Catholic Coalition Against Human Trafficking Celebrates Tenth Anniversary

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) (November 15, 2013)

The Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking (CCOAHT) celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this month in Baltimore.  More than 20 national and international Catholic organizations comprise the coalition, which seeks to end human trafficking.  In addition to reflecting on their first ten years, the group decided on two top priorities for the future work:  (1) Educating Catholics about human trafficking and promoting responsible consumer practices by highlighting forced and exploitative labor practices in companies’ supply chains, and  (2) Supporting national legislation that combats human trafficking and promotes business transparency in supply chains. 

To read the press release about the anniversary meeting, visit: http://cmsny.org/wp-content/uploads/CCOAHT-Press-Release-from-10th-Anniversary-Meeting.pdf.  

To learn more about CCOAHT, visit: http://www.usccb.org/about/anti-trafficking-program/coalition-of-catholic-organizations-against-human-trafficking.cfm.

Six Republicans Want Immigration Views of DHS Nominee Jeh Johnson

Politico (November 19, 2013)

Since Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano stepped down in September, her seat in the President’s cabinet has yet to be filled.  The DHS contains the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE), and the United States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP).  President Obama nominated Jeh Johnson, a Pentagon lawyer, to become the new Secretary of DHS.  The Senate must consent to his confirmation before Johnson can be appointed Secretary.  Six members of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Mr. Johnson asking him 29 questions to have him explain his positions on numerous immigration policies.

To read the letter from the senators, visit: http://images.politico.com/global/2013/11/18/letter.html.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/jeh-johnson-immigration-views-dhs-republicans-100014.html#ixzz2lasdtg00.

Floridians of Faith Plan for Dramatic Prayer Vigil and Civil Disobedience at Federal Detention Center in Orlando   

Faith leaders and immigrant families won’t back down until Rep. Webster hears them

PICO United Florida, Press Release (November 20, 2013)

On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 3:00 p.m., a group of faith leaders and clergy will engage in prayer and civil disobedience in front of the Orlando detention center, where immigrants are detained while waiting for deportation from the United States.  The group intends to stop traffic from entering and leaving the detention center in an effort to draw attention to the failure of the House of Representatives to take action on immigration reform. The group, PICO United Florida, hopes to persuade Republican Congressman Daniel Webster to take action to vote on immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship. This is just one example of faith-based groups around the country taking action to move Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

To learn more about the prayer vigil and civil disobedience, visit: http://cmsny.org/wp-content/uploads/Florida-Civil-Disobedience-Advisory-11-20-13.pdf.

To learn more about PICO United Florida, visit: http://www.picoflorida.org/.

Green Card Holders and Legal Immigration to the United States

Migration Policy Institute (MPI) (November 2013)

More than one million people obtained lawful permanent residence (LPR) status in the United States during fiscal year 2012 (i.e., October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012).  Someone with LPR status receives a “permanent resident” card as evidence of her authorization to live and work in the United States. The permanent resident card is more commonly known as the “green card” because for many years the card was issued in the color green.  Of those who received LPR status, 47% arrived in the United States in 2012 as LPRs through “consular processing” (i.e., applying for an immigrant visa outside the United States at a U.S. consulate or embassy abroad).  53% arrived previously in the United States but then “adjusted status” to LPR status in 2012.  Two thirds of all people who obtained LPR status obtained that status through a family member.

To read more, visit: http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?ID=973#1.

Veteran Union Activist Fasts to Support Rights for Illegal Immigrants

The New York Times (November 23, 2013)

Eliseo Medina of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and other immigrants’ rights advocates have been on a hunger strike for more than 11 days in a tent on the National Mall in Washington, DC.  The advocates hope to influence Speaker of the House John Boehner to take action on comprehensive immigration reform.

To learn more, visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/23/us/veteran-union-activist-fasts-to-support-rights-for-illegal-immigrants.html?pagewanted=1&tntemail0=y&_r=0&emc=edit_tnt_20131122.

Detained border crossers may find themselves sent to ‘the freezers

The Center for Investigative Reporting (November 18, 2013)

While Congress stalls on immigration reform, immigrants still have to contend with a broken immigration system.  Immigrants arrested along the U.S.-Mexico border are often kept for long periods of time in short-term detention facilities that are not equipped to handle long-term detainees. This article describes “las hieleras” (the freezers) -- Border Patrol holding cells along the southern border were arrestees are detained “for days in rooms kept at temperatures so low that men, women and children have developed illnesses associated with the cold, lack of sleep, overcrowding, and inadequate food, water and toilet facilities.”

To read more, visit: http://cironline.org/reports/detained-border-crossers-may-find-themselves-sent-to-freezers-5574.

Little-Known Immigration Mandate Keeps Detention Beds Full

National Public Radio (November 19, 2013)

Congress has mandated that the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE) must fill the 34,000 beds in 250 detention centers around the country, per day, with immigrant detainees.  This so-called “detention bed mandate” is essentially an arbitrary quota that USICE must meet rather than addressing the detention of immigrants who might pose a real risk to the community.  Plus, the detention bed mandate is costing taxpayers more than $2 billion per year.  This is yet another example of how the current immigration system is broken.

To learn more, visit: http://www.npr.org/2013/11/19/245968601/little-known-immigration-mandate-keeps-detention-beds-full.

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