I was so pleased last night when the President announced he has asked for a review of the administration’s enforcement policies for immigration laws to see if it can be done “more humanely within the confines of the law.” The president stated “his deep concern about the pain too many families feel from the separation that comes from our broken immigration system.” Amen.

Immigration reform this year is a top priority for NETWORK. We continue to urge Congress to pass a reform that unifies families and provides a path to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants living in the shadows. As that process stalls, NETWORK, together with the Interfaith Immigration Coalition and Justice for Immigrants, has also called on the Obama Administration to review its deportation practices to make them more compassionate and safe.

Safer, more humane deportation practices include: stopping the practices of nighttime deportations, family separations during deportation process, and deporting individuals to unsafe locations; returning belongings prior to deportation; and notifying Mexican authorities about people with special needs such as unaccompanied children, elderly people, and people with disabilities. We also want more opportunities for border NGO input so NGOs can work more closely with U.S. authorities to better protect people. Click here to read more about these recommendations.

NETWORK and the broader faith community will work with the administration to push for the implementation of these common sense principles. More importantly, we will continue to stand with our brothers and sisters who suffer at the hands of our broken immigration system and press Congress to move beyond their indifference and embrace the call for comprehensive reform this year.

“You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God…”  (Eph. 2:19).

These were the opening words of the first reading from yesterday’s liturgy, proclaiming unity and inclusion rather than division and distrust. As these words were proclaimed, new signs of hope emerged in efforts to unify a divided Congress and to include our immigrant brothers and sisters as full members of our society.

Sunday, Congressman Jeff Denham (CA-10) announced that he will cross over the border of party lines to become the first Republican co-sponsor of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (“H.R. 15”). This morning, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27) joined her fellow Republican in co-sponsoring H.R. 15 – another sign of hope. Their commitment to bipartisan solutions to fixing our broken immigration system is a true sign of leadership. Their witness to the common good and support of H.R. 15 brings us one step closer to comprehensive immigration reform that will benefit the 100%. We are hopeful that more members of Congress will follow their example and co-sponsor H.R. 15, which provides a pathway to citizenship and protects family unity. Update 10/30/13: Representative Valadao, a Catholic member of Congress from California, whose district we visited during NETWORK’s Nuns on the Bus for immigration reform, has become the third Republican to co-sponsor H.R. 15.  We are so pleased to see him aligning with Catholics across the country to take serious action to promote immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship and protects family unity.

H.R. 15 is the only comprehensive immigration reform bill in the House gaining any traction, and it is one of only a few bills providing solutions to aspiring Americans who are currently in the country and are undocumented. H.R. 15 was introduced by Congressman Joe Garcia (FL-26) on October 2, 2013, and at present it has 187 co-sponsors (185 Democrats, 2 Republicans). H.R. 15 is similar to S. 744, a bipartisan bill passed by the Senate (68-32) on June 27, 2013. The key difference between H.R. 15 and S. 744 is the removal of the Corker-Hoeven (“Border Surge”) amendment from the Senate bill. Instead of the inhumane and expensive border security provisions added to S. 744, H.R. 15 incorporates H.R. 1417, the Border Security Results Act of 2013. Also known as “the McCaul Bill,” H.R. 1417 is a bipartisan bill unanimously passed by the House Homeland Security Committee in May 2013.

H.R. 15 creates several new immigration categories including Registered Provisional Immigrant (“RPI”) status. RPI status will be offered to undocumented immigrants who have been present in the United States since December 31, 2011, who are admissible to the US under current law, and who meet other requirements. After six years, a person with RPI status could be eligible to renew her RPI status, and after ten years with RPI status, an individual could apply for Legal Permanent Resident status (“green card”). Undocumented individuals who use the RPI track will be eligible to apply for citizenship after three years in LPR status. This means that the pathway to earned citizenship is at least 13 years long for the majority of aspiring Americans. DREAMers will have shorter wait times to apply for Legal Permanent Resident status and citizenship through the RPI track.

