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Check out this week's digest of news, resources, faith reflections, and analysis of international migration and refugee protection, brought to you by the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS).
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The New Humanitarian (November 17, 2021)
Since January 1, 2021, more than 1,226 asylum seekers and migrants have died or disappeared crossing the central Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to Europe, and more than 29,427 have been captured and detained in Libya. In detention, many asylum seekers are subjected to torture, extortion, and sexual abuse. The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights states, “European countries have engaged in a race to the bottom to keep people in need of our protection outside our borders.” This article explains how maritime search and rescue on the Mediterranean Sea is supposed to work and offers an interactive tool to show how the EU-backed migration control system in the central Mediterranean often avoids its responsibility for boats in distress and blocks nongovernmental organizations from providing assistance.
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Angelus (November 18, 2021)
Over the next several months, Pope Francis will make several trips to spend time with migrants and refugees and encourage government officials to protect people on the move. Pope Francis will visit Greece and Cyprus the first week of December to meet with civil and ecclesial authorities, as well as with migrants, to discuss ecumenical relations with the Orthodox church and migration. In Greece, Pope Francis will spend a half day at a government-run migrant and refugee center on the island of Lesbos, and in Cyprus, will hold an ecumenical prayer service for migrants. In 2016, Pope Francis visited Lesbos and returned to the Vatican bringing 12 Syrian Muslims, who the Catholic Church assisted to integrate into Italian society. On February 27, 2022, Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Florence, Italy, where he will meet with bishops and mayors from several Mediterranean countries to discuss migration and refugee protection, in addition to meeting with a group of 50 migrants. Italian Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti of Perugia described the Pope’s visit to Florence and his meetings as an effort to make the shores of the Mediterranean “a symbol of unity and not a border.” During his eight years as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has made migration a top priority.
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Reuters (November 22, 2021)
The European Union (EU) accused Belarus of pushing thousands of migrants primarily from the Middle East across borders into Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland in retaliation for the EU imposing sanctions on Belarus. Migrants continue to report mistreatment by the Belarusian military, including physical abuse, detention, and the inability to repatriate to their country of origin. Hundreds of people in Poland protested in support of the migrants, and the Catholic Church in Poland held a fundraiser to help migrants at the border and to assist the integration of those migrants able to remain in the country. Poland’s Prime Minister emphasized the situation is ongoing and stated the Russian military increased its presence on the border with Ukraine and in Belarus, as well as within the Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian territory which shares a border with Lithuania and Poland.
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Kino Border Initiative (November 16, 2021)
On November 8, the Kino Border Initiative (KBI) held a press conference to discuss the re-opening of the US-Mexican border for visa-holders and the ongoing exclusion of asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants. Panelists included representatives of KBI and the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, as well as asylum seekers affected by Title 42. The speakers condemned the Biden administration’s continuation of the Title 42 exclusion policy, which began under the Trump administration. “When I wanted to show [the migration agent] my negative COVID test, he wouldn’t let me get near him. Another migration agent told us that he was not going to give us water because everyone else would want water too,” said Jose Hernandez*, an asylum seeker who participated in the press conference. “Later, they separated me from my family, put me in a vehicle full of mud and garbage, and without asking anything, they expelled me to Mexico. This is my experience, and sadly it is just one of many experiences of the racism that thousands of migrants have experienced in encounters with the CBP (Customs Border Patrol) under Title 42 policy.”
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*Name changed to protect the safety of the individual and his family.
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Migrants & Refugees Section, Vatican Dicastery for Integral Human Development (November 2021)
This bulletin relates some of the recent initiatives of the Vatican to promote global migration governance on a local, regional, and international level. For example, the Diocesan Delegation for Migration (DDM) created the West African Migratory Route project with the goal to reduce risks to people forced into irregular migration. The project engages in awareness-raising and information and community development actions in various cities in Guinea and Senegal. The project seeks to connect countries of origin, transit, and destination on a migrant’s route to “provide accurate and timely information at all stages of migration” to help protect them along their journey. These initiatives are part of the Vatican’s efforts to bolster the Global Compact on Refugees and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, Regular, and Responsible Migration. Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018, these two non-binding documents are founded on the belief that global cooperation is needed to find a sustainable solution to migrant and refugee flows.
