JFI Colleagues,

Please see below for the latest updates from JFI.

Following Long-Awaited Introduction, U.S. Bishops’ Migration Chairman Call for Swift Passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act

After months of advocacy by the USCCB, its fellow resettlement agencies, Afghan-led groups, veterans’ organizations, and others, the Afghan Adjustment Act (S. 4787/H.R. 8685) has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives on a bipartisan basis. If enacted into law, the bill would create a streamlined process for Afghans who entered the United States with humanitarian parole to apply for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. Bishop Mario Dorsonville, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, sent a letter of support for the legislation, stating, “[I]t is both our moral duty and in our country’s best interest to provide our new Afghan neighbors with a pathway to permanent legal status.” A press release from the USCCB is available here; a section-by-section summary of the bill is available here; and the text of the bill, as introduced in the Senate, is available here. Please be on the lookout for additional resources and advocacy opportunities in the coming weeks.  

USCCB/Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) Vacancies

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: USCCB/MRS Assistant Director of Communications - This position oversees and manages communications strategies that effectively describe and promote MRS' mission and services. The incumbent plays an integral role in developing communications plans and initiatives representing MRS to its networks, stakeholders, the media, and the public. Please apply today!

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: USCCB/MRS Migration Policy Advisor - A policy advisor within the USCCB’s Department of Migration and Refugee Services provides the Conference, bishops, and other parties with policy analysis and recommendations on a range of migration-related policy issues. Please apply today!

Reconciliation Bill Passes without Migration-Related Provisions

Over a year since the process began, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act on August 7. At various points, the measure included different migration-related proposals, including those that would have provided legalization to certain members of the undocumented population, but the bill ultimately negotiated contains no migration-related provisions, focusing on climate, health, and taxes. A number of amendments were proposed during the Senate “vote-a-rama” process, including those related to Title 42, border wall funding, and increased enforcement measures, but all of these failed. The bill is now expected to be passed quickly by the House without consideration of any amendments.

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 August 9 CMS Migration Update, which includes: 

• US Senate Passes Reconciliation Bill without Anti-Immigration Amendments
• DHS Ends Remain in Mexico Policy
• USCIS Updates Interpretation of “Under Honorable Conditions” for Military Naturalization
• US Customs and Border Protection Orders Halt to Border Wall Construction Near Friendship Park in San Diego

View the August 2 CMS Migration Update, which includes: 

• House of Representatives Passes Anti-Human Trafficking Legislation
• DHS Extends and Redesignates TPS for Syrians in the United States
• Parolees Can Now File for Employment Authorization Online 
• DHS Authorizes the Completion of Border Wall Near Yuma

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 9 de agosto, que incluye: 

• Senado de EE. UU. aprueba proyecto de ley de reconciliación sin enmiendas contra la inmigración
• DHS pone fin a la política de permanecer en México
• USCIS Actualiza la Interpretación de “Bajo Condiciones Honorables” para la Naturalización Militar
• Las órdenes de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de EE. UU. detienen la construcción del muro fronterizo cerca del Parque de la Amistad en San Diego 

Ver la Actualización de Migración del CMS de 2 de agosto, que incluye: 

• Cámara de Representantes aprueba una legislación contra la trata de personas
• DHS extiende y redesigna TPS para sirios en los Estados Unidos
• Personas en libertad condicional ahora pueden solicitar autorización de empleo en línea
• El DHS autoriza la finalización del muro fronterizo cerca de Yuma

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

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop Emeritus of Brooklyn:  

Smuggling Tragedy Followed by a Growing Sign of Hope 

Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director, Catholic Charities - Archdiocese of New York: 

Statement on Recent Influx of Asylum Seekers in New York

Reminder: 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. 

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

Center for Migration Studies 

2020 American Community Survey: Use with Caution, An Analysis of the Undercount in the 2020 ACS Data Used to Derive Estimates of the Undocumented Population 

This paper analyzes and provides estimates of the undercount of the foreign-born in the US Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey (ACS). It confirms that a differential undercount occurred in the 2020 ACS. CMS and others use ACS data to derive annual estimates of the US undocumented population. The Census Bureau recently reported that the total population count for the 2020 Census was consistent with the count for recent censuses, despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the Trump administration’s interference in the 2020 Census. Nonetheless, the accuracy of 2020 ACS data for the noncitizen population that arrived after 1981 remains a major concern given the fear generated by the Trump administration’s abusive rhetoric and anti-immigrant policies. 

Other Upcoming Events, Opportunities, and Resources

• Delegate Applications for Refugee Congress, Application deadline: August 12, 2022.  Refugee Congress seeks applications from committed refugee/former refugee and asylee/asylum seeker leaders to serve as a volunteer Delegate to Refugee Congress. We are seeking to recruit a Delegate for these states: AL, CO, DE, FL, HI, IA, MS, NV, NH, NJ, NY, OK, SC, SD, VT, and WY. Please share this call for application with your networks. Interested candidates can apply directly through this link.

• Archdiocese of Indianapolis – Black Catholic Ministry’s Sr. Thea Bowman Black Catholic Women Monthly Prayer Gathering (Virtual), Monday, August 15, 2022 at 7 PM. Contact Pearlette Springer, 317-236-1474, to participate.

• Webinar: Voting for the Common Good, Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 7 PM Eastern. Joan Neal, Deputy Executive Director & Chief Equity Officer of NETWORK, and Sr. Emily TeKolste, NETWORK Grassroots Organizer, and other NETWORK will lead a discussion about putting our faith into action in the 2022 Midterm Elections for people experiencing poverty, the failings of our immigration system, lack of access to health care, and other threats to the common good. Joan and Sr. Emily will explore how we are called to act for justice in the face of growing divides in our country. We look forward to you joining us. 

• Catholic Charities USA and Refugees Services Community of Practice Monthly Meeting, Wednesday, August 24, 2022 at 2 PM Eastern. Please join us for the next CCUSA Immigration and Refugee Services Community of Practice meeting. During the meeting, we will hear from the field about pressing issues in the Immigration and Refugee Services and receive a policy update from CCUSA, MRS/USCCB, and CLINIC. Register in advance for this meeting.

• Archdiocese of Seattle’s Sixth Annual Immigration Summit: Catholics Engaging in Immigrant Justice, Saturday, August 27, 2022 at 9 AM. The recent synodal process has encouraged Catholics to engage in a Culture of Encounter, which entails deep listening. With an open heart, this deep listening allows us to receive the hopes and aspirations, pains and struggles, of our brothers and sisters seeking justice. In response, we commit to accompany these communities and invite you to join us for a day of camaraderie, listening, learning, and action in our struggle for justice for immigrants. We’ll have opportunities to hear from immigrant communities, get updates on current immigration issues, and celebrate our diverse traditions. Specific workshops will address mental health, advocacy, legal issues, and refugee sponsorship. The day will conclude with participation in an interfaith and ecumenical townhall. See our website to register. Here is the event flyer.

Please note: In honor of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the USCCB will be closed on August 15, 2022.

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.