We know that a major problem with our current, broken system is that there are visa backlogs that cause people to wait years before being united with their families and loved ones. H.R. 15 addresses visa application backlogs in worker and family application processes, and it works to clear these backlogs within seven years. In addition, it provides the possibility of carrying over unused visa quotas from one year to the next. H.R. 15 also addresses agricultural and other workers (both high- and low-skilled) through other visa programs.

H.R. 15 makes use of various organizations, committees, and reporting devices in most parts of its legislative scope. This means various groups will monitor and dialogue about immigration and border security policies and implementation of those policies over time. This communal and reflective approach offers a greater possibility of respect for the common good in decision-making, a principle of Catholic Social tradition. In contrast, a strict quota system like that proposed by the Corker-Hoeven amendment and other piecemeal legislation does not offer the possibility of responding to dynamic and diverse circumstances with input and oversight from multiple stakeholders. H.R. 15 also specifically addresses the need to help new immigrants acclimate to the United States and the need to protect and monitor the human rights and humanitarian needs of migrants.

Sign up to receive immigration updates from NETWORK’s immigration team: http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e7ono53lhi1o9hez/start

Take action! Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your representative’s office (or email your representative’s office) to ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 15 or thank them for doing so already!

Other resources include:

• NETWORK’s newest statement on comprehensive immigration reform.
• NETWORK’s prayer card for Mother Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants.
• USCCB on Catholic Social Teaching and immigration
• Text of H.R. 15 as introduced
• Immigration Policy Center’s Guide to H.R. 15
• American Immigration Lawyers Association comparison of S. 744 and H.R. 15

The Reality of Immigration Policies Leads to Conversion of a Sheriff

Sheriff Mark Curran answers his office phone and hears the voice of a Hispanic woman. Curran recognizes her as a young woman he’s met before, who is active in the local church community. He remembers her as a voice of confidence, bringing assurance to the large Lake County immigrant community. But the voice Curran hears on the phone is not a voice of hope, but instead, a voice of desperation. The voice begs Curran to “look at the numbers.”

This was not the first time the sheriff of Lake County, Illinois, had been approached by immigrant communities. Curran is very visible and well-known in the county just south of the Wisconsin border.

But this particular phone call was one he still keeps with him. “You’ll see the tears in their eyes, you’ll hear the crackling in their voices, and it’s hard to be human, and not to react to that,” says Curran.

The “numbers” to which the young woman referred were the statistics Curran used when he spoke at a 2008 conference, supporting the implementation of section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The controversial provision authorizes local law enforcement agencies like the Lake Country Sheriff’s Office to identify, process and detain undocumented immigrants for potential deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Curran mentioned the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), an organization that “seeks to improve border security, to stop illegal immigration, and to promote immigration levels consistent with the national interests,” and quoted FAIR’s statistics to prove the high costs immigrants were placing on the state of Illinois. The woman told Curran FAIR was a hate organization.

Before becoming sheriff, Curran had served as a prosecutor. He was heralded as a great crusader for immigration enforcement, bringing America “back to its foundations,” and people compared Curran to Joe Arpaio, the best- known sheriff in the nation, who recently won re-election to a sixth term as Maricopa County Sheriff, in Arizona.

In 2008, Curran was asked by the Catholic archdiocese to speak about law enforcement and gang violence at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein. During a Q & A session, Cardinal Francis George, The Archbishop of Chicago, asked Curran about his views on immigration. Unhappy with the answers he received, Cardinal George asked Curran to take a look at what the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) had written on immigration.

In 2003, the USCCB published Strangers No Longer Together on the Journey of Hope, a pastoral letter dealing with migration. “When persons cannot find employment in their country of origin to support themselves and their families, they have a right to find work elsewhere in order to survive. Sovereign nations should provide ways to accommodate this right,” the Bishops wrote.

Curran, a devout Catholic, goes to Mass nearly every day and to confession once a week. He researched immigration from a political, economic, and ethical perspective, realizing just how wrong he was. Curran compares his story to Paul, his confirmation name. Like Paul’s conversion from Saul to Paul on the road to Damascus, Curran says he underwent a similar conversion.