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Reuters (November 20, 2021)
Hundreds of Venezuelans are part of a group of 3,000 migrants and asylum seekers in southern Mexico on the border with Guatemala who started a journey north to the US-Mexico border late last week. This occurs as the Mexican government is considering tighter immigration restrictions on the entry of Venezuelan nationals. The Venezuelans fled poverty and hardship in their home country, many describing “harrowing episodes” that occurred throughout their journey, particularly through the Darien Gap in Panama. Daysi* a Venezuelan woman said, "Nobody leaves their country because they want to, but there are days when you eat once, others not even that. There's no medicine; there's nothing; we're dying."
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*Name changed to protect the safety of the individual and his family.
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NEW FROM CMS
Please join CMS on Tuesday, December 7th from 2:00-3:15p.m. (ET) for our annual Fr. Lydio F. Tomasi, C.S. Lecture on International Migration. This year, Silas W. Allard will deliver the lecture, “Christianity and the Law of Migration: A Dialogue in Social Responsibility.” The event will also feature responses from Kristin Heyer and Raj Nadella – co-editors with Allard – of the new book Christianity and the Law of Migration (Routledge 2021).
REGISTER
CMS’s Journal on Migration and Human Security (JMHS) released a new special collection, which aims to advance forced migrant and refugee research. This collection considers refugee resettlement and integration in the United States within the broader framework of the literature on migrant integration and reflects on the role that population research can play in promoting successful and healthy refugee resettlement in the United States.
READ AND DOWNLOAD
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POLICY UPDATE
On November 19, the House passed the Build Back Better Act, which provides a social spending plan, establishes new programs, and modifies provisions regarding several matters, including immigration. If passed by the Senate, the Act would provide the following immigration benefits:
- Parole, work authorization, and protection from deportation for certain noncitizens who entered the United States before January 1, 2011, continuously resided in the United States since then, and would not be inadmissible due to certain criminal or security offenses. Those eligible would receive a grant of parole for five-year periods, but cannot be granted parole beyond September 30, 2031. Eligible noncitizens would also be eligible for a REAL ID compliant driver’s license or state identification card and could travel outside of the United States and return.
- Recapture of family- and employment-based immigrant visas that went unused during FY 1992-2021. Individuals who were selected to apply for diversity visas in FY 2017 through 2021, but were refused a visa or denied admission to the United States because of certain executive orders or were unable to complete the process because of COVID-19 related restrictions, would also be able to reapply for their visas.
- Exemptions from per-country and worldwide limitations on immigrant visas for beneficiaries of certain visa petitions who are waiting for visas to become available so they can submit their applications for adjustment to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. These exemptions would only be granted until September 30, 2031. Beneficiaries with a priority date that is more than two years before the date they request the exemption would need to pay the following fees in order to receive it:
- Beneficiaries of approved family-based visa petitions would need to pay a supplemental fee of $2,500.
- Beneficiaries of employment-based first, second, or third preference visa petitions, also known as EB-1, -2, and -3 immigrant visas, would need to pay a supplemental fee of $5,000.
- Beneficiaries of employment-based fifth preference visa petitions, also known as the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program, would need to pay a supplemental fee of $50,000.
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On November 19, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a volume in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding adoptions of foreign-born children. An adoptive parent must use one of three processes to facilitate a child’s immigration to the United States based on adoption: the Hague Adoption Convention, orphan, or family-based petition process. The new volume explains which process an adoptive parent should follow and the requirements for each process. It also includes the following policy clarifications:
- Outlines the different adoption processes, explains restrictions for US citizens for filing family-based petitions for children from Hague Adoption Convention countries, and provides guidance regarding adoption order validity and adoption service providers.
