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
November 10, 2015

Reflections from the Border: A Miracle at the Casa 

Fr. Pat Murphy, c.s. (November 2015)
 
Fr. Pat Murphy, c.s. is a Scalabrini priest and the director of Casa del Migrante in Tijuana, Mexico.  “Casa” is a hospitality house that offers food, medical attention, and temporary shelter to recent deportees from the United States or, less commonly, migrants and refugees journeying to the United States. Fr. Murphy is a guest blogger for CMS who writes a quarterly reflection for the Migration Update. In this reflection, Fr. Murphy highlights the story of Jose Antonio (not his real name), an undocumented immigrant who spent almost all his life in the Los Angeles area and was deported to Mexico at age 34. Fr. Murphy describes how he and those who work at Casa del Migrante helped Jose Antonio start a new life in Mexico, and how they keep hope alive amidst the sadness they witness daily in the lives of people recently separated from their families.
 
To read Fr. Murphy’s reflection, visit http://cmsny.org/wp-content/uploads/Reflections-from-the-Border-Nov.-2015.pdf.
 
To learn more about Fr. Murphy, read US Priest Directs Tijuana Migrant Shelter.
 
To learn more about Casa del Migrante (in Spanish), visit http://www.migrante.com.mx/tijuana.html.  
 
CMS welcomes reflections from readers who work with migrants and refugees, as well as reflections from migrants and refugees from around the world. If you have a reflection to share, please contact Tom Shea at tshea@cmsny.org. 

With a Broken Heart

Mgr. Samir Nassar, Maronite Archbishop of Damascus (October 2015)
 
Mgr. Samir Nassar, Maronite Archbishop of Damascus, writes of the ongoing misery among the poor and displaced as Syria enters into the fifth year of civil war. He writes that the war has damaged and weakened the Syrian family, which is no longer able to save or protect its members. For example, fleeing violence in her village, a mother was forced to abandon two of her four children to ensure that the others could survive. As waves of refugees continue to flee and families suffer tragedies, Archbishop Nassar points to the “indifference of the international society.”  He wonders, however, whether the suffering of Syrians of all backgrounds and religions could actually unite and reconcile Christians and Muslims.
 
To read more, visit http://cmsny.org/wp-content/uploads/With-a-Broken-Heart-Nassar.pdf. 

Ryan Removes All Doubt, Says Immigration Reform is Dead

MSNBC.com (November 2, 2015)
 
A few weeks after announcing his willingness to run for Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Congressman Paul Ryan reportedly declared that he would not pursue comprehensive immigration reform while President Obama is in office. According to this blog post, Rep. Ryan made this pledge to Rep. Mo Brooks, a member of the House Freedom Caucus. The House Freedom Caucus is a group of Republican House members who come together to confer on and promote conservative issues. In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Speaker Ryan said consensus may be possible on other issues affecting immigration policy, but that immigration reform was “off the table” because President Obama took executive action on immigration. The blogger points out that Obama did not rewrite the immigration law but merely exercised his prosecutorial discretion in how to enforce the immigration law -- as did President Reagan and H.W. Bush before him.
 
To read more, visit http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/ryan-removes-all-doubt-says-immigration-reform-dead. 

Angela Merkel’s Stance on Refugees Means She Stands Alone against Catastrophe

The German chancellor’s open-door policy remains, despite compromises. Her challenge is to convince her European counterparts to follow her lead

The Guardian (Opinion) (November 8, 2015)
 
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s welcoming policy toward Syrian refugees has met strong resistance within her country and in other parts of Europe. The author writes that Merkel has, nevertheless, stuck to her “refugees are welcome” policy with Germany reportedly accepting half of all Syrian refugees in Europe -- more than 243,000 since the beginning of the year. Citing President John F. Kennedy’s book, Profiles in Courage, the author states that Merkel is a politician who is willing to put her career on the line in order to do what is right: provide protection for refugees without putting a limit on their numbers. The tragedy, he writes, is that other European leaders are not willing to do the same.
 
To read more, visit http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/08/angela-merkel-refugee-crisis-europe.

The Displaced: Introduction

Nearly 60 million people are currently displaced from their homes by war and persecution — more than at any time since World War II. One-half are children. This multimedia journey in text, photographs and virtual reality tells the stories of three displaced children.

