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
December 9, 2015

Pope Francis: 'Christians And Muslims Are Brothers And Sisters'

The Huffington Post (November 30, 2015)
 
Pope Francis visited the small enclave of PK5 in the Central African Republic’s capital, Bangui, to appeal for an end to an often violent conflict that has been ongoing for the last three years between Christians and Muslims. Muslims have found refuge in PK5 from the fighting but Christian militias surround the neighborhood, preventing food from getting in and Muslims from leaving. Pope Francis stated, "Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters...Together, we must say no to hatred, to revenge and to violence, particularly that violence which is perpetrated in the name of a religion or of God himself. God is peace, salam,'" (peace). The article reports that Christians and Muslims welcomed the pope hoping that his visit would spur dialogue and bring about peace.
 
To read more, visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pope-francis-christians-and-muslims-are-brothers-and-sisters_565c646be4b072e9d1c26035.

Statement by H.E. Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva International Organization for Migration (IOM)

106th Session of the Council Geneva (November 26, 2015)
 
In an address to the 106th Session of the Council of Geneva, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi identified human mobility as a growing global challenge. Of 240 million international migrants, he said, 60 million have been forcefully displaced due to violence or deep inequalities. He called on the international community to adopt viable and forward-looking solutions to manage migration. These include saving migrant lives, rather than closing borders, and addressing the destabilizing conditions that push people to migrate. Among other remedies, Archbishop Tomasi advocated for the creation of legal avenues for migrants to protect them from abuse. He concluded that the international community needs to address global mobility in an objective and constructive way rather than based on fear and stereotypes.
 
To read more, visit https://governingbodies.iom.int/system/files/en/council/106/Holy-See-Statement-at-106th-Council.pdf.

Path to Peace Foundation Honors Princess Haya (Daughter of King Hussein and Queen Alia of Jordan)

Path to Peace Foundation (November 18, 2015)
 
Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Dubai accepted the Path to Peace Award for her humanitarian work in helping to defend the rights and dignity of refugees and the underprivileged. The Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations hosted the event at the United Nations in New York City. The award was presented by Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations. In her acceptance speech, Princess Haya referred to the bombings the week before in Baghdad, Beirut, and Paris. The violence prompted her to consider how the international community can prevent extremists from dividing the world along religious and cultural lines. She stated, “Our enemies on the path to peace are the extremists operating under the guise of religion, not the faithful followers of any particular religion.” Quoting Pope Francis, Princess Haya argued against condemning an entire religion because of the actions of a few of its followers, saying, “We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within...To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place...Our response must be instead one of hope and healing, peace and justice.”
 
To read more, visit http://www.thepathtopeacefoundation.org/contents%5C/events/events-564f9434a2d116.58683399.php.

Donald Trump Calls for Ban on All Muslims from Entering US

The Guardian (December 7, 2015)
 
Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential race, called for a “total and complete shutdown” of the US borders and all immigration procedures to Muslims in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California. Trump said that all Muslim immigration to the United States must stop until the leaders in the United States “figure out what is going on” because “there is great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim population.” The article reports that this ban would also apply to American Muslims currently outside the United States. Democratic and Republican candidates for president promptly criticized Trump’s statements. Some noted that his proposal did not reflect US values. Others noted that his comments hurt the war against terror by marginalizing Muslims and putting US diplomats and soldiers serving in the Middle East at risk.
 
To read more, visit http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/07/donald-trump-ban-all-muslims-entering-us-san-bernardino-shooting.
 
To read Trump’s statement, visit https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trump-statement-on-preventing-muslim-immigration.

House Takes on Visa Waiver Revamp with Obama’s Backing

Politico (December 7, 2015)
 
The House of Representatives is scheduled to pass a bill this week that would revamp the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which permits nationals from 38 countries to visit the United States for up to 90 days without a visa for tourism or business purposes. The bill seeks to identify whether travelers from VWP nations have visited war zones. This article reports that the bill has bipartisan support in the House.  President Obama also reportedly favors overhauling the VWP.
 
To read more, visit http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-transportation/2015/12/house-takes-on-visa-waiver-revamp-with-obamas-backing-honeymoonins-over-time-for-more-transpo-work-aviation-shipping-standards-make-for-tricky-climate-talks-211619#ixzz3th7LSrDK.

Smooth Visa Process for Woman in Attack Is Focus of Inquiry

The New York Times (December 4, 2015)
 
Syed Rizwan Farook, a US citizen born in Illinois, petitioned for Tashfeen Malik, a native of Pakistan, to come to the United States on a fiancée visa. They married after her arrival, and she obtained conditional lawful permanent residence or “LPR” status. Mr. Farook and Ms. Malik have been identified as the shooters at Inland Regional Center in San Bernadino, California on December 2nd, killing 14 people and injuring 21. According to this article, Ms. Malik passed through two rounds of criminal and national security checks to come to the United States on a fiancée visa and then to adjust status to conditional LPR status. The article reports that none of the US security checks revealed negative information. Since the attacks, however, officials are now scouring the records to see whether they may have missed anything. Elected officials are calling for a review of the fiancée visa program to identify and eliminate any security gaps.
 
To read more, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/05/us/for-woman-in-shooting-easy-passage-through-us-visa-process.html?emc=edit_tnt_20151204&nlid=47251438&tntemail0=y&_r=0.

NEW FROM CMS


CMS Announces Release of Detailed Data on the Naturalization-Eligible and Potential Future Voters in 2,332 Sub-State Areas

 
CMS released detailed estimates and characteristics of naturalization-eligible immigrants residing in 2,332 US sub-state regions; i.e., public use microdata areas (PUMAs) which cover geographic areas that contain at least 100,000 persons. The sub-state level data offers information on country of origin; languages spoken at home; ability to speak English; educational attainment; age; sex; period of entry; marital status; access to a computer or the internet; poverty status; median income; and health insurance coverage. The sub-state level data supplements CMS’s paper on the US “eligible-to-naturalize” population and two spreadsheets providing state-level data on the naturalization-eligible.

To read more, visit http://cmsny.org/naturalization-by-puma/. 
 

JANUARY 26 EVENT

Due Process & Access to Justice for Immigrants Conference

 
Tickets are now available for the January 26th Due Process & Access to Justice for Immigrants Conference, hosted by CMS, Fragomen Worldwide, Fried Frank, and the Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. 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. General registration is $25 and includes lunch.  Student registration is free but excludes lunch, and students must present valid student ID upon check-in.
 
To read more and register, visit http://cmsny.org/event-dueprocessconf/. 

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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