JFI Week in Review - Aug. 31st - Sept. 4th, 2020

Justice for Immigrants Colleagues,

Please see below for the latest updates from JFI.

Sección en español de la Semana en Revisión

USCIS Cancela las Suspensiones para Empleados pero Quedan Asuntos de Financiamiento

Después de meses de pronosticar deficiencias financieras para los Servicios de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de los Estados Unidos (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglés), que incluyeron la amenaza de la suspensión de aproximadamente 13,000 trabajadores del gobierno para el 30 de agosto, el 25 de agosto, el subdirector de política de USCIS Joseph Edlow anunció que la agencia había evitado las suspensiones. Si bien esto es sin duda una victoria, es temporal, como USCIS ha visto y seguirá viendo mayores tiempos de procesamiento, atrasos y esperas y que todavía se necesita asistencia financiera del Congreso para el año fiscal 2021. El 21 de agosto, la Cámara de Representantes presentó un proyecto de ley bipartidista, The Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act para abordar el problema. El proyecto de ley fue aprobado por unanimidad por la Cámara de Representantes. Continuaremos monitoreando esta situación y proporcionaremos actualizaciones.

¿Quiere aprender más sobre USCIS? Por favor, vea nuestro testimonio ante el Comité Judicial de la Cámara de Representantes y nuestra carta de junio que pide financiamiento y supervisión para USCIS.

Asistencia Financiera de Emergencia de COVID-19

¿Quién califica?

Si usted vive en el área de Las Cruces, ha sido económicamente impactado por el COVID-19 y necesita asistencia financiera. Se está dando prioridad a aquellos que han sido afectados económicamente como resultado del COVID-19.

¿Que necesita?

Para renta o pago de hipoteca: Contrato de alquiler o declaración de hipoteca
Para utilidades: Recibo de El Paso Electric o City of Las Cruce
Identificación: Licencia para conducir o Identificación del Estado, pasaporte, o matrícula
Comprobante de pérdida/reducción de ingreso: Talones de cheque, carta de despedida, o carta de ausencia obligatoria no pagada

Llámenos al 575-527-0500 o al 575-915-9742

Le informamos que, al llenar el formulario, no garantizamos que la persona o la familia van a calificar para recibir asistencia financiera del fondo de emergencia de CCSNM.

¡Caridades Católicas del Sur de Nuevo México está aquí para ayudar!

Mantenga La Esperanza 2020

¡Anote la fecha en su calendario! El cardenal Blase J. Cupich de la Arquidiócesis de Chicago le invita al evento virtual, "KEEP HOPE ALIVE Benefit: 15 años unidos por la justicia para inmigrantes" a beneficio de los programas locales y nacionales del Ministerio de Inmigración de la Arquidiócesis de Chicago, incluso la Pastoral Migratoria, el ministerio de liderazgo de inmigrantes.

El evento se llevará a cabo el 29 de octubre de 2020 a las 6:30 P.M. CST, 7:30 P.M. EST, 4:30 P.M. PST.

Para oportunidades de patrocinio y publicidad, comuníquese con Mark Goebel al 312-534-8383 o [email protected]. Visite la página
www.catholicsandimmigrants.org/KHA2020 para más información y actualizaciones del evento.

¿Tiene actualizaciones o recursos en español que desea compartir? Favor de enviarlos a Sarah Hoff y nosotros los promovemos.

Use Your Voice to Support Refugees and Restore the Resettlement Program

The Trump Administration is currently preparing to set the goal for the number of refugees that will be allowed to be admitted to the United States for the coming fiscal year (FY). This process is called the "Presidential Determination" (PD). Before setting the new refugee Presidential Determination, the President is required to consult with House & Senate Judiciary Committees.

Nearly two hundred organizations, including USCCB and many JFI member organizations, already sent a letter to President Trump urging him to build back the U.S. resettlement program by setting a goal of 95,000 refugees.

Also, USCCB and Catholic and Evangelical organizations sent a letter to Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Pompeo to encourage building back the resettlement program, raising particular concerns about resettlement needs of refugees fleeing religious persecution.

But more needs to be done.

We invite JFI members to join in the following additional advocacy effort on the PD. Please sign up for the action alert. You can access it on our action alert page. Please take a moment to fill it out and send to your elected officials and also send an additional message to certain key lawmakers.

Learn more about refugees on our refugee resource page.

USCIS Cancels Furloughs for Employees but Funding Issues Remain

After months of forecasting financial shortcomings for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which included the threat of furloughing roughly 13,000 government workers by August 30th, on August 25th USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow announced that the agency had averted the furloughs. While this is certainly a victory, it is temporary, as USCIS has seen and will continue to see increased processing times, backlogs and waits and that financial assistance is still needed from Congress for Fiscal Year 2021. On August 21st, the House introduced a bipartisan bill, The Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act to address the issue. The bill passed the House by unanimious consent. We will continue to monitor this situation and provide you updates.

