MIGRATION UPDATE

A publication of the Center for Migration Studies (CMS)

CMS Migration Update is a weekly digest of news and other information related to national and international migration. It is designed to educate faith leaders regarding vulnerable immigrant populations, developments in the immigration field, pastoral resources and the religious touchstones of diverse faith traditions on migrants and newcomers. It should not be relied upon to provide advice or counsel in immigration cases. The publication is provided by the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS), an educational institute/think-tank devoted to the study of international migration, to the promotion of understanding between immigrants and receiving communities, and to public policies that safeguard the dignity and rights of migrants, refugees and newcomers. CMS is a member of the Scalabrini International Migration Network, an international network of shelters, welcoming centers, and other ministries for migrants.

Thomas J. Shea
Editor

Rachel Reyes
Communications Coordinator

September 16, 2014

Fleeing Quarakosh: The Last Christians in Iraq

The Huffington Post (The Blog) (September 1, 2014)

40,000 Christians fled the town of Quarakosh in Iraq to seek refuge in the town of Erbil in northern Iraq. The Christians are fleeing persecution by members of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), who are reportedly threatening religious minorities with death if they do not convert to Sunni Islam or flee. Christian relief groups, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Red Cross deliver food and medicine to approximately 23 camps in the vicinity of Erbil for internally displaced people. The current exodus of Christians is in addition to hundreds of thousands of Christians who have fled Iraq in the past two decades.

Catholic Migration Busy Handling Childrenâ€™s Cases (Video)

Currents (September 5, 2014)

Approximately 100,000 unaccompanied children have arrived in the United States over the past year primarily from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. They are fleeing gang violence and abuse in their home countries in the hope of receiving protection and reuniting with family in the United States. Over 4,200 of these children are in New York State with over 1,000 in Brooklyn. The children must represent themselves alone in immigration court unless they can find legal representation. Catholic Migration Services of Brooklyn is struggling to pair these children with quality legal representation.

â€œObama's Long Immigration Betrayal â€

The Atlantic (September 9, 2014)

President Obama recently reneged on his June promise to take executive action at the end of the summer to stop the deportations of certain undocumented immigrants. Instead, Obama pushed back the date of action to after the mid-term elections in November. This article covers a decade of political maneuverings in the struggle for immigration reform.

To read more, visit http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/09/obamas-long-immigration-betrayal/379839/.

Deportations in US in Sharp Decline

MSNBC (September 12, 2014)

President Obama has deported more people from the United States than any previous president -- with more than 2 million people deported during his presidency. However, in Fiscal Year 2014, deportations have declined by almost 20% over the past year in comparison to deportations during the same period of time for the previous year. The decline in deportations is in part due to a change in enforcement priorities, with the government focusing on deporting people who committed serious crimes or who are a national security threat as opposed to focusing on deporting otherwise law-abiding undocumented people. Another factor in the decline in deportations, however, is the fact that resources for the immigration courts have not risen in relation to the rise in funding for immigration enforcement and border security. As a result, there are not enough immigration judges to decide all the deportation cases.

Executive Inaction: Still Waiting for Changes on Immigration Policy

America Magazine (September 12, 2014)

Advocates for immigrants denounce President Obama for delaying executive action on immigration until after the November elections. The Obama administration has yet to reveal which categories of immigrants will receive temporary protection from deportation under executive action. The Chairmen of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) Committee on Migration and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) recommended that President Obama expand the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to additional categories of immigrants, such as (1) immigrants â€œwho have lived in the U.S. 10 years or longer who have strong ties here; (2) parents of U.S. citizens; (3) parents of recipients of DACA; and (4) U.S. residents who already are approved for family or employment-based visas but whose cases are backlogged or blocked because of years-long bars on their applications.â€

To read more, visit http://americamagazine.org/issue/executive-inaction.

To read the letter from MRS and CLINIC, visit http://www.catholicsandimmigrants.org/wp-content/uploads/Executive-Action_Final.pdf.

Cuban Migrants Rescued from Sea (Video)

Reuters (September 14, 2014)

During a routine patrol along the Panamanian border, the Colombian navy intercepted a boat filled with Cubans attempting to travel to Central America. The spokesperson for the Colombian navy noted that in addition to Cubans, they have witnessed people from Asia and Africa attempting this same route. The migrants were reportedly heading to Central America to then make their way to the United States. The authorities arrested two Colombian crew members and charged them with human trafficking.

To view the news clip, visit http://uk.reuters.com/video/2014/09/14/cuban-migrants-rescued-from-sea?videoId=343258319.