JFI Biweekly Review: Jan. 29 - Feb. 9, 2024 JFI Colleagues, Please see below for the latest updates from JFI. Sacrificing Our Nation’s Fundamental Commitment to Humanitarian Protection Will Not Sustainably Reduce Migration, Says Bishop Seitz While reiterating support for bipartisan cooperation that leads to immigration reform, Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso also asserted that the bill brought before the U.S. Senate this week is “flawed, both in terms of substance and form.” In a letter to Senate leadership, Bishop Seitz, who serves as chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, expressed serious concerns about some of the migration-related provisions included in the Senate’s version of the “Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024” (H.R. 815), though took no position on the overall measure. Consistent with the USCCB’s previous objections toward making emergency supplemental funding for international humanitarian assistance and other purposes contingent on counterproductive restrictions on vulnerable people’s ability to seek humanitarian protection, Bishop Seitz said that “attempting to resolve complex migration-related challenges that have festered for decades in the time-sensitive context of an emergency funding bill is not conducive to prudent policymaking.” In his letter, Bishop Seitz addressed several specific provisions that warranted concern, including those that would severely limit due process for noncitizens, make it even more difficult than it already is under current law for those with bona fide asylum claims to pursue protection in the United States, and create the opportunity for harmful, arbitrary, and counterproductive treatment of vulnerable persons. These recent resources from the USCCB address two different mechanisms that would be employed in the form of new, though substantially similar, processes under the Senate’s version of H.R. 815: Rapid Expulsions at the U.S.-Mexico Border and their Consequences Expedited Removal of Noncitizens in the United States Time to Act! Ask your Federal Lawmakers to Support our Catholic Priorities Urge Congress to Oppose Harmful Changes to Immigration Law as a Condition for Supplemental Funding Over the past several months, a handful of senators have negotiated behind closed doors to reach an agreement on potential changes to U.S. immigration law. Although the final agreement included some positive supplementary funding measures, in a recent letter to Senate Leadership, Bishop Seitz addressed several specific provisions included in the final agreement that warrant concern, including several changes that “would unjustly undermine due process and pave the way for avoidable and potentially life-threatening harm to be inflicted on vulnerable persons seeking humanitarian protection in the United States.” Complete this action alert to join with the U.S. bishops in opposing harmful and counterproductive changes to immigration law as a condition for supplemental funding. Tell Congress You Support Immigration Reform that Respects Religious Liberty The Catholic Church has long been at the forefront of efforts to welcome immigrants to the United States and promote their successful integration. Recently, these realities have collided, producing a rise in hostility from a limited number of public officials, media outlets, and private organizations toward the Church’s longstanding ministries. It is critical that religious liberty be protected and the Church’s efforts to provide care to vulnerable migrants be respected and supported. We urge you to complete this action alert to encourage members of Congress to work toward bipartisan immigration reform that furthers the common good, upholds religious freedom, and respects the God-given dignity of all. Urge Your U.S. Representative to Pass Bipartisan Anti-Trafficking Legislation In the coming days, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2023 (H.R. 5856). This bipartisan legislation would take several steps to fight the evil of slavery and implement measures that will provide increased protections to vulnerable populations. The USCCB has endorsed this legislation and we urge you to complete this action alert to demonstrate your support and as a way to encourage your members of Congress to pass this legislation. Invitation: Join us for a Synod listening session on migration If you are Catholic and want to make your voice heard on the Church’s engagement on migration, please join us as a participant in an upcoming listening session for the Synod on Synodality. As you are likely aware, the Synod on Synodality is a three-year process of listening and dialogue that began with a solemn opening in Rome on October 9 and 10, 2021 and which concludes later this year. An important part of this process consists in a series of listening sessions, during which time Catholics can make their voice heard, express joys and concerns, and offer suggestions related to a wide range of issues.  The specific dates when these sessions will take place are being finalized, but it seems they will occur during the second and third week of March. Should you be interested in helping us out and letting the Church hear your voice on key issues of importance related to its engagement on social justice, please fill out this form so that we can note your interest. Welcome Circles Update MRS’ network has launched 100 Welcome Circles! Check out this video featuring a Ukrainian family describing their appreciation for the generosity they’ve received and their desire to give back. They were resettled by Aletheia Church in Cambridge, MA last year through the Welcome Circles program. For more information, please visit: [link removed] Webinar Recording: Fighting to End the Issue of Human Trafficking through the Lens of Catholic Social Teaching Thank you to everyone who participated in the webinar on human trafficking. The Roundtable Association of Catholic Diocesan Social Action Directors has the webinar recording on its website. Coalition of Organizations and Ministries Promoting the Abolition of Slavery at Sea (COMPASS) Maritime trafficking is modern slavery at sea, a violation of the human dignity of laborers at all stages of the seafood supply chain and aquaculture industries. The virtually unregulated fishing industry in many countries, coupled with the global demand for cheap seafood, create the lawless conditions under which trafficking at sea flourishes. COMPASS is an initiative that seeks to strengthen the coordination, collaboration, and capacity of the worldwide Catholic response to maritime trafficking, especially in its ministries at sea and ports. Please download our COMPASS toolkit to learn more about the work that we do and how you can help further it. Lenten Postcard Campaign against Maritime Trafficking During Lent, many Catholics eat fish and abstain from meat to be in greater solidarity with those in need. As part of its Lenten Campaign, COMPASS urges companies to “slave proof” their supply chains to ensure that the seafood that we eat is not sullied by slave labor and other forms of exploitation. Please join us in our Lenten postcard campaign urging companies to eliminate slavery in their supply chains. Send them a postcard and make your voice heard.  