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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.
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Rachel Reyes
Director of Communications
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Zenit (June 3, 2016)
The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (the “Academyâ€) invited judges, prosecutors and magistrates from various countries to a meeting on combatting the different forms of modern day slavery, including: human trafficking; forced labor; the trade in organs; and organized crime. The high level two-day summit was held from June 3-4, 2016 at the Vatican. This meeting is the most recent in a series of meetings organized by the Academy to end modern day slavery, including a December 2, 2014 meeting of religious leaders from around the world in which they signed a joint declaration to end modern day slavery, and a July 21, 2015 meeting of mayors from major cities regarding human trafficking.
To read more, visit https://zenit.org/articles/summit-of-judges-against-trafficking-begins-in-vatican/.
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Fr. Pat Murphy, C.S., Director, Centro Scalabrini-Casa Migrante (June 2, 2016)
In a new reflection, Father Pat Murphy, Director of Centro Scalabrini-Casa del Migrante, reports on a sudden increase of refugees in Tijuana, Mexico. According to Fr. Murphy, refugees are arriving at the border city to seek political asylum but US authorities are not prepared to process them. As a result, Mexican authorities asked Casa del Migrante to offer hospitality to those waiting. After examining the information provided by the refugees aided by the shelter, Fr. Pat found that individuals fled a number of diverse countries (e.g., Haiti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Honduras, and Mexico) and many of the refugees believed that thousands more were on their way. Fr. Pat writes that the “drip, drip, drip†of 80 to 100 refugees per day from around the world arriving in Tijuana has shown him that the crisis will not disappear anytime soon. He is disappointed in the lack of a collaborative plan of action by the United States and Mexican governments. He reminds readers of Pope Francis’s call for us to be “islands of mercy in the world of indifference.†Those who wish to help should contact Father Murphy at casadelmigrantetijuana@gmail.com.
To read more, visit http://cmsny.org/reflections-from-the-border-refugee-crisis-in-tijuana/.
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The Washington Post (June 2, 2016)
In an op-ed, Fareed Zakaria writes that the efforts of the United States to take in Syrian refugees “is an embarrassment.†Despite committing to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees in 2016, the United States resettled only 2,192 in 2015. Meanwhile, Canada has already accepted 25,000 Syrian refugees and Germany has registered nearly 500,000 asylum seekers. Calling the Syrian refugee crisis “a human tragedy of epic proportions,†Zakaria calls on the Obama administration to respond to the crisis on the same scale – to ask Congress to provide more funding for refugee resettlement, to resettle more refugees, and to have the United States lead in more international collaborative efforts to respond to the crisis. He argues that Obama should make a bold proposal to address the crisis, which Zakaria characterizes as the single greatest cause of human suffering in the world today.
To read more, visit https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/its-time-for-the-us-to-step-up-to-help-ease-the-syrian-humanitarian-tragedy/2016/06/02/6158fb48-2900-11e6-b989-4e5479715b54_story.html.
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The New York Times (May 30, 2016)
Although the United States has committed to accepting 10,000 Syrian refugees this year, the country has accepted only 2,500 since October 2015, the start of the 2016 fiscal year. Meanwhile, the United States is increasing efforts to deport refugee women and children from Central America. The author writes that these actions contradict President Obama’s lofty rhetoric calling for the protection of refugees. CMS’s Senior Director of International Migration Policy Kevin Appleby states, “Given that we’ve resettled so few refugees and we’re employing a deterrence strategy to refugees on our Southern border, I wouldn’t think we’d be giving advice to any other nations about doing better...The world notices when we talk a good game but then we don’t follow through in our own backyard.†The Obama Administration counters that the United States admits more refugees than any other country and is the largest contributor to humanitarian relief.
To read more, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/31/us/politics/as-us-admits-migrants-in-a-trickle-critics-urge-obama-to-pick-up-the-pace.html?mabReward=A6&_r=1.
