JFI Biweekly Review: Nov. 21 - Dec. 2, 2022


JFI Colleagues,


Please see below for the latest updates from JFI.


Reminder: Complete and Share JFI’s Current Action Alerts 

 

We are in the midst of a pivotal lame-duck session of Congress. The time left to pass critical legislation before the end of this Congress is quickly running out. Any bills not passed by both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate 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: 




Support Case Management for Newcomers to the United States

 

USCCB/MRS is cosponsoring a campaign, together with the American Immigration Council and HIAS, urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to support the new Case Management Pilot Program (CMPP) that was authorized by Congress in Fiscal Year 2021 and Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations. Unlike the existing case management services funded through DHS’ alternatives to detention programs, which are administered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), CMPP is administered by the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and overseen by a national board of nonprofit organizations, including Catholic Charities USA. You can show your support for CMPP by participating in the campaign



Celebrate the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, 2022


Please remember that the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12th every year. Our Lady serves as an important source of comfort for migrants and Catholic faithful and it is important that we celebrate her Feast Day. For that reason, please send us any events or resources that you have planned for this Feast Day, including flyers, event links, hashtags and images so we can share the information about your celebrations on social media. You can send this information to Tony Cube at [email protected].




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 November 30 CMS Migration Update, which includes: 

  • US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Rules that Immigrants Who Are Held in Detention for Long Periods Do Not Have a Constitutional Right to a Second Bond Hearing
  • US District Judge Granted the Biden Administration’s Request to Delay the Court from Blocking Its Use of Title 42 until December 21
  • Arizona Residents Voted for a Ballot Initiative that Will Provide In-State College Tuition Rates to Qualifying Students, Regardless of their 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 la Actualización de Migración del CMS de 30 de noviembre, que incluye: 

  • El Tribunal de Apelaciones del Noveno Circuito de EE. UU. dictamina que los inmigrantes detenidos durante períodos prolongados no tienen derecho constitucional a una segunda audiencia de fianza
  • Juez de distrito de EE. UU. accedió a la solicitud de la administración Biden de retrasar el bloqueo del uso del Título 42 por parte de la corte hasta el 21 de diciembre
  • Los residentes de Arizona votaron por una iniciativa electoral que proporcionará tasas de matrícula universitaria en el estado a los estudiantes que califiquen, independientemente de su estado migratorio




Migration-Related Stories, Op-Eds and Interviews by Catholic Bishops and Agency Executives


Address by Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore to the Plenary Assembly of the U.S. Bishops on November 17, 2022: Radical Solidarity

Blogpost by Bishop Edgar da Cunha of the Diocese of Fall River, MA: USCCB Committee Work - I am a member of the Subcommittee on the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers and the Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America


Nancy Gavilanes, Director of Immigration and Naturalization Services, and Elmida Kulovic, Director of Refugee Resettlement, for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago: Welcoming the Stranger



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

 

Migration Policy Institute: In Order to Meet Its 2023 Refugee Resettlement Target, the United States Can Draw From Numerous Refugee Crises Globally


On September 26, 2022, President Biden signed a presidential determination of 125,000 refugee admissions for FY 2023, with a promise that the administration would come much closer to that total in the number of refugees resettled this fiscal year. The State Department has as many as 76,000 refugees waiting in the “pipeline,” refugees who have gone through the interview process but have yet to be cleared to travel. This represents good news, as there are a number of refugee crises around the world from which the United States could accept refugees in need of resettlement and meet the ceiling of 125,000. 

 

Congressional Research Service: Temporary Protected Status and Deferred

Enforced Departure (Updated)

 

When civil unrest, violence, or natural disasters erupt in countries around the world, concerns arise over the ability of foreign nationals present in the United States who are from those countries to safely return. Provisions in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provide for temporary protected status (TPS) and other forms of relief from removal under specified circumstances. The Secretary of Homeland Security has the discretion to designate a country for TPS for periods of 6 to 18 months and can extend these periods if the country continues to meet the conditions for designation. A foreign national from a designated country who is granted TPS receives a registration document and employment authorization for the duration of the TPS designation. In addition to TPS, there is another form of blanket relief from removal known as deferred enforced departure (DED). DED is a temporary, discretionary, administrative stay of removal granted to aliens from designated countries. Unlike TPS, a DED designation emanates from the President’s constitutional powers to conduct foreign relations and has no statutory basis. This document provides an update on TPS and DED. 


University of Texas at Austin - Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law: Metering Update


In April 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) leadership issued guidance that allowed officers to limit asylum seekers’ access to ports of entry. This guidance permitted CBP officers stationed at the United States’ international boundary with Mexico to inform arriving asylum seekers that U.S. ports of entry were full. Simultaneously, CBP officers also began accepting a specified number of asylum seekers each day, in a process that is known as metering. As metering spread across the border and a subsequent backlog of asylum seekers grew in Mexico’s border cities, Mexican authorities and civil society groups responded by providing humanitarian assistance and creating informal waitlists. Since November 2018, the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas at Austin has documented these informal lists through quarterly updates.



Archdiocese of Seattle: Our Lady of Guadalupe Procession and Mass

Saturday, December 3, 2022 at St. James Cathedral


All are welcome to a Procession and Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Sat., Dec.3, 2022. This will be our 28th annual celebration!


Holy hour with a Rosary starts at 9 AM, followed by a Procession at 10:45 AM.


Mass will be at 12:10 PM and a livestream is available on Facebook @ArchdioceseofSeattle


Join us for a reception following the Mass.


Other Upcoming Events, Opportunities, and Resources


  • Registration is open for the 2023 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering: Blessed Are the Peacemakers. This upcoming event will be held from January 28-31, 2023 in Washington, DC. Don't miss this transformative gathering of prayer, learning and advocacy. Financial assistance is available for leaders from under-represented ethnic, cultural or disability communities. The program will include offerings for Hispanic/Latino leaders. Special opportunities include the Diversity Outreach Initiative and the Young Leaders Initiative. Learn more and register today.

 

  • Leadership Conference of Women Religious’ and SHARE Event: Virtual Delegation of Roses, December 2, 2022 at 7 PM ET. Join this virtual opportunity as a in-person delegation of approximately 50 people in El Salvador and Honduras gather to remember the 42nd anniversary of the martyrdom of the four U.S. Churchwomen. Registration is required.  

 

  • Marian Shrine – Stony Point, NY Advent Young Adult Event: Young Adult Mass and Advent Cookie Swap, December 6, 2022 at 6 PM. Join us for Mass and Advent festivities afterwards. Feel free to bring some cookies to share. We’ll provide pizza! Come for all three events or any one of the three. Ages 18-39 are welcome! See the website for more information. 

 

  • Archdiocese of Oklahoma City Seeking Bilingual Attorney. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is seeking a bilingual attorney to assess individuals’ eligibility for immigration relief and represent individuals before USCIS and the immigration court. Must be member in good standing of the bar of any state. (Oklahoma State Bar preferred); fluent in the reading, writing and speaking of Spanish; 1-2 years of immigration law experience preferred, but willing to train the right candidate. Send cover letter and resume to Christy Knotts. 


Advent blessings,

Tony Cube

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