- Provides guidance for USCIS determinations of the suitability and eligibility of prospective adoptive parents and home study requirements for the Hague Adoption convention and orphan processes.
- Incorporates existing guidance on the eligibility of a child to immigrate as an orphan or as a Hauge Convention Adoptee and how restrictions for US citizens filing a family-based petition for an adoptee beneficiary from a Hague Adoption Convention country apply when the child is physically present in the United States.
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On November 17, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Operation Allies Welcome announced the last group of Afghan nationals departed the Fort Lee, Virginia Department of Defense (DOD) installation and were resettled in the United States. The installation was established to provide temporary housing to vulnerable Afghans. Approximately 70,000 Afghans have arrived in the United States through Operation Allies Welcome, an ongoing effort to resettle at-risk Afghans, including those who worked on behalf of the United States. More than 25,000 Afghan evacuees have been resettled in communities across the country. DOD continues to provide temporary housing for about 45,000 Afghans who are in the process of completing their resettlement at seven installations in Indiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
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On November 12, USCIS issued policy guidance providing clarifications on naturalization for current and former military service members. Current and former members of the US armed forces who serve honorably for any period of time during select periods may be eligible to naturalize under INA 139. Those who served honorably for one year may be eligible to naturalize under INA 138. These individuals may be eligible to naturalize even if they are not lawful permanent residents and are currently residing outside of the United States. The new policy guidance includes the following policy clarifications:
- Former service members residing overseas may concurrently file a Form N-400 Application for Naturalization with a Form I-131 Application for Travel Document, without paying a filing fee for the Form I-131 to enter the United States for the purpose of attending a naturalization interview.
- USCIS may conduct naturalization interviews for service members at land ports of entry for a former service member even if the applicant has not demonstrated they are eligible to naturalize nor sought a visa or parole. If a naturalization application is approved after this interview, the applicant’s oath ceremony can be conducted at the land port.
- If a current or former military member applies for naturalization under general provisions, USCIS will review their eligibility under military provisions and provide the applicant the opportunity to seek naturalization on that basis.
- Qualifying services requirements under INA 139 now specify that the qualifying period of services does not have to be the most recent period of service. An applicant who was honorably discharged may be eligible for naturalization under INA 139, even if the applicant received a different type of discharge from a separate period of service.
- Clarifies that honorable service and discharge is required in order for the applicant to be eligible for naturalization under INA 138.
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UN UPDATE
On November 16, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) released the first Global Compact on Refugees Indicator Report which takes stock of progress toward the objectives outlined in the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). Its four objectives were to: (1) ease pressure on host countries; (2) enhance refugee self-reliance; (3) expand access to third country solutions; and (4) support conditions in countries of origin for individuals to return in safety and dignity. Progress is measured by the GCR Indicator Framework published by UNHCR in 2019. The report seeks to apply and promote the use of quality, comparable, and timely data based on international statistical standards and practices. The first part measures the scale and evolution of the overall burden and responsibility of refugee flows and populations since the adoption of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrations in 2016, which formed an integral part of the GCR. The second part analyzes progress made toward achieving the four GCR objectives between 2016 and 2021. It also includes a chapter describing its main data sources and methods and includes several country profiles. The report shows progress made in increasing support to low-income countries hosting the majority of refugees and expanding refugees’ access to work and education but warns that more remains to be done given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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On November 5, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and UNHCR published a joint report, The Road to 2023: Assessing Progress and Accelerating Delivery on the UN Common Pledges in Advance of the Next Global Refugee Forum. The report focuses on two pledges made by the UN Secretary General and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator at the 2019 Global Refugee Forum (GRF) to: (1) commit UN entities to consider refugees in their own analyses and plans; and (2) advocate with refugee hosting governments to facilitate refugees’ inclusion in national systems. The report provides an account of the progress made in implementing these pledges, shares some of the lessons learned, and outlines key strategy actions that the UN and others need to take in order to realize these commitments by 2023, when the next GRF will take place.
