JFI Colleagues,

Please see below for the latest updates from JFI.

Reminder: Please Complete and Share JFI’s Action Alert in Support of the Afghan Adjustment Act 

With the bipartisan introduction of the Afghan Adjustment Act (H.R. 8685/S. 4787) in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, JFI has launched an action alert in support of the bill. If you have not done so already, please demonstrate your concern for our new Afghan neighbors and at-risk Afghans abroad by completing and sharing this action alert. The action alert also includes various resources related to the Afghan Adjustment Act, such as a section-by-section breakdown of the bill. 

If you are not already signed up to receive action alerts from JFI as soon as they become available, you can sign up on the Justice for Immigrants website. 

World Day of Migrants and Refugees/National Migration Week 2022 

National Migration Week 2022 takes place September 19-25 and culminates with the Vatican’s celebration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR), which always falls on the last Sunday of September. The primary theme for this year’s WDMR is “Building the Future with Migrants and Refugees”. Commenting on the place of migrants in God’s plan, Pope Francis emphasizes that “the Kingdom of God is to be built with them, for without them it would not be the Kingdom that God wants. The inclusion of those most vulnerable is the necessary condition for full citizenship in God’s Kingdom." 

In solidarity with the Vatican, National Migration Week will use the same theme as WDMR and will emphasize the ways in which this theme and its application to the migration question is important for the Catholic Church in the United States. The NMW 2022 toolkit is now available on the JFI website (and see above right). 

Webinar Invitation: Building the Future with Migrants and Refugees 

Tuesday, September 13 at 2 PM Eastern.

Drawing on the theme of the Holy Father’s message, this panel will examine some of the ways in which Catholics and Catholic organizations have taken Pope Francis’ vision to heart and are engaging migrants in unique and productive ways. Please join us to learn

more about these initiatives, share with us some of the work that you have been doing in this field, and ask questions that might clarify what we can do better. 

Join us for this event and please register for the webinar in advance.

Please also share the webinar information with your networks.

Please watch for a special "National Migration Week Newsletter" on Monday afternoon, September 12, 2022. The newsletter will contain NMW resources, information on events around the country, and other helpful materials.

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 30 CMS Migration Update, which includes: 

• DHS Announced New Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) Regulations 
• New Mexico Supreme Court Will No Longer Deny Licenses to Practice Law Based Solely on Applicants’ Immigration Status
• California Governor Gavin Newsom Announces New Policy That Will Provide Health Insurance to All Resident Adults Regardless of Immigration Status

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 Actualización de Migración del CMS de 30 de agosto, que incluye: 

• DHS anunció nuevas regulaciones de Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA)
• La Corte Suprema de Nuevo México ya no negará licencias para ejercer la abogacía basándose únicamente en el estado migratorio de los solicitantes
• El gobernador de California, Gavin Newsom, anuncia una nueva política que brindará seguro médico a todos los residentes adultos, independientemente de su estatus migratorio

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

Center for Migration Studies: A Profile of Undocumented Agricultural Workers in the United States

Agricultural workers in the United States not only support the US economy, but are also responsible for keeping people across the country and the globe fed. The agricultural sector contributed $1.055 trillion to the US GDP in 2020, with $134.7 billion coming just from farms. Eighty-six percent of agricultural workers in the United States are foreign-born and 45 percent of all US agricultural workers are undocumented. Legalization programs and the broadening of other options for legal migration pathways will support the agricultural sector and the broader US economy, as well as migrants and their families.

Refugee Processing Center: Refugee Admissions Report as of August 31, 2022

According to U.S. government-released refugee resettlement data for August, this report shows that the Biden administration resettled 2,229 refugees, which was a 14% drop from July. With only September to go, the U.S.is on pace to resettle fewer than 22,000 refugees total this fiscal year. 

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!

Other Upcoming Events, Opportunities, and Resources

• Catholic Charities USA Webinar: Building Relationships with Clergy and Parish Staff 101, September 13, 2022 at 3 PM Eastern. Discover creative ways to establish, build and maintain relationships with pastors and parish staff to expand capacity for parish social ministry (PSM). This webinar will benefit both new practitioners and experienced ministers dealing with new parish leaders. Presenters include three members of the CCUSA PSM Leadership Team: Dulce Valdez (Phoenix), Brian Smith (Oklahoma City) and Deacon Paul Kipfstuhl (Cleveland). Register for this webinar.

• Catholic Immigrant Integration Initiative, September 13, 2022. Join the Center for Migration Studies of New York and Marquette University for the 2022 Catholic Immigrant Integration Initiative conference from September 13-14th. This hybrid event will take place at Marquette’s campus in Milwaukee, WI, with virtual access for those unable to attend in person. Get more information and register on the event website. 

• JustFaith Ministries: Annual Impact Celebration, September 14, 2022 at 7 PM Eastern. Join us as we will be celebrating all of you. We’ll be sharing exciting news about JustFaith from Executive Director Susie Tierney and testimonies from our program graduates. There will also be an inspirational keynote from Dr. Lewis Brogdon. Register now and join us.

• Religion & Forced Migration Initiative Graduate Research Opportunity, Application deadline: September 15, 2022. The Religion & Forced Migration Initiative at Princeton University is seeking proposals from graduate students in any field for projects that make use of our oral history archive and find creative and compelling ways to share the archive’s stories to enhance public understanding about refugees' experiences. The project could be a traditional journal article, but could also be a piece of popular journalism, a podcast, educational curriculum, collection of poems, a short story, a children’s book, an animation, a graphic novel, a museum exhibition, or another project that will use these stories to amplify refugees’ voices. 10-12 students will be selected and receive $1,000 for their participation. Apply today. 

• Ignation Solidarity Network Online Event: La Frontera: An Ignatian Look at the US-Mexico Border, September 20, 2022 at 8 PM Eastern. Fr. Brian Strassburger, SJ, will join us and share the story of beginning a new mission on the U.S.-Mexico border, highlighting Bishop Daniel Flores’ instructions to “read the reality, and respond to it.” Fr. Brian will describe the evolving reality on the border and give a little background on the major U.S. policies that are governing migrants and asylum seekers. We look forward to you joining us.

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.