JFI Week in Review - August 9th-13th, 2021

Justice for Immigrants Colleagues,

Please see below for the latest updates from JFI.

Sección en español de la Semana en Revisión

El Presidente del Comité de Migración de los Obispos de los Estados Unidos Da la Bienvenida a la Inclusión de Instrucciones Relacionadas con la Inmigración en la Resolución del Presupuesto del Senado, Reafirma la Necesidad de Integración

El 11 de agosto de 2021, el Senado de los Estados Unidos acordó la Resolución 14, estableciendo el presupuesto del gobierno de los Estados Unidos para el año fiscal 2022 y proporcionando instrucciones de conciliación presupuestaria a varios comités del Congreso. Entre las instrucciones se incluye la financiación para que el Comité del Poder Judicial, en parte, proporcione "estatus permanente legal a los inmigrantes calificados." La Cámara de Representantes también tendrá que adoptar la resolución concurrente antes de que ambas cámaras del Congreso finalmente consideren un proyecto de ley de reconciliación presupuestaria. El obispo Mario E. Dorsonville, obispo auxiliar de Washington y presidente del Comité de Migración de la USCCB, emitió una declaración en respuesta a la acción del Senado, enfatizando la necesidad moral de integración de los miembros indocumentados de nuestra sociedad. A continuación hay más información sobre los próximos pasos para la reforma legislativa.

El Presidente de la USCCB Agradece al Senado por Aprobar el Proyecto de Ley de Infraestructura, Señala la Necesidad de Acción Adicional

El 10 de agosto de 2020, el Senado de los Estados Unidos aprobó la Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act por una votación de 69-30. El Arzobispo Paul Coakley de Oklahoma City, presidente del Comité de Justicia Doméstica y Desarrollo Humano de la USCCB, aprobó la aprobación del proyecto de ley e instó al Congreso a continuar trabajando juntos para abordar "... apoyos para las familias, así como la legalización y un camino a la ciudadanía para los Dreamers, individuos con Estatus de Protección Temporal/Salida Forzosa Diferida, trabajadores agrícolas migrantes y otros trabajadores esenciales indocumentados."

El Presidente del Comité de Migración de los Obispos de Estados Unidos Insta a la Administración a Proteger a las Familias, Garantizar el Debido Proceso y Respetar la Dignidad Humana

Hace dos semanas, el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional de los Estados Unidos (DHS por sus siglas en inglés) anunció que colocará a ciertas familias migrantes en un proceso de deportación acelerado, un proceso en que los oficiales de inmigración pueden deportar rápidamente, y sin una audiencia, a los no ciudadanos sospechosos de ingresar recientemente a Estados Unidos sin inspección. En respuesta a este y otros eventos, incluido el uso continuado por parte de la Administración del Título 42 para expulsar a los solicitantes de asilo, el obispo Dorsonville emitió una declaración pidiendo a la Administración "que da marcha atrás en su uso ampliado de la remoción acelerada, reexamine su uso de las autoridades del Título 42 y promueva verdaderamente el debido proceso, consistente con los compromisos pasados."

El Congreso Se Acerca Más a la Reforma Migratoria

Después de la votación del Senado a principios de esta semana sobre la resolución presupuestaria, el país está un paso más cerca de posiblemente ver la reforma migratoria este año. Suponiendo que la Cámara de Representantes apruebe la resolución presupuestaria en las próximas semanas, ambas cámaras del Congreso comenzarán a trabajar en las disposiciones de un proyecto de ley de reconciliación, que actualmente se espera que incluya la legalización y un camino a la ciudadanía para una porción no especificada de personas indocumentadas. Las poblaciones actuales elegibles para la legalización no serán reveladas hasta que se publique el texto del proyecto de ley de reconciliación. Sin embargo, las poblaciones anticipadas son los Dreamers, individuos con Estatus de Protección Temporal/Salida Forzosa Diferida, trabajadores agrícolas migrantes y otros trabajadores esenciales indocumentados. Esperamos ver el texto del proyecto de ley de reconciliación a finales de septiembre. Sin embargo, hay otros obstáculos que deberán superarse para que este esfuerzo tenga éxito, incluido un fallo positivo del Parlamentario del Senado con respecto al cumplimiento del proyecto de ley con la Regla Byrd.

Por favor, esté atento a un correo electrónico a principios de la próxima semana con recursos y acciones que puede tomar durante el receso de agosto para mostrar su apoyo a la reforma migratoria positiva.

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

English Language Section

U.S. Bishops' Migration Chairman Welcomes Inclusion of Immigration-Related Instructions in Senate Budget Resolution, Reaffirms Need for Integration

On August 11, 2021, the U.S. Senate agreed to S. Con. Res. 14, setting forth the budget for the United States government for Fiscal Year 2022 and providing budget reconciliation instructions to various committees of Congress. Included among the instructions is funding for the Committee on the Judiciary, in part, to provide "lawful permanent status to qualified immigrants." The House of Representatives will also need to adopt the concurrent resolution before both chambers of Congress eventually consider a budget reconciliation bill.

Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington and chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Migration, issued a statement in response to the Senate's action, emphasizing the moral need for integration of the undocumented members of our society. More information on next steps for legislative reform is below.

USCCB Chairman Grateful to Senate for Passing Infrastructure Bill, Signals
Need for Additional Action

On August 10, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by a vote of 69-30. Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, approved passage of the measure and urged Congress to continue working together to address "...supports for families, as well as legalization and a path to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status/Deferred Enforced Departure holders, migrant agricultural workers, and other undocumented essential workers."