Since his conversion, Curran has been asked to speak at numerous churches, organizations, and pro- immigration rallies appeared on PBS Frontline’s “Lost in Detention,” a documentary examining immigration policy enforcement. He received an Advocate of the Year Award from the Chicago Archdiocese in October 2011. Curran feels that that it is his moral obligation to speak out against the injustices in the immigration system.

Sister Dawn Nothwehr, a professor of Catholic social teaching at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, agrees there is a moral obligation to help America’s immigrants. She cites Leviticus 19:33-34 as the main theology behind Catholic teaching on immigration. “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt.”

However, Curran thinks the path to immigration a difficult one because of human nature. He says people are too proud to seek the truth, “Ultimately, the economic and the law enforcement arguments are all there. And so are the moral arguments,” he says. “The problem is all sin is rooted in pride.”

The Reality of Immigration Policies Leads to Conversion of a Sheriff

Sheriff Mark Curran answers his office phone and hears the voice of a Hispanic woman. Curran recognizes her as a young woman he’s met before, who is active in the local church community. He remembers her as a voice of confidence, bringing assurance to the large Lake County immigrant community. But the voice Curran hears on the phone is not a voice of hope, but instead, a voice of desperation. The voice begs Curran to “look at the numbers.”

This was not the first time the sheriff of Lake County, Illinois, had been approached by immigrant communities. Curran is very visible and well-known in the county just south of the Wisconsin border.

But this particular phone call was one he still keeps with him. “You’ll see the tears in their eyes, you’ll hear the crackling in their voices, and it’s hard to be human, and not to react to that,” says Curran.

The “numbers” to which the young woman referred were the statistics Curran used when he spoke at a 2008 conference, supporting the implementation of section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The controversial provision authorizes local law enforcement agencies like the Lake Country Sheriff’s Office to identify, process and detain undocumented immigrants for potential deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Curran mentioned the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), an organization that “seeks to improve border security, to stop illegal immigration, and to promote immigration levels consistent with the national interests,” and quoted FAIR’s statistics to prove the high costs immigrants were placing on the state of Illinois. The woman told Curran FAIR was a hate organization.

Before becoming sheriff, Curran had served as a prosecutor. He was heralded as a great crusader for immigration enforcement, bringing America “back to its foundations,” and people compared Curran to Joe Arpaio, the best- known sheriff in the nation, who recently won re-election to a sixth term as Maricopa County Sheriff, in Arizona.

In 2008, Curran was asked by the Catholic archdiocese to speak about law enforcement and gang violence at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein. During a Q & A session, Cardinal Francis George, The Archbishop of Chicago, asked Curran about his views on immigration. Unhappy with the answers he received, Cardinal George asked Curran to take a look at what the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) had written on immigration.

In 2003, the USCCB published Strangers No Longer Together on the Journey of Hope, a pastoral letter dealing with migration. “When persons cannot find employment in their country of origin to support themselves and their families, they have a right to find work elsewhere in order to survive. Sovereign nations should provide ways to accommodate this right,” the Bishops wrote.

Curran, a devout Catholic, goes to Mass nearly every day and to confession once a week. He researched immigration from a political, economic, and ethical perspective, realizing just how wrong he was. Curran compares his story to Paul, his confirmation name. Like Paul’s conversion from Saul to Paul on the road to Damascus, Curran says he underwent a similar conversion.

Since his conversion, Curran has been asked to speak at numerous churches, organizations, and pro- immigration rallies appeared on PBS Frontline’s “Lost in Detention,” a documentary examining immigration policy enforcement. He received an Advocate of the Year Award from the Chicago Archdiocese in October 2011. Curran feels that that it is his moral obligation to speak out against the injustices in the immigration system.

Sister Dawn Nothwehr, a professor of Catholic social teaching at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, agrees there is a moral obligation to help America’s immigrants. She cites Leviticus 19:33-34 as the main theology behind Catholic teaching on immigration. “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt.”

However, Curran thinks the path to immigration a difficult one because of human nature. He says people are too proud to seek the truth, “Ultimately, the economic and the law enforcement arguments are all there. And so are the moral arguments,” he says. “The problem is all sin is rooted in pride.”