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Association AccoglieRete for the Protection of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (UFMs) and the Ombudsman for Childhood of Siracusa (May 24, 2016)
This press release announces the rescue of 2,000 migrants in the Mediterranean and their relocation to various parts of Italy. Three hundred ninety-one of the rescued migrants are expected to be sent to Ragusa, 509 to the port of Augusta, and 391 to Catania. The organizations issuing the press release – the Association AccoglieRete for the Protection of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (UFMs) and the Ombudsman for Childhood of Siracusa – express concern as to where the unaccompanied foreign children (UFMs) among the rescued migrants will be housed and protected. The organizations report that 120 minors were forced to remain in one location while another 90 minors stayed in a separate location in Italy for one month after disembarking because there were no places in which they could be resettled. Because the government and regional migration centers have no place to house the children, they are ending up in first-aid tents in the port of Augusta. The inadequate conditions raise concern among advocates who call on “competent institutions†to place the children in safe and suitable locations that will ensure their dignity and protect them.
To read more, visit http://cmsny.org/wp-content/uploads/Comunicato-Stampa_-AccoglieRete-Garante_EN_v3_final.pdf.
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Politico (May 30, 2016)
Seung Ming Kim writes that the Obama administration’s push to deport refugee mothers and children to Central America is hurting Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton’s and Bernie Sanders’ efforts to connect with Latino voters. Difficulty motivating Latino voters is surprising considering that the anti-immigrant rhetoric of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was expected to push Latino voters toward the Democrats. Commenting on the immigration raids, CMS’s Senior Director of International Migration Policy Kevin Appleby states, “It defies political logic that the administration would do anything to weaken Hispanic support for the Democratic nominee.â€
To read more, visit http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/immigration-raids-latinos-sanders-clinton-223671#ixzz4Alc6mE92.
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Canadian Council for Refugees (May 26, 2016)
The recent push by the Canadian government to resettle Syrian refugees has raised concerns that refugees from other parts of the world are being overlooked. In this press release, the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) urges the Canadian government to eliminate the lengthy backlogs to resettle refugees from other regions, such as Africa. According to CCR, addressing the backlog of refugees from Africa and other regions within a clear timeline will demonstrate the government’s commitment “to uphold the principles of fairness and equity in responding to refugees around the world.â€
To read more, visit http://yourlegalrights.on.ca/news/ccr-calls-refugee-resettlement-plan-reflecting-equity-all-regions.
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Faith in New Jersey (Opening Posted: May 20, 2016)
Faith in New Jersey is a network of clergy and congregations working to advance a racial and economic justice agenda across the state. The agency is seeking a full-time Immigrant Justice Organizer to help build a chapter of Faith in New Jersey in Essex County, and to coordinate the organization's immigrant justice campaigns at the statewide level. Faith in New Jersey is an affiliate of the PICO National Network (People Improving Communities through Organizing), the largest network of faith-based community organizing federations in the country.
To read the qualifications and job responsibilities, visit Idealist.org at http://www.idealist.org/view/job/32k2W52b4GwSP/.
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WASHINGTON UPDATE
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on June 8, 2016, entitled, “The H-2B Temporary Foreign Worker Program: Examining the Effects on Americans’ Job Opportunities and Wages.†The H-2B program, which allows nonagricultural temporary workers to work in various US industries, is the subject of scrutiny because of a proposal to increase the number of H-2B workers under next year’s budget from 66,000 to 264,000 by not counting workers who had received a visa over the last three years. To read more, visit http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/h2b-riders-222737.
The number of Central American families and unaccompanied children arriving at the US border continues to rise, as 5,615 family unit subjects and 5,219 children arrived in April 2016, about a 77 percent increase over the last fiscal year and slightly below FY 2014 levels. The Pew Research Center estimates that during half of the fiscal year (from October 2015 to the end of March 2016), the number of unaccompanied children was only 1,000 less than the arrivals in 2014, the height of the refugee crisis.
The Senate Homeland Security Appropriations bill report requires the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to report the number of refugees and asylum-seekers accepted into the country since 2001, including their children. USCIS is also required to list those who have committed criminal offenses and have been removed since 2001 (pp. 124-125). The Committee on Appropriations also designated $13 million for an unaccompanied alien children’s contingency fund and allows certain grant monies to be used for humanitarian services to unaccompanied children and families with children (p. 34).
Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and John McCain (R-AZ) have offered an amendment to add 4,000 Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans who assisted the US army in Afghanistan as translators, drivers, and in other important roles. However, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, opposes the amendment without a corresponding reduction in the number of visas in the Diversity Visa Lottery Program. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), chairman of the committee’s immigration subcommittee, also opposes the amendment.
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