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June 15, 2022, marked ten years since the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was created through executive action. DACA allows certain undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children—commonly referred to as “Dreamers”—to remain in the country, subject to several requirements. In honor of this anniversary, Bishop Mario Dorsonville, chair of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, released a statement calling on legislators to provide a “permanent solution for all Dreamers—one of many steps to address an immigration system in desperate need of reform.”
Complete JFI’s action alert urging Congress to move forward with a permanent solution for Dreamers.
Please also take a moment to watch a recent video with Bishop Dorsonville who spoke about DACA’s tenth anniversary, together with a current DACA recipient from the Archdiocese of Washington.
World Refugee Day 2022
World Refugee Day, observed in the United States and around the world on June 20, was established by the United Nations to increase awareness of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. Catholic dioceses, parishes, and organizations across the globe partake in this annual event, celebrating the positive contributions of refugees and the efforts of communities to welcome them.
Resources related to World Refugee Day, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and other topics can be found on the Justice for Immigrants website.
Refugee Oral History Project
In coordination with Princeton University’s Office of Religious Life, USCCB/MRS has launched a unique refugee oral history archive. This archive records the stories of nearly one hundred and eighty refugees who have come to the United States from as long past as the immediate post-World War II period to as recently as the 2010s. These refugees come from various religious traditions, ethnic backgrounds, and from countries all around the world.
The purpose of the archives is to hear the stories of refugees from the refugees themselves and to better understand how religion has helped them to make sense of their displacement, their resettlement, and their integration into the United States. These stories are compelling and help to personalize the unique struggles that refugees face every day.
We invite you to share the website with your networks and, if you are interested, to work with us to get more oral histories from refugees that we can add to the archive. We are confident that such an archive will provide an invaluable resource to resettlement sites, researchers, and others who work in support of refugees.
When you have a moment, please visit the Oral History Project on Religion and Resettlement.
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