The New York Times Magazine (November 5, 2015)
 
The author reports that 30 million children have been displaced by war and persecution around the world -- from El Salvador to Eritrea and from Syria to Nigeria. Despite the hardships these children face, many remain resilient. In this series, New York Times Magazine tells the stories of 11-year-old Oleg from eastern Ukraine; 12-year-old Hana from Syria; and 9-year-old Chuol from South Sudan. A virtual-reality experience was also launched in conjunction with the release of the stories to provide readers with an experience that speaks “to our senses of empathy and community.”
 
To read and see more, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/magazine/the-displaced-introduction.html?_r=0. 

Licensing Of Immigrant Detention Centers Halted

Texas Public Radio (November 2, 2015)
 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking to secure state licenses for the immigrant detention centers in Dilley and Karnes, Texas so that they can be considered child care facilities. A federal court ordered ICE to get the licenses in order to be authorized to detain children. Many refugee children from Central America are detained at these two locations. Without the licenses, ICE will not be able to continue detaining children in the two sites. Advocates have sued to stop the process and a Travis County District Court judge has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing the facilities from receiving the licenses. According to this article, the federal government will seek to appeal the TRO but ultimately the federal court will decide whether the detention centers will be permitted to remain open without the licenses.
 
To read more, visit http://tpr.org/post/licensing-immigrant-detention-centers-halted#stream/0.  

Salvadoran Father to 'start all over' to Give His Daughters Better Life in US

North Texas Catholic (November 6, 2015)
 
This article tells of Carlos Larios and his two teenage daughters, who fled the violence in El Salvador after paying a ransom to a gang for the daughters’ return. After 25 dangerous and grueling days, the family was arrested by Border Patrol within hours of crossing the Rio Grande. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) separated the family while they were in detention without advising Mr. Larios where his daughters were being detained. Now released, Mr. Larios must wear an electronic monitoring bracelet on his ankle while he passes though removal (i.e., deportation) proceedings. Mr. Larios seeks to create a safe life for his daughters in the United States, but does not know how his case will be resolved.
 
To read more, visit http://www.northtexascatholic.org/national-news-article?r=R9099RHSI7&send_to=%2Flocal-news-article%3Fr%3DPSXD92BVT6%26send_to%3D%252Flocal-news&563_page_number=4.
NEW FROM CMS

CMS Releases New Data on the Eligibility of the US Immigrant Population to Naturalize

 
On November 3rd, CMS released a report offering new data on US immigrants who are potentially eligible to naturalize. Using data collected in the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), authors Robert Warren, CMS Senior Visiting Fellow and Former Director of the Statistics Division for the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS), and Donald Kerwin, CMS Executive Director, offer detailed estimates of the eligible-to-naturalize which could assist in developing strategies on a local level to identify and assist immigrants to naturalize and to overcome barriers to naturalization eligibility.
 
To read more, visit http://cmsny.org/press-release-usnaturalization/.
 
To download the report, visit http://jmhs.cmsny.org/index.php/jmhs/article/view/54. 

CMS Releases Analysis of DHS-ICE Detention System on September 22, 2012

 
On November 5th, CMS released an analysis of all persons in the custody of the US Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“DHS-ICE” or “ICE”) on the night of September 22, 2012. The report provides extensive demographic and other information on immigrant detainees and reveals a highly privatized immigrant detention system.
 
To read more, visit http://cmsny.org/press-release-92212detention/.
 
To download the report, visit http://jmhs.cmsny.org/index.php/jmhs/article/view/55.
JANUARY 26 EVENT

Due Process & Access to Justice Conference


CMS, Fragomen Worldwide, Fried Frank, and the Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law invite you to a one-day conference on due process and access to justice issues facing immigrants in the United States. Panels will cover: immigrant detention; the impact of unaccompanied minors on immigration court and legal services; non-court removals; advances and challenges in pro bono representation; and right to counsel issues.
 
For more information, visit http://cmsny.org/event-dueprocessconf/
 
To attend this event in New York City, please register at http://goo.gl/forms/h3i82iJN2c. 

If you are a migrant or pastoral worker and wish to submit an article or reflection to the CMS Migration Update, please email Tom Shea at tshea@cmsny.org

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