|
While addressing the body of bishops this week for the final time as chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, Bishop Dorsonville discussed Catholic efforts to assist Afghans with resettling in the United States, responding to forced displacement caused by the war in Ukraine, and the status of comprehensive immigration reform. His full written remarks are available here.
USCCB Reiterates Migration-Related Priorities for Remainder of 117th Congress
On November 10, 2022, Mario Dorsonville sent a letter to all members of Congress, asking them to pass a series of urgent priorities in the last few weeks of the current Congress. These priorites included:
- The Afghan Adjustment Act;
- Permanent relief for Dreamers;
- The Farm Workforce Modernization Act;
- Anti-trafficking legislation;
- A permanent extension of the non-minister special immigrant portion of the Religious Worker Visa Program; and
- Robust funding for agencies and programs that serve immigrants, refugees, asylees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied migrant children, survivors of torture, and victims of human trafficking.
U.S. Bishops’ Migration Chairman Joins Other Catholic Leaders in Requesting the Extension and Redesignation of TPS for Multiple Countries
On November 16, 2022, Bishop Dorsonville joined with Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), Sean Callahan, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), in a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a number of countries, including Haiti and Venezuela. They also expressed gratitude for the recent designation of Ethiopia for TPS and the extension and redesignation of Burma, as well as “deep appreciation for the Administration’s decision to extend TPS for those countries whose designations were at issue in the Ramos v. Nielson and Bhattari v. Nielson cases.”
NEW USCCB/Migration and Refugee Service Initiative: Welcome Circles
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Department of Migration and Refugee Services, together with dioceses across the country, is helping to welcome Ukrainian refugee families in the United States through Welcome Circles. The goal of the program is to facilitate the creation of Welcome Circles for Ukrainian families, providing them with the tools, connections, information, and financial support they need to become self-sufficient and settle into American communities. Find out how you can participate and help!
Virtual National Catholic Briefing on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act
As the United States grapples with labor shortages, supply chain challenges, and high inflation, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Department of Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS) hosted a briefing on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (H.R. 1603) on November 10, 2022, cosponsored by United Farm Workers (UFW), the UFW Foundation, and American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) Action.
Watch the recording to learn more about the critical need for bipartisan legislation that grants legal status to farm workers and reforms the agricultural guest worker program, as well as the status of H.R. 1603 and how you can help get it across the finish line.
Additional resources mentioned during the briefing are available below:
Special Edition of Catholic Current Features Both USCCB’s Migration Chairman and Ukrainian Catholic Archbishop Borys Gudziak
A special episode of the USCCB’s weekly news program, Catholic Current, was released on the second day of the U.S. bishops’ Fall 2022 Plenary Assembly. Both Bishop Dorsonville and Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia touched on different aspects of the war in Ukraine and the resulting refugee situation, among other issues.
Reminder: Complete and Share JFI’s Current Action Alerts
The lame duck session of Congress has officially begun. The time left to pass critical legislation before the end of this Congress is quickly running out. Any bills not passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the President by January 3, 2023, the last day of the 117th Congress, will need to be reintroduced and the whole process begun anew for each outstanding bill. If you have not done so already, please demonstrate your concern for these issues and the populations impacted by completing and sharing these action alerts:
| 
