JFI Biweekly Review: June 3-14, 2024 JFI Colleagues, Please see below for the latest updates from JFI including the next national call, webinars, statements, and upcoming events. Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso and Chairman of the Committee on Migration for the USCCB on the proclamation issued by the President restricting access to asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border “We are deeply disturbed by this disregard for fundamental humanitarian protections and U.S. asylum law,” said Bishop Seitz after President Biden issued a proclamation restricting access to asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. Speaking as chairman of the Committee on Migration for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Seitz added: “There is a crisis of conscience at the U.S.-Mexico border. When vulnerable families seeking safety and the means for a dignified life are labeled ‘invaders’ or ‘illegals’, terms that mask their humanity, we have strayed from the path of righteousness, succumbed to our fear of the ‘other’, and forsaken the values upon which our nation was founded.  2024 World Day of Migrants & Refugees/National Migration Week The World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) is an opportunity for global church and the Catholic faithful to engage in prayer, reflection, and action on behalf of our brothers and sisters who are forced to flee their homes. The theme for this year’s WDMR is “God walks with his people”, which “focuses on the itinerant dimension of the Church, with special attention to migrant brothers and sisters, who are a contemporary icon of the Church on the move.” Please take a moment to read the entirety of the Holy Father’s 2024 WDMR message and be sure to check out a new resource on the JFI website, The Catholic Church and Accompaniment, which takes up the themes presented in Pope Francis’ message and applies them to our work as a Church. Please let us know what you are doing for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees by emailing Tony Cube. Problem Areas in Immigration Series Our second installment in this series, Migrant Farmworkers: A Catholic Perspective, highlights the important role that migrant farmworkers have in the food supply chain, the different situations with these workers and the businesses or farms that employ them, and includes a video of a priest in the Diocese of Yakima who ministers to migrant and H-2A farmworkers. Please take a moment to read and learn more about this important issue. For those who have friends and colleagues not on the listserv but who might be interested in this series, please send them to the JFI website for more information. SAVE the DATE: Next JFI National Call June 26, 2024 at 2 PM Eastern/11 AM Pacific Please note on your calendars the date and time for the next JFI national call on Zoom. Information to participate will be sent via email next week. Please send us an email message if you want to be part of the JFI national call.  Migration-Related Stories, Op-Eds and Interviews by Catholic Bishops, and Catholic Agency Executives Papa Francisco: Mensaje del Papa Francisco para la Jornada Mundial del Migrante y del Refugiado 2024 Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio of the Diocese of Brooklyn: Immigration decision: legalization or deportation, the choice before us Anna Gallagher, Executive Director – Catholic Legal Immigration Network, INC: CLINIC Appalled by Draconian Border Enforcement Order to Curtail Asylum Processing and Expedite Deportations Mario Russell, Executive Director - Center for Migration Studies of New York: Statement On Border Closure to Asylum-Seekers Kelly Ryan, President – Jesuit Refugee Service/USA: Jesuit Refugee Service/USA Condemns Closing Border to Asylum-Seekers  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 June 11 CMS Migration Update, which includes: Biden Border Rule Immediately Shuts Down Border, Drawing Fire from Opponents United States Reaches and Exceeds 60,000 Refugees Resettled in FY 2024, More Than in 2023 Arizonans to Vote on State Immigration Law in the November Election View the June 4 CMS Migration Update, which includes: Biden Signs Executive Order to Give Him the Authority to Shut Down the Border US Department of Justice Announces Plans to Increase Criminal Prosecutions at the US-Mexico Border USCIS Announces Funding Opportunity for Naturalization Programs 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 11 de juno, que incluye: La regla fronteriza de Biden cierra inmediatamente la frontera, lo que provoca el fuego de los opositores Estados Unidos alcanza y supera los 60.000 refugiados reasentados en el año fiscal 2024, más que en 2023 Los arizonenses votarán sobre la ley estatal de inmigración en las elecciones de noviembre Ver la Actualización de Migración del CMS del 4 de juno que incluye: Biden firma orden ejecutiva que le otorga autoridad para cerrar la frontera El Departamento de Justicia de EE.UU. anuncia planes para aumentar los procesamientos penales en la frontera entre EE.UU. y México USCIS anuncia oportunidad de financiamiento para programas de naturalización  Notable New Publications, Reports, Resources, Articles, Etc. National Immigration Forum: Q&A: The Biden Border Proclamation On June 4, 2024, President Joe Biden released a presidential proclamation placing significant limits on asylum seekers in an attempt to “shut down” the U.S.’s southern border when encounters reach specified thresholds. The proclamation, when paired with a new interim final rule, will give officials the authority to quickly deport migrants and bar them from returning to the United States for at least five years, while greatly curtailing their access to protection. This policy shift follows several other recent reforms to more quickly move some migrants through the immigration courts, apply eligibility bars to protection earlier in the process, and surge resources for increased immigration-related criminal prosecutions. Taken together, these steps represent a more enforcement-focused approach to addressing challenges at the border. This Q&A describes the proclamation and its impact, with an eye toward its legality and its effect on vulnerable populations. Hope Border Institute: Reimagining the Migration Protection System: Critical Reflections from the Border As we navigate policy changes designed for the border but without the people of the borderlands and crafted for people on the move but without their participation, we hope this collection of essays inspires thought beyond the current limiting paradigms. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta: Slowdown in Immigration, Labor Shortages, and Declining Skill Premia This recent study by the Atlanta Fed shows an immigration slowdown impacts the U.S. economy. Specifically, the report documents that a slowdown in low-skilled immigration that began around the onset of the Great Recession in 2007 was associated with a subsequent rise in low-skilled wages, a decline in the skill premium, and labor shortages in service occupations. International Rescue Committee (IRC): New IRC Polls Shows Most Americans Still Believe Ukrainians Should be Supported A recent YouGov poll conducted by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in the U.S., Sweden, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom combined with data from Poland gathered by Opinia24, reveals that a significant majority of people support providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in their host country. These results show the continued public commitment to the humanitarian response, even as political rhetoric around refugees and international aid becomes contested during this year’s campaign season. Other Upcoming Events, Opportunities, and Services Franciscan Justice Circle (FJC), June 20, 2024 at 2 PM Eastern. We are called to care and translate that care into action standing in solidarity with those seen as “other." Join others in solidarity to learn to care for others and the least among us. Please contact FAN staff for information about joining this FJC. Archdiocese of Newark Juneteenth Celebration Concert, June 23, 2024 at 3 PM at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Join the African American, African and Caribbean Apostolate of the Archdiocese for a Juneteenth celebration, honoring freedom and unity! For more information, contact Rahsaan Garlin, 908-884-8430. JustFaith Webinar: Tools for Transformation: How to Educate Your Community on Faith and Justice, June 25, 2024 at 3:30 PM Eastern. How do you inspire congregations, organizations, or communities to become people of love in action? Join Jack Jezreel, M.Div., and Leila Oakley, M.T.S., who will share the Tools for Transformation programs and resources that JustFaith has provided nationally for over 20 years. Register today. Save the Date: CMS' November 2024 Conference in New York 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 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice