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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.
Thomas J. Shea
Editor
Rachel Reyes
Communications Coordinator
February 2, 2016

Pope Francis to Visit Marginalized Communities in Mexico in February

The National Catholic Reporter (January 28, 2016)
 
During his visit to Mexico from February 12th to 17th, Pope Francis plans to travel to some of the most marginalized communities in the nation in an effort “to bring hope to a country suffering from crime, corruption and inequality.” The Holy Father will visit six cities on his trip: Mexico City; Ecatapec; San Cristóbal De Las Casas, Chiapas; Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas; Morelia, and Ciudad Juárez, which is directly across the border from El Paso, Texas. The Pope’s itinerary includes celebrating a Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and visiting a pediatric hospital in Mexico City as well as meeting with families and indigenous communities in the country’s poorest state, Chiapas. The article also reports that Pope Francis plans to celebrate Mass on the US-Mexico border in Ciudad Juárez.
 
To read more, visit http://ncronline.org/news/global/pope-visit-marginalized-communities-mexico-february.

Danish Law Requires Asylum Seekers to Hand Over Valuables

The New York Times (January 26, 2016)
 
Denmark recently passed a law requiring asylum seekers, who enter the country with assets worth more than 10,000 kroner (approximately $1,450 USD), to help pay for the cost of their lodging. The law also requires a three-year wait before asylees may petition family members to join them in Denmark. The law appears to reflect an anti-immigrant backlash stemming from fears that refugees will strain the country’s welfare system, threaten security, and reduce the country’s quality of life. According to the article, there is “widespread support for the measure” among Danes.
 
To read more, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/27/world/europe/denmark-asks-refugees-for-valuables.html?emc=edit_tnt_20160126&nlid=47251438&tntemail0=y&_r=0.

A New Life In Europe: The Dhnie Family (Podcast)

BBC (November 2015 through January 2016)
 
This 16-part podcast follows the journey of the Dhnie family. After two years in Jordan after fleeing the civil war in Syria, the Dhnie family arranged through a smuggler to be taken to Europe in the hopes of obtaining a better life. The reporter for the series spent five weeks journeying with the family. 
 
To hear more, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p037lrj7/episodes/downloads?utm_source=Newsletter%3A+WNYC+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=c4fd908639-Daily_Brief_July_4_20141_26_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_edd6b58c0d-c4fd908639-68570821&mc_cid=c4fd908639&mc_eid=d85c570bc3.

Crossing the Mexican-American Border, Every Day

The Atlantic Monthly (January 25, 2016)
 
According to this article, thousands of people commute across the US-Mexico border every day. In the past, commuters would experience long waits to enter the United States but individuals can now join a program for rapid border crossing. Long waits, however, continue for those entering Mexico because Mexican agents are searching for guns and money. The author follows Valeria Padilla, a US citizen of Mexican descent who lives in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico but who commutes daily to the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) where she is a student. Ms. Padilla intends to one day leave Ciudad Juárez and pursue a life in the United States “among people who maybe don’t want her there—people who don’t think twice about the luck of their birth, who don’t have to wonder about where they belong.”
 
To read more, visit http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/01/crossing-the-mexican-american-border-every-day/426678/?utm_source=nl__link4_012916.

FAQ: Protecting Unaccompanied Children From Trafficking or Other Harm

Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service (LIRS) (January 26, 2016)
 
This Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service (LIRS) resource answers common questions about the handling of unaccompanied children who are arrested when crossing the border without authorization. It discusses the distinction in processing of children from countries contiguous to the United States versus those from non-contiguous countries. It explains how the government screens a sponsor before children are released to the sponsor’s custody. The FAQs also explain the responsibilities of a sponsor, including ensuring the child’s attendance at immigration court hearings. The information is provided as part of LIRS’ campaign to end Human Trafficking. The information also helps people better understand the government’s efforts “to improve child protection while safeguarding family unity.”
 
To read more, visit http://lirs.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/LIRS_FAQTraffickingReunificationScreening_1510.pdf.

Canada Announces the Syrian Family Links Initiative

The Government of Canada (News Release) (January 26, 2016)
 
The Canadian government launched a program that permits Canadian citizens and permanent residents to identify Syrian refugee family members living in Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey and connect them with local groups looking to provide private sponsorship of refugees. According to the news release, private sponsorship means that the sponsor will help cover the cost of the refugee’s lodging, resettlement, and support for up to 12 months from the date of arrival or until the refugee becomes self-sufficient, whichever occurs first. This program provides Syrian refugees living in Canada, who are unable on their own to sponsor their family members abroad, an opportunity to find alternative sponsorships for their family members.
 
To read more, visit http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1029729.

Migrant Crisis: Migration to Europe Explained in Graphics

BBC (January 28, 2016)
 
This article reports that more than 1 million migrants and refugees entered Europe during 2015. While almost 180,000 Syrians applied for asylum in the European Union in 2015, other populations such as Afghans, Eritreans, and Kosovars contributed to the surge. The vast majority of migrants and refugees arrived in Europe by sea with a smaller number entering by land. According to the report, almost 3,700 people died in 2015 trying to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe.
 
To see more, visit http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911.

More than 10,000 Refugee Children Missing in Europe

Al Jazeera (January 31, 2016)
 
Europol police report that, during the past 18 to 24 months, 10,000 unaccompanied migrant and refugee children have disappeared in Europe. The police fear that the children have been captured into commercial sex trafficking or the slave trade. This article reports that the children disappeared after registering with governmental authorities after arrival in Europe.  Five thousand children disappeared in Italy alone. An officer with Europol stated that not all of those children are being criminally exploited, but might have been passed on to other family members and are not accounted for in the system. According to the director of Save the Children Italy-Europe, unaccompanied children traveling without adult protection are the most vulnerable of migrants.
 
To read more, visit http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/10000-refugee-children-missing-europe-160131164555450.html.

Pennsylvania Shuts Down Immigrant-family Detention Center

Philly.com (January 30, 2016)
 
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PDHS) announced that it will no longer license the Berks County Detention Center after its current license runs out on February 21st. The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sub-contracts the detention center located in Leesport, PA to detain undocumented immigrants and their minor children. At the time of the report, 86 people were being detained at the facility. ICE will either have to release the detainees or find other locations to detain them. Advocates view the announcement as a victory for the fight against the detention of immigrant families, but county officials have ten days from the date of the announcement to appeal the decision.
 
To read more, visit http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20160130_Pennsylvania_shuts_down_immigrant-family_detention_center.html.

NEW FROM CMS


Visa Overstays and the Decline in the US Undocumented Population

(January 28, 2016)
 
On January 20, 2016, the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS) released a report finding that the total undocumented population in the United States has declined gradually over the past few years. The day before, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a report titled “Entry/Exit Overstay Report: Fiscal Year 2015,” which concluded that by the end of FY 2015, there were 482,781 “Suspected In-Country Overstays;” that is, individuals who remained in the United States beyond their period of admission and DHS had “no evidence of a departure or transition to another immigration status.” In this post, CMS explains the impact of DHS’s visa overstay report on the validity of CMS’s findings related to the decline in the undocumented population.
 
To read more, visit http://cmsny.org/warren-overstays-undocumented-decline/.
 
To read the CMS report “US Undocumented Population Drops Below 11 Million in 2014, with Continued Declines in the Mexican Undocumented Population,” visit http://jmhs.cmsny.org/index.php/jmhs/article/view/58.

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

Copyright © 2016 Center for Migration Studies, New York, All rights reserved.


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