U.S. Bishops' Migration Chairman Urges Administration to Protect Families, Ensure Due Process, and Respect Human Dignity

Two weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will be placing certain migrant families in expedited removal proceedings, a process whereby immigration officers can quickly, and absent a hearing, deport noncitizens suspected of recently entering the U.S. without inspection. In response to this and other events, including the Administration's continued use of Title 42 to expel asylum seekers, Bishop Dorsonville issued a statement calling on the Administration "to reverse course on its expanded use of expedited removal, reexamine its use of Title 42 authorities, and truly promote due process, consistent with past commitments."

Congress Edges Nearer to Immigration Reform

After the Senate's vote earlier this week on the budget resolution, the country is one step closer to possibly seeing immigration reform this year. Assuming the House passes the budget resolution in the coming weeks, both chambers of Congress will begin working on the provisions of a reconciliation bill, which is currently expected to include legalization and a pathway to citizenship for an unspecified portion of the undocumented. The actual populations eligible for legalization will not be revealed until the text of the reconciliation bill is released. However, the anticipated populations are Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status/Deferred Enforced Departure holders, migrant agricultural workers, and other undocumented essential workers. The text of the reconciliation bill is expected by late September. However, there are other hurdles that will need to be overcome in order for this effort to succeed, including a positive ruling by the Senate Parliamentarian regarding the bill's compliance with the Byrd Rule.

Please be on the lookout for an email early next week with resources for and actions you can take during the August recess to convey support for positive immigration reform.

July Operational Update Released by CBP

On August 12, 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released its operational update for July 2021. CBP encountered 212,672 persons attempting entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, 27% (over 57,000) of which involved individuals who had at least one prior encounter with CBP in the preceding 12 months, compared to an average one-year reencounter rate of 14% for Fiscal Years 2014-2019. A majority (52%) of encounters continue to be single adults, with 110,443 encounters in July, a 6% decrease from June. Meanwhile, encounters with unaccompanied children increased 24%, with 18,962 encounters in July compared with 15,234 in June, and encounters of individuals in family units increased by 49% from 55,839 in June to 82,966 in July, which is still below the peak of 88,587 encounters in May 2019. The update also states: "To address recidivism, in July CBP began a Repeat Offender initiative, under which single adults who have previously been apprehended and deported under Title 8 are referred for prosecution."

Biden Administration Designates Hong Kong for Deferred Enforced Departure

On August 5, 2021, the President directed DHS to defer for 18 months the removal "of any Hong Kong resident who is present in the United States on the date of this memorandum," otherwise known as Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). In addition to protection from deportation, employment authorization is also provided to eligible Hong Kong residents for the duration of the DED designation. The President's memorandum lists seven exceptions under which DHS may continue to remove Hong Kong residents from the United States.

Number of Refugees Resettled Steadily Increases

When President Biden took office in January 2021, the U.S. refugee admissions ceiling for Fiscal Year 2021 was set at 15,000, an all-time low. On May 3, 2021, the Biden Administration announced a new Presidential Determination (PD) increasing the number of refugees who can be resettled in the U.S. during the current fiscal year to 62,500. At the time of the President's revised PD in May, about 2,335 refugees and 2,255 Afghan and Iraqi SIV holders had been resettled in the U.S. since October 2020. As of July 31, a total of 6,246 refugees and 4,181 SIV holders had been resettled. Of those, the USCCB facilitated the resettlement of 1,072 refugees and 739 SIV holders. Policies of the previous presidential administration and the COVID-19 pandemic continue to have an impact on refugee resettlement. Following recent action taken by Congress and the ongoing efforts of the Biden Administration, a significant uptick in SIV arrivals is anticipated through the remainder of this fiscal year and likely extending through next year.

Refugee Community Advocacy Month Gets Underway

Refugee Community Advocacy Month 2021 is taking place from August 7 to September 20, 2021. Members of Refugee Council USA have created a toolkit as part of this effort, and refugee supporters are being encouraged to urge their state and local elected leaders to support a robust refugee admissions goal of 125,000 for the new fiscal year. This is the same number encouraged by Bishop Dorsonville in May.

Other Upcoming Events, Opportunities, and Resources

Archdiocese of Boston Seeks New Labor Guild Director. The Labor Guild is an affiliate of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. The Executive-Director is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the Guild and will have overall responsibility for the Labor Guild's staff, its programs and the execution of its mission. The Executive Director shall be a practicing Roman Catholic. See the job description for more information and to apply.

Catholic Charities Dallas' Free Legal Immigration Services. These services are available to all eligible clients. Interested applicants can call (214) 634-7182 for direct assistance regarding qualifications for no-fee immigration services. Catholic Charities Dallas may offer services at no cost to you if you are currently receiving public benefits or if you are under 125% of the poverty guideline.
U.S. Citizenship Education Class (Remote), August 17, 2021, at 6 PM in Chicago, IL. Attend this FREE class hosted by Irish Community Services to learn about U.S. citizenship eligibility and process, the form N-400 (citizenship application form), interview preparation and practice, and U.S. civics questions. Call (773) 282-8445 for more information and to register to attend.

Webinar Invitation: Changing Hearts & Minds: JustFaith as a Tool for Expanding Social Mission, August 18, 2021, at 3 PM ET. For over 20 years, JustFaith Ministries has been crafting small group formation programs emphasizing the linkage between faith and compassion/justice. Join us for a conversation with Jack Jezreel, the founder and originator, about how the tools of JustFaith might benefit your work. RSVP to join the conversation.

Positions for Immigration Attorneys in Pennsylvania. Our interfaith partner, Church World Service, is hiring for the positions of supervising attorney and staff attorney in their Immigrant Children's Program. Applicants must have Spanish language skills and preferably be a member of the bar in Pennsylvania. Contact Janet Tisinger with questions and to apply.

In solidarity,

Tony Cube