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‘BE COURAGEOUS’ — With permanent solutions for Dreamers on the table, Congress "now has an opportunity to be courageous by addressing immigration in a comprehensive and productive way that will provide long-desired relief for those already living as Americans," Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory said at a Capitol Hill media event Wednesday. Gregory joined "immigrants, agriculture and business representatives and two U.S. senators in calling for legislative protections for immigrants that keep families together, including a pathway to citizenship," reports Patricia Zapor of Catholic News Service. Mya Jaradat at Deseret News reports on growing pressure from faith groups calling on Congress to pass immigration reform: "I’m a follower of Jesus who believes that everyone should have an opportunity to flourish and the Bible is very clear that welcoming the stranger and extending hospitality is a mandate of our faith," said Tess Clarke, director of We Welcome Refugees. "Ours is a moral stance. It’s not a partisan stance. ... This isn’t about political parties. This is about people’s lives," added the Rev. Gabriel Salguero, founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition. DREAMER INVESTMENT — As a result of Judge Hanen’s July 16 DACA ruling, more than 70,000 first-time pending DACA applications are on hold, leaving Dreamers in limbo. But America cannot afford to lose them, write Minnesota immigrant and business advocates in an op-ed for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "The uncertainties facing Dreamers have ripple effects on our communities," they write. "If DACA ends, our national economy would lose an estimated $460.3 billion in GDP over the next decade. Minnesota would lose $376.7 million in GDP annually." The best way to respond to this ruling, they conclude, is with a permanent solution in Congress: "It is now time for the Senate to use all available means to pass the Dream and Promise Act, which invests in the future of Dreamers, and us all." VETERANS — Marine veteran Ramon Castro is currently in the middle of a 2,000-mile trek along the U.S.-Mexico border to shed light on the plight of deported U.S. veterans, Jose Gonzalez reports for Reuters. According to a Government Accountability Office report, some 250 veterans were deported or placed in deportation proceedings between 2013 and 2018 — and advocates believe the total could be far higher. "Our veterans are waiting and they need us," said Castro. "These are the guys who put their butts on the line and we abandoned them." A couple of days after Castro began his journey, the Biden administration announced a new initiative to assist deported American service members, veterans and their immediate family members in returning to the U.S.
HEALTH CARE — California, Illinois and Oregon are among a handful of Democratic-run states extending health insurance coverage to undocumented adult immigrants, including seniors, reports Sophia Tareen of the Associated Press. A July analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that about 46% of undocumented immigrants under 65 don’t have insurance, and while data was not included for older immigrants, they are largely ineligible for Medicare, Medicaid or Affordable Care Act coverage. Tareen cites the limited eligibility — along with high costs and fear of deportation — as some of the barriers to health coverage for the undocumented. "Look at what immigrants do for our economy," said Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D). "Including them in our health insurance, it keeps them healthy and allows them to go to work and compete and be able to contribute." OLYMPIAN REFUGEES — 29 stateless athletes are hoping to raise awareness of the more than 80 million forcibly displaced people around the world as part of the Refugee Olympic Team — the second refugee team in history, Biwa Kwan reports for SBS World News. The team is "a message to the entire world to make the world aware of the magnitude of this crisis," said International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. "It’s also a message that these forcibly displaced people are an enrichment to all our societies and that we should embrace them like we do in the Olympic Games, to show all our unity in all our diversity." Thanks for reading, |
