JFI Biweekly Review: March 6-17, 2023 JFI Colleagues, Please see below for the latest updates from JFI.  New Resources Relating to Proposed Asylum Ban On February 23, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that, if implemented, would place significant restrictions on the right to seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. Under the proposed rule, non-Mexicans who enter the United States between ports of entry or who present themselves at a port of entry without a previously scheduled appointment will be presumptively ineligible for asylum unless they applied for and were denied protection in a country they traveled through on their way to the United States, subject to certain exceptions. The rule is designed to be in place for 24 months after its effective date, following the lifting of Title 42. The rule is currently subject to a 30-day public comment period that will end on March 27. Bishop Mark Seitz, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, denounced the proposal the same day it was published. Earlier this week, Bishop Seitz further expressed concern about the rule in an op-ed published by America Magazine. An FAQ relating to the proposed rule is available here. View more from the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), including templates that both individuals and organizations can use to submit comments, here. Senate to Hold Hearing on Refugee Admissions Program Featuring NGO Witnesses On March 22, 2023, at 2:30 PM ET, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety will convene a hearing entitled “Living Up to America’s Promise: The Need to Bolster the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program”. The hearing will include a leader from the resettlement community and a former refugee. It will be livestreamed here. USCCB and Partners Respond to Proposed Fee Increases for Immigration Benefits On January 3, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published proposed increases in fees charged for certain immigration benefits administered by the agency, as well as a series of policy changes. Included among the fee increases would be applications and petitions related to adjustment of status and naturalization, as well as forms utilized by foreign-born religious workers. The USCCB, CLINIC, and Catholic Charities USA submitted joint comments urging USCIS to reconsider many of the proposed changes. Young Adult and Youth Art Contest In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the pastoral letter Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, issued by the Catholic bishops of Mexico and the United States, USCCB/MRS and Kino Border Initiative (KBI) are sponsoring a migration themed youth and young adult art contest that highlights the subtitle of the letter, which reads “Together on the Journey of Hope.” Young artists are invited to imagine what this “journey of hope” looks like or represent the ways people in migration walk together on the journey, with their families, with others they meet along the way, with communities in the US who receive and accompany them, with advocates who seek more dignified migration alongside them. For more information how someone you know can participate, please visit the art contest website.   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 March 13 CMS Migration Update, which includes: Biden Administration Proposes Funding Increase for Border Enforcement In FY 2024 Budget US State Department's 2024 Budget Includes Funding for the US Refugee Program and Aid to Central America USCIS Issues Parole Guidance for International Entrepreneurs View the March 6 CMS Migration Update, which includes: The Biden Administration Announces a Crackdown on Migrant Child Labor The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Announces $350 Million In Humanitarian Assistance United States Reaches Cap On H-2B Visas For the Second Half of the Year 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 del 13 de marzo, que incluye: La administración Biden propone un aumento de fondos para el control fronterizo en el presupuesto del año fiscal 2024 El presupuesto 2024 del Departamento de Estado de EE. UU. incluye fondos para el Programa de Refugiados de EE. UU. y ayuda a Centroamérica USCIS emite orientación sobre libertad condicional para empresarios internacionales Ver la Actualización de Migración del CMS del 6 de marzo, que incluye: La administración Biden anuncia medidas enérgicas contra el trabajo infantil migrante El Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) anuncia $350 millones en asistencia humanitarian Estados Unidos alcanza el límite de visas H-2B para la segunda mitad del año  Migration-Related Stories, Op-Eds and Interviews by Catholic Bishops, Arch/Dioceses and Catholic Agency Executives Archbishop Thomas Wenski in the Miami Herald Town Hall: “Crisis in the Caribbean: The impact on South Florida.” We have to see the modern-day Lazarus Kenneth Ferrone, Executive Director, Catholic Charities of Southern New Mexico Showing up for immigrants through supportive state legislation Msgr. Owen F. Campion, Our Sunday Visitor’s Chaplain: The Church’s Long History of Supporting Immigrants Heidi Schlumph, Executive Director, National Catholic Reporter: Let’s do mercy for Lent this year Notable New Publications, Reports, Films, Articles, Podcasts, Etc. Migration Policy Institute: Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the U.S. This document is the latest version of its ever-popular resource offering up-to-date and authoritative data about the 45.3 million immigrants in the United States and current and historical U.S. immigration trends. Congressional Research Service: The Department of Homeland Security: A Primer This report provides background on "the mission, structure, staffing, and funding" of the Department of Homeland Security, including relevant historical information. Radio Maria interview with USCCB/MRS' Anti-Trafficking Education and Outreach Coordinator Felicitas Brugo Onetti: Human trafficking, St. Josephine Bakhita, and available resources for your community Podcast en español, presentado por Radio María, que destaca a Felicitas Brugo de USCCB/MRS: Información sobre la trata de personas, Sta. Josephine Bakhita y los recursos disponibles para su comunidad Catholic University of America (CUA) - School of Canon Law Event: Migration and Immigration: A Challenge of Our Time for Church and State Please see the flyer (right) for more information about this upcoming event with the Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap at CUA in Washington, DC. Note: This is a live, in-person event. Other Upcoming Events, Opportunities, and Resources Webinar: In Defense of Asylum, March 20, 2023 at 3 PM Eastern. This webinar will focus on impacted asylum seekers at the southern border and make a collective call to Congress for a change in Biden’s asylum policy trajectory. The Administration’s announcement of the upcoming “asylum ban” and the disturbing news that the Administration is considering detaining immigrant families at the border is inhumane and problematic. Speaker(s) from JFI-partner Hope Border Institute will be presenting their perspectives. Register and join us in the webinar. Mexican American Catholic College (MACC) 2023 Cultura Católica Event, March 23, 2023. Dr. Kristin Colberg from St. John's School of Theology and Seminary is our guest speaker for the day. Register for the event. Catholic Charities Community Services of New York City Volunteer Opportunities. Haitian Creole interpreters are highly needed for in-person clinics with Catholic Charities attorneys. You will be assisting attorneys with the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) application process, interpreting between them and Haitian clients. Volunteers do not have to be attorneys or have prior legal experience. Amazing experience for those interested in immigrant and refugee services! Please email Susan Marks for more information. Catholic Charities Community Services of Arizona (Phoenix) Training Session, Foster & Adoption Services Orientation, March 18, 2023 at 10 AM. Register now to learn more. Happy St. Patrick's Day, Tony Cube Stay Connected 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.     USCCB | 3211 Fourth Street NE, Washington, DC 20017 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!