JFI Colleagues,

Please see below for the latest updates from JFI.

House Passes Anti-Trafficking Bill with Broad Bipartisan Support 



On July 26, 2022, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6552, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022, with strong bipartisan support. Earlier that day, Bill Canny, executive director of the USCCB’s Department of Migration and Refugee Services, Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, Sean Callahan, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, and Sister Mary Haddad, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, sent a letter to the House in support of the bill, which now heads to the Senate for consideration. 

Bishop Chairmen Urge Legislators to Pass Funding Bills that Exclude Title 42 Mandates 

Prior to the House of Representatives taking up the first of its Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 appropriations bills, Bishop Mario Dorsonville, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, joined five of his fellow USCCB chairmen in a letter calling on legislators to “work toward funding bills that truly build up the common good for everyone in our society, especially the most vulnerable among us.” The letter referenced all eight of the appropriations-related letters sent by the USCCB during this cycle, including the Committee on Migration’s letter. The multi-chairman letter also reaffirmed the bishops’ opposition to “any legislative efforts that would mandate the use of authorities under Title 42 of the U.S. Code to deny vulnerable persons the right to seek asylum in the United States.” At the time they were approved by the House Appropriations Committee, the FY 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill and the FY 2023 Homeland Security bill both included provisions that would require the continued use of Title 42. It remains unclear if or when either bill will be taken up by the full House. In addition to Bishop Dorsonville, the other signatories of the multi-chairman letter included Cardinal Timothy Dolan, chairman of the Committee for Religious Liberty, Archbishop William Lori, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, Archbishop Paul Coakley, chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Bishop David Malloy, chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace, and Bishop Thomas Daly, chairman of the Committee on Catholic Education. 

In response to a recent interfaith mobilization to voice opposition to the continued use of Title 42 as a form of immigration enforcement, USCCB/MRS, Catholic Charities USA, and Catholic Relief Services produced a video adding our voice to this cause. Please share the video with your networks:

Why We Oppose Title 42 as a Form of Immigration Enforcement

Catholic Leaders Express Support for Robust Use of TPS 

In recent months, the Biden Administration has announced new Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Ukraine (March 3), Afghanistan (March 16), and Cameroon (April 15), as well as the extension of TPS for Venezuela (July 11). On July 18, Bishop Dorsonville, Sister Donna Markham, Sean Callahan, and Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveying gratitude for the recent designations and redesignation of Venezuela, while also urging the Administration to redesignate Venezuela, extend and redesignate TPS for Syria, and designate additional countries experiencing conditions that warrant TPS. 

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 July 27 CMS Migration Update, which includes: 

• House Democrats Introduced the Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929, a Rolling Registry Bill that Would Provide Immigration Status to Undocumented Immigrants
• USCIS Updated its Guidance and Eligibility Criteria for Afghan and Iraqi Special Immigrant Classification
• USCIS Announced a New Filing Process for Afghan SIV Petitions
• ICE Issued New Guidance to Promote Family Unity and Ensure Migrant Children Are Not Separated from Their Parents 

View the July 19 CMS Migration Update, which includes: 

• DHS Extended the Time Frame for Uniting for Ukraine Parolees to Complete Required Medical Screening and Attestation after their Arrival to the United States 
• 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Ruled that a Federal Statute, Which Criminalizes Encouraging Noncitizens to Reside in the United States, Violates the First Amendment 
• Colorado Will Provide Undocumented Immigrants Access to State and Local Government Benefits 
• DHS Announces Extension of TPS for Venezuela for 18 Months 
• Texas Governor Authorized State Law Enforcement to Apprehend and Return Migrants to the Southern Border.

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 de 27 de julio, que incluye: 

• El DHS ha ampliado el plazo para los beneficiarios de Unidos por Ucrania para completar el examen médico y la declaración requeridos tras su llegada a los Estados Unidos 
• El Tribunal de Apelaciones del 10º Circuito dictaminó que un estatuto federal, que penaliza el hecho de alentar a los no ciudadanos a residir en los Estados Unidos, viola la Primera Enmienda 
• Colorado proporcionará a los inmigrantes indocumentados acceso a los beneficios del gobierno estatal y local 
• El DHS anuncia la extensión del TPS para Venezuela por 18 meses 
• El gobernador de Texas autorizó a las fuerzas del orden estatales a detener y devolver a los migrantes a la frontera sur.

Ver la Actualización de Migración del CMS de 19 de julio, que incluye: 

• Los demócratas de la Cámara de Representantes presentaron las disposiciones de renovación de la Ley de Inmigración de 1929, un proyecto de ley de registro rodante que proporciona un estatus migratorio a los inmigrantes indocumentados 
• USCIS actualiza su guía y criterios de elegibilidad para la clasificación especial de inmigrantes afganos e iraquíes
• USCIS anunció un nuevo proceso de presentación para las peticiones SIV afganas
• El ICE emitió una nueva guía para promover la unidad familiar y garantizar que los niños migrantes no sean separados de sus padres.