Want to learn more about USCIS? Please see our testimony before the House Judiciary and our June letter calling for USCIS funding and oversight.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudan-Extended but Not Redesignated

Acting Secretary Chad Wolfe of the Department of Homeland Security announced

that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudan would be extended but not redesignated for South Sudan. Under the decision, 84 South Sudanese in the U.S. who already have TPS can continue to maintain it until May 2022, but the estimated 2,500 who arrived since the original designation are not eligible to apply.

Prior to the Administration's decision, Bishop Mario Dorsonville of Washington and Chair of the Committee on Migration Chairman, Bishop David Malloy of Rockford and Chairman of the Committee on Justice and Peace, and Sean Callahan President and CEO Catholic Relief Services sent a letter to Acting Secretary Wolf asking for an extension of TPS for 18 months for South Sudan and to also to redesignate TPS for South Sudan. They noted in their letter that, "TPS serves the humanitarian and strategic interests of the United States, while expressing American values and building good will. Providing TPS is part of our commitment to South Sudan as we help them resolve their conflicts and restore those impacted by the ongoing violence."

To learn more about TPS, please see our TPS Resource Page.

JFI is Turning 15: Participate in our 15 Year Anniversary Webinar Series

This year marks the 15th anniversary for the Justice for Immigrants Campaign. In honor of this moment, we will be hosting a series of webinars this fall that will explore some of the current challenges confronting our effort to shape migration policy in a way that is consistent with Catholic social teaching and some of the challenges that we face when trying to do so. These webinars will also take into account the election in November, the outcome which will shape our work moving forward. Please join us each Wednesday at 2:00 PM Eastern from September 30 - November 11. For more information about each webinar in the series, please see our Webinar Series flyer.

Save the Date: JFI National Call - Thursday, September 10, 2020 at 2 PM ET

Join us for the next Justice for Immigrants National Call on September 10, 2020 at 2 PM ET/11 AM PT. A call reminder and agenda will be sent in a separate message. Email [email protected] to include agenda items.

COVID-19 Videos in 11 Languages for Refugees and Immigrants

Community and interfaith partner Church World Service CWS has a new resource of 13 videos in 11 languages for refugee and immigrant communities about COVID-19. COVID-19 has exacerbated the barriers to healthcare many refugee and immigrant populations face. These informational videos in 11 languages provide practical information on how refugee and immigrant communities can keep themselves safe in their native languages.

The videos are free to share widely and are available in Arabic, Burmese, English, French, Farsi (Dari), Spanish, Swahili, Somali, Kinyarwanda, Nepalese, and Rohingya. The full playlist is available here.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

Switchboard TA Webinar: Cultural Competence in Refugee Service Settings - September 10, 2020 at 2 PM EST - Refugees have unique, complex needs and strengths related to their backgrounds and experiences of forced displacement and resettlement. This webinar will review cultural competence in refugee service settings, highlighting key concepts and approaches described by refugee service providers. Registration is open.
Migration Policy Institute Webchat: The U.S. Immigration Policymaker-in-Chief: The Long History of Executive Authority over Immigration - September 10, 2020 at 1 PM EST - Join this discussion examining the Trump administration's substantial use of executive power to change the country's course on immigration, and how the President's role in immigration policy is an inevitability that should be carefully considered and reimagined in any blueprint for immigration reform. Registration is free.
Refugee Council USA (RCUSA) Webinar - September 11, 2020 at Noon EST - RCUSA will be hosting its next Grassroots Advocacy Webinar at Noon on Fri., Sept. 11th and will discuss the upcoming Presidential Determination, virtual advocacy efforts, the New American Voters campaign, and updates regarding USCIS and appropriations. You can register for the webinar here.
Archdiocese of San Francisco On-line Course: Immigration: The In-Between Life Issue - September 22-October 27, 2019 - The school of Pastoral Leadership announces a 6-week online course to explain immigration through the lens of Catholic social teaching in response to World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Students attending all classes and passing a multiple choice test at the end will be issued a Certificate of Completion. Get more information and sign up now.
Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS) 2020 Annual Gala - September 22, 2020 at 7 PM EST - Join CMS to celebrate another year of promoting evidence-based public policies that protect the rights of migrants, newcomers, and refugees. CMS' 2020 Annual Gala will take place virtually and is free to attend. To register or to learn about sponsorship opportunities, please fill out this form .
Save the Date: Catholic Charities USA's 2020 Annual Gathering - September 25, 2020 - The virtual celebration this year will commemorate the 110th anniversary of CCUSA's founding. Please stay tuned for updates as details are confirmed. You can also email CCUSA with any event-related questions.
Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers (CICC) Hotline: Answering Questions about USCIS Fee Increases - Now accepting calls - Questions regarding the fee changes before they are implemented can be confidentially answered at 872-227-7099.