Justice for Immigrants Colleagues,
Please see below for the latest updates from JFI.
U.S. Bishops' Migration Committee Chair Welcomes Court Injunction Halting Implementation of Executive Order on Refugee Resettlement
On January 15th, a federal judge ordered a preliminary injunction with an accompanying opinion in HIAS Inc., et al v. Trump, halting implementation of Executive Order (EO) 13888, which gave state and local officials veto power over initial resettlement of refugees in their communities. The injunction orders that the resettlement program's operational rules be returned to how they were before EO 13888 was issued on September 26, 2019. Accordingly, the refugee resettlement program will return to federal officials having the final responsibility of deciding where refugees will be resettled. The Administration has 60 days to appeal the decision and is expected to challenge the ruling but has not yet filed an appeal.
Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington and chair of the USCCB Committee on Migration, issued the following statement, excerpted below:
"Jesus Christ, who was part of a refugee family, calls us to welcome the stranger, and our pro-life commitment requires us to protect refugees. Today's ruling is a welcome step in our ongoing ministry to provide refugees, who are fleeing religious persecution, war, and other dangers, with safe haven here in the United States."
Regardless of the outcome, it is important to note that implementing EO 13888 led to a strong bipartisan demonstration of support for refugee resettlement, with 43 governors consenting to resettlement in their states (19 Republicans and 24 Democrats), 1 governor not consenting, and 6 governors who had not yet decided (see the map here).
Texas' Greg Abbott was the lone governor who submitted a letter of "non-consent to resettlement" and the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops issued a statement of disappointment in response.
Program Impact of Preliminary Injunction on Refugee Resettlement
Besides halting implementation of EO 13888, the injunction halted the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the annual refugee resettlement application process for the nine national resettlement agencies (RAs), including USCCB/MRS. The order permits the State Department to reissue the NOFO, but it cannot include the state and local consent requirement. If the State Department issues a new NOFO, it would have to provide RAs a reasonable amount of time to submit their applications. No NOFO has been issued as of this writing, but one is expected to be issued soon. Please stay tuned on this issue.
Catholic Social Ministry Gathering (CSMG) 2020
CSMG 2020 is this weekend, January 25-28, and the theme is Bearing Witness: Life and Justice for All. CSMG is the annual conference organized by the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development in collaboration with 10 other USCCB departments and 16 national Catholic organizations. This central gathering of Catholic social ministry leaders in the U.S. brings together hundreds of participants whose faith inspires them to respond to pressing current domestic and global challenges.
The migration-related request to be made by CSMG participants during their Capitol Hill Day this year is "Protect Dreamers and Provide a Path to Permanency and Citizenship." You can read the backgrounder and talking points advocates will use.
Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago will officiate the opening Mass at the gathering this year and provide the keynote address. Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville of Washington, DC will celebrate the sending Mass before advocates leave for Capitol Hill. We look forward to seeing you at CSMG!
Save the Date: USCCB/MRS, Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), Catholic Charities of Oregon Webinar III of State Level Advocacy Support Project at 2 PM Eastern on February 19, 2020
USCCB and CCUSA are co-sponsoring a year of state level advocacy support. Catholic Charities of Oregon is partnering with us to share the holistic, community based, bi-partisan approach they successfully used in Oregon to secure state level funding for refugees.
As refugee advocates, these are challenging times. More than ever, we are called to harness our own resources as a Catholic community, identify elected officials who are champions for refugees, mobilize our own resources and like-minded community organizations, business and faith leaders to broaden and deepen support for refugees.
You can view the previous webinars in this series on the JFI website. Please join us for this third webinar of the series about pursuing state level funding support.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
- Free Webinar Training Opportunity: Open Records Process - Effective Strategies for Community Organizers to Boost Immigration Advocacy - January 29, 2020 at 2 PM Eastern - This webinar will offer suggestions to strengthen your advocacy efforts by using your states' open records laws to access information on state and local government practices impacting your communities. Registration deadline is 11:59 PM ET on Jan. 28th.
- National Migration Week: Celebrating a Community for All - February 5, 2020 at 6:30 PM in Cincinnati, OH - Catholic Charities SW Ohio invites people from all faith communities to gather, share and learn about faith-based efforts to make SW Ohio an immigrant-friendly community. Experts will offer help to develop effective action plans to contribute to just and compassionate collaborative efforts. Join at us St. Monica-St. George Parish Newman Center, 328 W. McMillan St., Cincinnati 45219. See the event website.
- Centreville Immigration Forum: 2020 Faith Leaders Breakfast - February 11, 2020 at 8 AM in Centreville, VA - Please join us for breakfast and conversation as we discuss how we can make Centreville a welcoming community for all. Clergy, staff, and lay leaders are welcome to attend. Please share this invitation with key volunteers who are involved in your social justice missions or outreach activities. RSVP by Feb. 4th for the event location.
- SAVE THE DATE: Refugee Council USA's (RCUSA) Advocacy Days, April 28-29, 2020 in St. Peter's on the Hill Catholic Church, Washington, DC - We want to invite interested JFI and local Catholic Charities partners to attend the RCUSA Advocacy Days. Please see the concept note and the invitation form for participants to complete. In the question about association with resettlement agencies, put USCCB. There is no registration cost, but participants must cover their own travel and accommodations. Please note that the deadline to apply to attend is March 6th. USCCB is currently working with RCUSA to try to identify some possible scholarship opportunities. Please contact Rachel Pollock with questions.
In Solidarity,
Tony Cube