In the presidential debate last Wednesday there was absolutely zero conversation about U.S. immigration policy. Lucky for me, I had the opportunity to attend a conversation and short film about immigration and deportation in the hours before the debate. The presentation featured Lundy Khoy, a Cambodian woman who was born in a Thai refugee camp and moved to the U.S. when she was one year old. She received her green card around five years old, and her younger siblings are U.S. citizens.

Lundy lived in the United States her whole life, and when she was a teenager she did what many teenagers do: she made a mistake. She was arrested and charged with possession with the intent to distribute because her boyfriend had given her some pills to hold on to. Her lawyer advised that she plead guilty. Lundy’s sentence was three months, and she was on probation for four years after that.

Lundy made a mistake and had to pay the consequences. What she didn’t know then, and what I didn’t know until last Wednesday, was that green card holders can face deportation if they are found guilty of criminal charges brought against them. It doesn’t always happen right away, and it can take years before the process is completed and travel documents required for deportation go through. Lundy, now twelve years after her conviction, will be deported to a country that she has never even been to. The most frightening thing for me is that apparently this isn’t uncommon and deportations keep increasing, particularly for Southeast Asians living in America.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, provides temporary (two-year) deferral of deportation from the U.S. as well as work authorization for people who came to the U.S. before their sixteenth birthday. There is a long list of eligibility criteria, and people like Lundy are not eligible. Kids make mistakes. It happens, and I know that there are plenty of people out there who wouldn’t want to be judged by some of the things they said or did at nineteen years old. I know I wouldn’t, and I’m only twenty-two. It doesn’t make sense to me how the United States and Immigration and Customs Enforcement can look back to a silly mistake that someone made as a kid and turn their world upside-down twelve years later.

DACA, for the most part, is a beneficial, much-needed policy. DACA supporters were momentarily reassured when Mitt Romney said he would honor the Obama Administration policy should he take office in January. In the days since, Romney’s campaign has clarified that although they would not revoke the exemptions already paid for prior to January 20, there would be no new visas issued after he takes office.

What does this mean? Currently in the United States, there are 1.4 million people eligible for DACA. To date, only about 200 people have been approved. Based on this rate, it is estimated that 100,000 people would receive their visas and work papers before Inauguration Day. That’s only one in every fourteen people eligible.Clearly, the election will have a major impact on U. S. immigration policy.

No matter what is decided on November 6, it is clear that DACA does not serve as a solution to the inconsistent and unfair immigration policy of the United States. What we need to do is establish realistic, compassionate, and comprehensive immigration reform that does not simply use a checklist to determine what is just.

You can read more about Lundy’s story in the Washington Post here.

On June 15, 2012, Janet Napolitano announced that undocumented youth who were less than 31 years old on that date and had come to the United States before they were 16 years old may be eligible to apply for deferred deportation and work authorization. They must also meet other criteria, including length of residence and education requirements, and there are criminal background limitations.

As of August 15, 2012, if they meet all delineated qualifying criteria, they may file a request with a specified USCIS office for deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal.  If deferred action is granted, the individual would then be eligible for work authorization.  While data varies, it is safe to say that about 1.5 million undocumented young people seem to qualify for this life enhancing administrative action.

NETWORK reinforces its support for this bold and long awaited Administrative relief.  Unfortunately, this relief does not provide a path to citizenship and is not available to all childhood arrivals.  As such, NETWORK continues to lobby for DREAM ACT and, ultimately, comprehensive Immigration Reform.

For list of specific qualifying criteria, deadlines and forms, see www.uscis.gov/childhoodarrivals

Take note of the following process issues and specifics at the above site.