Migration-Related Op-Eds, Statements, and Interviews by Catholic Bishops 

Video Statement: Texas Catholic Bishops call for immigration reform after migrant deaths in trailer

National Migration Week 2022 

National Migration Week (NMW) this year is September 19-25, 2022. The NMW 2022 toolkit is now available on the JFI website (and see below). Please send us an email and let us know about your NMW events and activities. 

Sign-on Letter Request: State and Local Officials Call on Biden Administration to Urgently Rebuild the Refugee Resettlement Program in FY 2023

Please ask your local lawmakers and elected officials to sign this letter by August 29th, calling on the President to meet his commitment to resettle refugees now and in fiscal year 2023.

Republicans lawmakers are especially desired, as well as elected officials from the following states: AL, AK, AR, DE, KY, LA, MS, MO, MT, NV, NH, PA, RI, SC, WV, WY. Thank you!

Notable New Publications, Reports, Films, Articles, Etc.

New Bulletin by the Vatican COVID-19 Commission and M&R Section:

Exploitation of migrant workers and tools for protection 

Migrant workers often have to accept unsafe and unfair work and must live in precarious conditions. They are exposed to various forms of slavery and lack a welfare system protecting them. They are among the victims of the widespread “culture of waste”, which - Pope Francis reminds us - is at the origin of the inequality that afflicts the world. In this Bulletin, we will look at solutions that might help build a new future for work, offering decent and dignified working conditions, in which the most vulnerable are not left behind. A future that strives to provide proper work everywhere, for those staying in their homeland and for newcomers too. A world where all workers are treated equally, without discrimination or exploitation and with due regard for their rights. 

Congressional Research Service:

Citizenship and Immigration Statuses of the U.S. Foreign-Born Population

The U.S. foreign-born population consists of individuals living in the United States who were not U.S. citizens at birth. In 2020—the most recent data from the American Community Survey (ACS)—an estimated 44.1 million foreign-born people resided in the United States, representing 13.5% of the total U.S. population. The ACS is a U.S. Census Bureau survey conducted each month with a sample of households in 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. 

UndocuBlack:

10 Facts About Black Immigrants in the U.S. 

Although Black immigrants are one of the fastest-growing demographics in the United States, they are still excluded from the mainstream immigrant narrative. According to this article, Black immigrants make up the largest group of immigrants, after Mexicans and Central Americans, seeking admission along the US-Mexico border. Black immigrants make up only 5.4 percent of the unauthorized population in the United States, but more than 20 percent of the foreign nationals facing deportation on criminal grounds. The racial bias in the criminal justice system results in Black immigrants being disproportionately incarcerated, or criminally charged and deported, in comparison to the non-Black immigrant population. 

Other Upcoming Events, Opportunities, and Resources

• Job Announcement: ICMC Program Support Associate. The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) is an international Catholic organization with a mission to serve and protect uprooted people including refugees, internally displaced persons and migrants, regardless of faith, race, ethnicity or nationality. We are seeking a Program Support Associate for our Washington, DC office to contribute to its research and monitoring of key trends and areas of concern to inform strategic directions, as well as to support new project development and administrative tasks. Submit your resume and cover letter to [email protected], subject: “ICMC Program Support Associate.” Priority deadline is Aug. 15, 2022.

• Zoom Press Conference on Illegal Practices of the Yuma Sector Border Patrol, Thursday, August 4, 2022 at 10 AM. Join the Uncage & Reunite Families Coalition, along with ten co-sponsors, including the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project and the Kino Border Initiative, in a press conference to expose the Yuma Sector’s Border Patrol officers cruel and illegal practices imposed upon refugees at the border with regard to their personal belongings, including documents to support asylum claims, passports, birth certificates, medical records and religious articles. Contact us for more information.

• First Friday Bilingual Celebration of the Most Sacred Heart, Friday, August 5, 2022 at 5:45 PM in Greenwood, IN. All are welcome at this Mass at Our Lady of the Greenwood Catholic Church. Adoration will follow until 9 PM. Sacrament of reconciliation will be available. Call 317-750- 7309 for more information. 

• Fresh International Gardens (FIG) Program — Fresh Food from the Refugees and Immigrants to the Community Webinar, Wednesday, August 10, 2022, 3 PM Eastern. The FIG co-op has been building healthy refugee communities since 2007 by helping new Alaskans develop English-language and small business skills, access fresh vegetables, and earn supplemental income. Join us to learn more about how the FIG program is creating sales opportunities and the impact that the program is having on our clients and the community that we serve. Learn more and register today.

In solidarity,

Tony Cube

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.