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On October 29, 2021, ahead of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland from October 31 through November 13, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) released its Institutional Strategy on Migration, Environment and Climate Change 2021-2030. The strategy outlines how IOM will support States to assist and protect people who are affected by the adverse impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, and disasters due to natural hazards, including migrants and internally displaced persons. It aims to take stock of existing knowledge and establish priorities and processes in line with the three pillars of the IOM strategic vision: resilience, mobility, and governance. The strategy includes the following three objectives, which will guide IOM’s work on migration, environment, and climate change for the next decade, to develop solutions for: (1) people to move by managing migration and (2) people on the move by assisting and protecting migrants and displaced persons, in the context of climate change, environmental degradation, and disasters due to natural hazards; and (3) people to stay in their homes by building resilience and addressing the adverse climatic and environmental drivers that compel people to move, making migration a choice.
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El 19 de noviembre, la Cámara Baja aprobó la Ley Build Back Better, que proporciona un plan de gasto social, establece nuevos programas, y modifica disposiciones sobre varios asuntos, incluyendo inmigración. Si es aprobada por el Senado, la ley proporcionaría los siguientes beneficios de inmigración:
- Permiso de permanencia temporal , autorización de trabajo y protección contra la deportación para ciertos inmigrantes que ingresaron a los Estados Unidos antes del 1 de enero de 2011, residieron continuamente en los Estados Unidos desde entonces y no serían inadmisibles debido a ciertos delitos penales o de seguridad. Aquellos elegibles recibirían un permiso de permanencia temporal por períodos de cinco años, pero no se les puede conceder este permiso después del 30 de septiembre de 2031. Los inmigrantes elegibles también serían elegibles para una licencia de conducir o tarjeta de identificación estatal que cumpla con la ley de REAL ID y podrían viajar fuera de los Estados Unidos y volver.
- Recuperación de visas inmigrantes por familia o empleo que no se utilizaron durante los años fiscales 1992-2021. Las personas que fueron seleccionadas para solicitar visas de diversidad en los años fiscales 2017 hasta 2021, pero se les negó la visa o se les negó la admisión a los Estados Unidos debido a ciertas órdenes ejecutivas o no pudieron completar el proceso debido a restricciones relacionadas con COVID-19, también podrán solicitar nuevamente sus visas.
- Exenciones de las limitaciones de visas de inmigrantes por país y a nivel mundial para los beneficiarios de ciertas solicitudes de visa que están esperando que las visas estén disponibles para que puedan presentar sus solicitudes de ajuste al estatus de residente permanente legal (LPR). Estas exenciones solo se otorgarían hasta el 30 de septiembre de 2031. Los beneficiarios con una fecha de prioridad que sea más de dos años antes de la fecha en que soliciten la exención deberán pagar las siguientes tarifas para poder recibirla:
- Los beneficiarios de las solicitudes de visa por familia aprobadas tendrían que pagar una tarifa adicional de $ 2,500.
- Los beneficiarios de solicitudes de visa de primera, segunda o tercera preferencia por empleo, también conocidas como visas de inmigrante EB-1, -2 y -3, tendrían que pagar una tarifa adicional de $ 5,000.
- Los beneficiarios de las solicitudes de visa de quinta preferencia basadas en el empleo, también conocido como el programa de visa de inversionista inmigrante EB-5, tendrían que pagar una tarifa adicional de $ 50,000.
APRENDE MÁS
El 19 de noviembre, los Servicios de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de EE. UU. (USCIS) publicó un volumen en el Manual de Políticas de USCIS sobre adopciones de niños nacidos en el extranjero. Un padre adoptivo debe utilizar uno de los tres procesos para facilitar la inmigración de un niño a los Estados Unidos basada en la adopción: la Convención de Adopción de La Haya, el proceso de petición de huérfano o petición basada en la familia. El nuevo volumen explica qué proceso debe seguir un padre adoptivo y los requisitos para cada proceso. También incluye las siguientes aclaraciones de política:
- Describe los diferentes procesos de adopción, explica las restricciones para que los ciudadanos estadounidenses presenten peticiones familiares para niños de países de la Convención de Adopción de La Haya y brinda orientación sobre la validez de las órdenes de adopción y los proveedores de servicios de adopción.