Feast Day of St. Josephine Bakhita and Upcoming Events On February 8th we celebrated the Feast Day of St. Josephine Bakhita, which provided the Catholic faithful an opportunity to reflect on the evil of human trafficking and to strategize ways to fight this ongoing scourge. Be sure to let us know what you did to celebrate St. Bakhita and her life as a saint. Save The Date: Spring 2024 Immigration Conference in Washington, DC Please note on your calendars an immigration conference at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, on April 10 and 11, 2024. This event is a joint initiative by CUA and the USCCB’s Department of Migration and Refugee Services. More information to come! Here is the flyer:    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 February 6 CMS Migration Update, which includes: Budget Supplemental, Including New Border Restrictions, Could be Voted on in the US Senate this Week DHS Adopts Final Rule for Naturalization and Immigration Benefit Fees View the January 29 CMS Migration Update, which includes: Border Policy Compromise Scheduled to be Released as House Republicans Claim It is 'Dead on Arrival.' DHS Announces Extension and Re-Designation of Temporary Protected Status for Syria Texas to Keep Installing Razor Wire at the US-Mexico Border, Exploiting a Loophole in the Supreme Court Ruling 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 febrero, que incluye: El presupuesto suplementario, que incluye nuevas restricciones fronterizas, podría votarse en el Senado de Estados Unidos esta semana DHS adopta regla final para tarifas de beneficios de naturalización e inmigración Ver la Actualización de Migración del CMS del 29 de enero, que incluye: El compromiso sobre la política fronteriza está programado para ser publicado mientras los republicanos de la Cámara de Representantes afirman que está "muerto al llegar." DHS anuncia extensión y redesignación del estatus de protección temporal para Siria Texas seguirá instalando alambre de púas en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México, aprovechando un vacío legal en el fallo de la Corte Suprema Migration-Related Stories, Op-Eds and Interviews by Catholic Bishops, and Catholic Agency Executives Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archdiocese of Chicago: Welcoming our Neighbors Joan Rosenhauer, President of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA: Reflection: Further Restrictions on Asylum Do Not Solve the Situation at the US- Mexico Border Notable New Publications, Reports, Films, Articles, Etc. Center for Migration Studies of New York: Individual English Proficiency, Community Language Resources, and Immigrants’ Employment in Western New York: Evidence from the American Community Survey This study examines associations between the ability to speak English, community language resources, and employment among immigrants in Western New York. Building on existing literature that demonstrates the importance of individual human capital, social networks and ethnic community resources in immigrants’ labor market outcomes, we introduce the concept of community-level language resources as a facilitator of immigrants’ economic integration. Using data from the American Community Survey and a measure of community language resources, we find that greater community language resources are associated with a significant increase in the likelihood of being employed for immigrant men with limited English proficiency. Regression analyses also show that neither individual English proficiency nor community language resources are significantly associated with immigrant women's probability of being employed. This study calls for attention to community language resources and individual human capital when designing research on and developing policies for immigrant populations. Refugee Processing Center: Refugee Admissions Report (Jan. 31, 2024) This report provides information on all refugee admissions to the United States for the current fiscal year and shows that around 9,200 refugees were resettled in the U.S. in January. That’s a significant increase and a level not seen since October 2016 National Immigration Forum: Explainer: Asylum Backlogs This explainer details how an ever-shifting policy landscape and extensive backlogs impact the asylum process in the United States. It describes what asylum is, how people apply, why such cumbersome backlogs exist, and what can be done in terms of solutions. U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants: Common Myths About Human Trafficking This Snapshot for Human Trafficking Prevention month sheds light on common human trafficking myths. Snapshots are aimed to educate the public about human trafficking and what can be done to prevent and respond to it. Other Upcoming Events, Opportunities, and Resources Immigration Law & Justice Network Webinar: “STOP THE WAR ON THE BORDER: MIGRANTS SPEAK”, February 15, 2024 at 3 PM Eastern. Join others seeking asylum for a discussion on how proposed measures in the Senate can further put their safety at risk and their dreams at pause and what solutions we should seek. Register today! Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Information Session, February 21, 2024 at 8 PM Eastern. Take your passion for international justice to the next level. Join us on this session to learn more about EST for CRS Chapters and Clubs. CLINIC Webinar Training: USCIS Fee Changes and How to Prepare Your Program, February 28, 2024 at 2 PM Eastern. U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services released its final fee rule that will go into effect on April 1, 2024. The rule adjusts filing fees for certain immigration benefits, including naturalization, family-based petitions, adjustment of status, work authorization, travel documents, and more. The rule also impacts religious workers and their employers with updated fees for employment-based petitions and related applications. Nonetheless, the final rule expands fee exemptions for certain humanitarian and other beneficiaries. On this FREE webinar, you will learn more about the new fee rule and how it will affect vulnerable and low-income immigrants. Learn more and Register. Chicago, IL Volunteer Opportunity: Assist recent immigrant arrivals apply for work permits. The Resurrection Project, in partnership with the State of Illinois, City of Chicago, and a number of law firms and nonprofit organizations, is coordinating immigration application workshops for recent immigrant arrivals. If you are interested in volunteering, you can sign up for an upcoming workshop shift. 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! Send us an email to get connected.   USCCB | 3211 Fourth Street NE, Washington, DC 20017 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!