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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
Director of Communications
February 23, 2016

Voices from the Field: Spotlight on the Kino Border Initiative

Center for Migration Studies (February 22, 2016)
 
Fr. Sean Carroll, S.J., executive director of the Kino Border Initiative which operates in both Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Mexico, discusses how his agency responds to Pope Francis’s call to recognize and respect the human dignity of migrants worldwide. The organization fosters binational solidarity on the issue of migration through humanitarian assistance, education, and research/advocacy.
 
To read more, visit http://cmsny.org/wp-content/uploads/VoicesKinoBorder.pdf.

The Pope’s Border Policy

America Magazine (February 16, 2016)
 
Kevin Appleby, CMS Senior Director of International Migration Policy, explains the Catholic Church’s support for the protection of migrants and their rights within the context of national sovereignty and borders. While the Church recognizes the right of nation states to control their borders, Mr. Appleby writes, “The right of the sovereign to enforce its borders does not give it the right to violate human rights in the process.” Furthermore, “only by addressing in a straightforward and direct way the issues of migration and its underlying causes would nations, and the global community, ensure the common good and security of all, including their own countries.” Pope Francis’s trip to Mexico reasserts his position that countries also have a moral obligation to reconsider and reform their immigration laws.
 
To read more, visit http://americamagazine.org/issue/popes-border-policy.

Fr. Lombardi Responds to Pope’s Answer to Trump Question

Zenit (February 19, 2016)
 
During a press conference with Pope Francis on his return flight from Mexico to the Vatican, a reporter asked the Holy Father about Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump. The reporter asked the pontiff to respond to Trump’s statement calling the Pope “a man of politics or indeed even a pawn in the hands of the Mexican government to favor a policy of immigration.” The reporter also asked for the Pope’s thoughts on Trump’s promise to build a 2,500 kilometer wall along the US-Mexico border and to deport the 11 million undocumented immigrants presently in the United States. In his response, the Holy Father stated, “A person who thinks only of building walls, wherever that may be, and not bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel.” Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi later explained that the Pope’s statement was consistent with the Gospel and his general attitude of welcome and solidarity with immigrants and refugees. According to Fr. Lombardi, the statement should not be taken as a personal attack against Donald Trump nor an indication of how to vote. 
 
To read more, visit https://zenit.org/articles/fr-lombardi-responds-to-popes-answer-to-trump-question/?utm_source=ZENIT+English&utm_campaign=a2b2feaac1-English_Daily_Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9d61d53235-a2b2feaac1-42671301.
 

What the Pope Did, and Didn’t, Mean When He Said Trump Was Not a Christian

The Washington Post (February 19, 2016)
 
In responding to questions about Donald Trump during his return trip from Mexico to the Vatican, Pope Francis was inadvertently drawn into American politics. This article written by Fr. James Martin SJ, editor at large of America, attempts to address the controversy by deconstructing the Holy Father’s statement to the press.
 
To read more, visit https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/02/19/what-the-pope-did-and-didnt-mean-when-he-said-trump-was-not-a-christian/.

Safe, Yes, and Waiting for What’s Next

Human Rights Watch (February 18, 2016)
 
After interviewing refugees housed at a Berlin refugee center, the author recounts their treacherous journeys to Europe and their hopes for the future. Many of the refugees interviewed by the author fled Syria. In one case, Amira (not her real name) details her escape from Syria three years ago with her four young children. The family traveled through seven countries to get to Germany. She and her children arrived in Berlin only 15 days before she was interviewed for this article. They survived a dangerous boat ride to Greece and camping in the cold on the Austrian border without shelter for four days. Her hope for the future is that she and her family can live in safety.
 
To read more, visit https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/02/18/safe-yes-and-waiting-whats-next.

Arrest of Refugee Fuels US Debate on Immigration Policy

The New York Times (February 19, 2016)
 
Aws Mohammed Younis al-Jayab, a 23-year-old native of Iraq and refugee from Syria, was arrested for traveling to Syria to assist a terrorist organization and then lying about it to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) when he returned to the United States. Conservatives and some federal law enforcement officials argue that Mr. al-Jayab’s arrest proves that terrorists can enter through the US refugee program. Democrats and DHS officials contend, however, that the arrest demonstrates that the system works. This story highlights the tension between those who wish to restrict immigration from countries associated with terrorism versus those who advocate that we should accept rigorously screened refugees for resettlement.
 
To read more, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/20/us/politics/us-immigration-policy-screening.html?emc=edit_tnt_20160219&nlid=47251438&tntemail0=y&_r=0.

DHS Announces Further Travel Restrictions for the Visa Waiver Program

US Department of Homeland Security (February 18, 2016)
 
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a press release announcing that it has added Libya, Somalia, and Yemen to the list of “countries of concern” under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015. The Visa Waiver Program travel will be limited for people who have traveled to those countries since March 1, 2011. The countries already on the list are Iran, Iraq, Sudan, and Syria. The Visa Waiver Program permits nationals of certain countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. Under the new law, individuals who traveled to the seven countries of concern will not be able to travel to the United States through the Visa Waiver Program but instead will need to go through the normal visa application process.
 
To read more, visit https://www.dhs.gov/news/2016/02/18/dhs-announces-further-travel-restrictions-visa-waiver-program.

