocese of Miami: Homily at the Annual Migration Mass on the Feast of Epiphany: Our Church is very 'katolika' USCCB Migration Chairman Bishop Mark Seitz Interview: Church must remain steadfast in its advocacy for migrants, El Paso bishop says Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio, Diocese of Brooklyn: Defining Immigration Terms: Refugee, Asylum-seeker, and Parole Sr. Tracey Horan, SP – Kino Border Initiative, Associate Director of Education and Advocacy: Immigration as a pro-life issue Notable New Publications, Reports, Films, Articles, Etc. Center for Migration Studies of New York: How to Manage the Border Without Sacrificing Human Rights Congress and the Biden administration are currently considering restrictive immigration policies in an effort to significantly reduce, if not eliminate, the number of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border seeking protection and safe haven. While these policies would certainly impact migrants who arrive at the U.S. border, it is unclear whether they would deter people from making the journey in the first place. Poverty, conflict, and persecution are strong push factors that drive migrants to seek safety and self-sufficiency in other countries, and those who choose to flee do not always consider what faces them at the end of the journey. Moreover, unscrupulous smugglers who prey on migrants will adjust to any new restrictions and seek different ways to enter the United States. While deterrence policies may reduce irregular migration in the short-term, they are unlikely to stem it over the long-term. This statement explores the negative effects of the potential immigration law changes Congress is considering and provides humane alternatives which would prove more effective over the long-term. Congressional Research Service (CRS): Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure This CRS report provides an overview of TPS and DED. According to the report, there are currently 16 countries under TPS designations. As of September 30, 2023, approximately 697,530 foreign nationals from the following countries who were living in the United States were protected by TPS: Afghanistan, Burma, Cameroon, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen. Certain Liberians and residents of Hong Kong living in the U.S. currently maintain relief under DED. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): ICE Annual Report This report details the operations of ICE’s directorates during the 2023 fiscal year, when the agency removed over 142,000 noncitizens and was detaining nearly 37,000 people at the end of September. National Immigration Forum: Parole in Place: A Possibility for Administrative Protection This paper explores parole in place as a potential tool to provide undocumented people with access to temporary protections in the United States. JFI Prayer and Devotional Resources Please take a moment to see 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. Other Upcoming Events, Opportunities, and Resources Ignatian Solidarity Network UNDOCU NETWORK Summit, January 12, 2024 at 8:30 PM Eastern. This gathering at St. Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, NJ is open to DACA, TPS, and otherwise undocumented students, as well as folks from mixed-status families who are in college or recent alumni. Diocese of Joliet - Mobile Food Pantry. St. Mary Immaculate Parish in Plainfield, IL (15629 S. Rt. 59) will distribute Food on Tuesday, January 16, 2024 from 4:30-6 PM. Find out more. CLINIC Webinar Training: How to Apply for DOJ Full Accreditation, March 6, 2024 at 2 PM Eastern. For nonprofits interested in representing clients before the immigration court using non-attorneys who have Department of Justice (DOJ) full accreditation, join CLINIC staff for a FREE webinar on how you can expand access to removal defense representation by obtaining DOJ full accreditation for your partially accredited staff. We will discuss the eligibility requirements for full accreditation and how they differ from partial accreditation, the process of preparing for full accreditation with training and mentoring, elements of a strong application, the adjudication process, and next steps after approval. Sign up now. In solidarity, Tony Cube Stay Connected 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! 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