- Proporciona orientación para las determinaciones de USCIS sobre la idoneidad y elegibilidad de los futuros padres adoptivos y los requisitos de estudio del hogar para la convención de adopción de La Haya y los procesos de huérfano.
- Incorpora la guía existente sobre la elegibilidad de un niño para inmigrar como huérfano o como un adoptado bajo la Convención de Hauge y cómo se aplican las restricciones para los ciudadanos estadounidenses que presentan una petición basada en la familia para un beneficiario adoptado de un país de la Convención de Adopción de La Haya cuando el niño está físicamente presente en los Estados Unidos.
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El 17 de noviembre, el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) y Operación Aliados Bienvenidos anunció que el último grupo de ciudadanos afganos partió de la instalación del Departamento de Defensa de Virginia (DOD) en Fort Lee y fueron reasentados en los Estados Unidos. La instalación se estableció para proporcionar alojamiento temporal a afganos vulnerables. Aproximadamente 70.000 afganos han llegado a los Estados Unidos a través de la Operación Aliados Bienvenidos, un esfuerzo continuo para reasentar a los afganos en riesgo, incluidos aquellos que trabajaron en nombre de los Estados Unidos. Más de 25.000 evacuados afganos han sido reasentados en comunidades de todo el país. El DOD continúa proporcionando vivienda temporal a unos 45.000 afganos que están en proceso de completar su reasentamiento en siete instalaciones en Indiana, Nueva Jersey, Nuevo México, Texas, Virginia y Wisconsin.
APRENDE MÁS
El 12 de noviembre, USCIS emitió una guía de políticas que proporciona aclaraciones sobre la naturalización para los miembros del servicio militar actuales y anteriores. Los miembros actuales y anteriores de las fuerzas armadas de los EE. UU. que sirven honorablemente por cualquier período de tiempo durante períodos seleccionados pueden ser elegibles para naturalizarse bajo INA 139. Aquellos que sirvieron honorablemente durante un año pueden ser elegibles para naturalizarse bajo INA 138. Estas personas pueden ser elegibles para naturalizarse incluso si no son residentes permanentes legales y actualmente residen fuera de los Estados Unidos. La nueva orientación de política incluye las siguientes aclaraciones de política:
- Los ex-miembros del servicio que residen en el extranjero pueden presentar simultáneamente un Formulario N-400 Solicitud de Naturalización con un Formulario I-131 Solicitud de Documento de Viaje, sin pagar una tarifa de presentación del Formulario I-131 para ingresar a los Estados Unidos con el propósito de asistir a una entrevista de naturalización.
- USCIS puede realizar entrevistas de naturalización para miembros del servicio en los puertos de entrada terrestres para un ex miembro del servicio, incluso si el solicitante no ha demostrado que es elegible para naturalizarse ni ha solicitado una visa o permiso de permanencia temporal. Si se aprueba una solicitud de naturalización después de esta entrevista, la ceremonia de juramento del solicitante se puede llevar a cabo en el puerto terrestre.
- Si un miembro militar actual o anterior solicita la naturalización según las disposiciones generales, USCIS revisará su elegibilidad según las disposiciones militares y le brindará al solicitante la oportunidad de solicitar la naturalización sobre esa base.
- Los requisitos de servicios calificados según INA 139 ahora especifican que el período de servicios calificados no tiene que ser el período de servicio más reciente. Un solicitante que fue dado de baja honorablemente puede ser elegible para la naturalización bajo INA 139, incluso si el solicitante recibió un tipo diferente de alta durante un período separado de servicio.
- Aclara que se requiere un servicio honorable y una baja para que el solicitante sea elegible para la naturalización según INA 138.
APRENDE MÁS
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