Finland's Anti-immigrant Bill 'Imperils Mixed Families'

Al-Jazeera (February 20, 2016)
 
The Interior Ministry of Finland has drafted a bill requiring high levels of income for Finns and foreigners under humanitarian protection with residence permits in order to allow their non-EU citizen spouses and children live with them in Finland. For example, a Finnish citizen who wants to live with a non-EU spouse in Finland will need to make a net income of at least 1,700 euros ($1,900 USD) per month. The Finnish branch of Amnesty International has condemned the bill. Amnesty legal adviser Mikko Aarnio stated, "The proposed income requirements are unreasonable and would be too harsh even for many Finns. We see the current proposal as discriminatory and inhumane, as well as a form of simply utterly unreasonable refugee policy." The article also reports that the country’s anti-immigration far-right party also opposes the bill in its current state.
 
To read more, visit http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/finland-anti-immigrant-bill-imperils-mixed-families-160219220019311.html.

Crowd Cheer Fire at Hotel Being Converted into Refugee Shelter in Saxony

The Guardian (February 21, 2016)
 
A hotel in Bautzen, eastern Saxony, Germany burned down early Sunday morning to the cheers of onlookers, the article reports. The hotel was in the process of being converted into refugee housing. No one was hurt in the fire but law enforcement authorities suspect arson. Although a majority of Germans have welcomed refugees, a vocal minority opposed to refugee resettlement have staged protests in front of refugee homes. There has also been an increase during the past year in violence against refugee shelters. Saxony is the home of the anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim group, Pegida. A few day earlier, 100 protestors stopped a bus taking asylum seekers to a shelter in Saxony.  
 
To read more, visit http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/21/crowd-cheers-fire-hotel-refugee-shelter-saxony-germany.

Canada Divided as 25,000 Syrian Refugees Settle In

Reuters (February 19, 2016)
 
A poll by the Angus Reid Institute released on February 19 indicates that 52 percent of Canadians support the resettlement of 25,000 Syrian refugees, while 44 percent oppose the plan. According to the poll, 42 percent of Canadians want the government to stop accepting Syrian refugees, 29 percent want the government to stop accepting Syrian refugees at 25,000 and another 29 percent want the government to accept more than 25,000. The article reports that since November 2015, about 21,672 Syrian refugees have been resettled in 200 communities throughout Canada.  
 
To read more, visit http://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-syria-migrants-idUSKCN0VS2L4.

How Syrian Refugees Arriving in Canada Became 'Extras' in Their Own Stories

CBC Radio (February 212, 2016)
 
Kamal Al-Solaylee, a journalism professor at Ryerson University, is urging Canadian media to find a balance between reporting “feel good” stories about Canadians helping resettle Syrian refugees and “the harsh realities in their [Syrian refugees’] pasts and futures.” Although Professor Al-Solaylee understands how reporting on acts of kindness toward refugees resonates, he worries that the stories ignore the challenges that immigrants and refugees will face in Canada after their initial welcome. Professor Al-Solaylee states, “The truth is a lot of these immigrants will struggle, initially and probably for a long time. They will not be able to find jobs that call on their qualifications or experience. They will end up doing the kind of work that Canadians no longer want to do.”
 
To read more, visit http://www.cbc.ca/radio/the180/refugee-arrival-stories-are-too-happy-the-harm-of-french-immersion-and-who-gets-to-decide-who-s-a-feminist-1.3452586/how-syrian-refugees-arriving-in-canada-became-extras-in-their-own-stories-1.3452625.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE


On February 22, 2016, the General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report entitled, “Unaccompanied Children: HHS Can Take Further Actions to Monitor Their Care,” which found that the Office of Refugee Resettlement of the Department of Health and Human Services (ORR/HHS) has no system for tracking unaccompanied children released to sponsors while they await their court hearings. The report also found that ORR/HHS failed to keep complete case files on children and has allowed contractors to operate with little oversight. While ORR/HHS funds post-release services, including home studies, only 10 percent of the children receive such services due to a lack of funding. During the surge of child migrants in 2014, ORR/HHS suspended requirements for sponsors to undergo fingerprinting, background checks, and to supply original copies of birth certificates.
 
On January 28, 2016, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Senate Homeland Security Committee issued a report that revealed 13 cases of children being released to human traffickers, including six boys who were forced to work in an Ohio egg farm in substandard work and housing conditions and with little pay. The report found that 15 other cases may have involved human trafficking.
 
The GAO report and the status of the Administration’s policy toward unaccompanied alien children fleeing violence from Central America is the subject of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing February 23, 2016, entitled “The Unaccompanied Children Crisis: Does the Administration have a plan to stop the Border Surge and Adequately Monitor the Children?” Witnesses include Mark Greenberg, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Administration of Families and Children of HHS; Juan Osuna, Executive Director of the Executive Office of Immigration Review; Thomas Homan, Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations at DHS; Ron Vitiello, Deputy Chief of the US Border Patrol of DHS; and Kay Brown, Director of the Education, Workforce, and Income Security Division of the GAO. Information on the hearing can be found on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s website at http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/.

NEW FROM CMS


PODCAST | Sara Campos and the Role of Civil Society in Shaping a Nation

(February 22, 2016)
 
In the second of the two-part CMSOnAir series, “Shaping a Nation: The Past and Present Struggles Over Immigration,” CMS speaks with Sara Campos, an immigrant rights lawyer formerly with the Northern California Immigrant Rights Coalition, on the historic role of civil society in influencing and shaping US immigration law and policy. In the interview, Ms. Campos details past and present groups on both sides of the immigration debate, the significance of the DREAMer movement, and the importance of solidarity between Black Americans and immigrants.
 
To listen, visit http://cmsny.org/cmsonair-sara-campos/.

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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