• Individuals must demonstrate through “verifiable documentation” that they meet the outlined criteria and make their request to the USCIS on three established forms which can be found on the above website.  When completing the forms, applicants should review the detailed instructions for each form to ensure compliance with requirements.
• In addition, applicants wanting to be notified by e-mail or text message that their forms have been accepted should also submit Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petitioner Acceptance.
• There is a $465 fee, which covers the cost of a biometric check, the background check for applicants and checking each application on a case-by-case basis for fraud.   This fee requirement should quiet the GOP complaints of increased cost to the USA for implementing the program.  A receipt will be issued to those who submit the proper payment with the forms.
• The forms and documentation are to be mailed to a specific USCIS office for each geographical area that can be located on the USCIS website.
• If, upon initial review the packet is deemed complete, the individual will receive a letter informing him/her to report for biometric testing.  A background check will follow.  This does not mean that the individual has been approved. Rather, it means that the packet of information has been accepted as complete.
• If all continues to go well, the packet will be reviewed and the individual will be notified of the decision within “several months” according to one high ranking USCIS official.

Do You Need a Lawyer?  In the early stages of this roll out, criminal history, prior deportation orders and arrests are causes for pause.

• The forms and process can be completed without an attorney and no attorney has special connections that will hasten someone’s chances of receiving deferred action.  If an attorney makes such a promise, he/she should not be paid and the USCIS hotline should be notified of any promises related to outcomes. This is a case by case review and nothing is certain until the process is completed.
• While the process is clear on the website, there are many nuances.  If an applicant has any criminal background or has ever been arrested or taken into custody, consult a reputable immigration attorney.
• Although USCIS states that family information on the applications will not be shared with ICE, it does note that information may be shared with other national and law enforcement agencies for perceived criminal activity, possibility of fraud or even leniency.  Immigrant applicants should consult a reputable attorney if these facts exist in their history or family.
• Avoid notaries who tell you repeated deportations or misdemeanors are not important or they “know someone who can help you.”
• The means by which the criminal history piece will be practically applied is not proven yet.  All reviews are on a case by case basis and, if a criminal issue is to be reported, the immigrant should seek a pre submission review by a known immigration attorney.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

The inscription on the State of Liberty reflects the American tradition of welcoming the immigrant. Throughout our history, we have assured the American Dream can be attained by anyone willing to work hard and contribute to the common good.

However, our current immigration system is not a working one. Years-, sometimes decades-long waits in our current immigration system delay opportunities for immigrants to provide priceless innovations to our society.  Dr. Adriana Kugler, Chief Economist for the Department of Labor, released a report last month detailing how immigrants build stronger communities, one neighborhood at a time. Some of the highlights cited included how immigrants strengthen our country in various areas.

Immigrants promote American business.

• Immigrants are nearly 30% more likely to start a business.
• Immigrants represent 16.7% of all new business owners.
• Immigrants started 25% of the U.S. public venture- backed companies between 1990 and 2005.

Immigrants promote jobs for all Americans.

• Generally, evidence for the U.S. finds that immigrants tend to generate little displacement of domestic workers. This is because they tend to choose different occupations and have different skills.
• Domestic workers benefit overall from immigration. The rise in immigration between 1990 and 2004 increased the earnings of those with more than a high school degree by 0.7% by 2004 and is expected to increase them by 1.8% over the longer term.
• These companies directly employ an estimated 220,000 people inside the U.S. across many different sectors.
• 40% of U.S. publicly traded venture-backed companies operated in high tech manufacturing (including Intel, Google, Yahoo, and eBay) were started by immigrants and they hire more than half of workers in this sector.

Immigrants are an important component in essential sectors of our economy.

• While immigrants represent 15% of the population, immigrants represent 24% of U.S. scientists and 47% of U.S. engineers with bachelor or doctoral degrees.

Immigrants promote the common good by addressing our debt.

• According to the CBO, the fiscal impact of immigrants as a whole is positive as the tax revenues generated by immigrants exceed the cost of the government services they use.
• The IRS estimates that about 60% of undocumented immigrants pay taxes and that between 1996-2003 they paid almost $50 billion in federal taxes, including payroll and social security taxes.
• The CBO also estimates that spending by states for undocumented immigrants accounted for less than5% of total state and local spending for education, healthcare and law enforcement.

You can view the complete report with charts and additional information here.

On Wednesday, I lobbied White House officials as a member of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition. We asked the administration to utilize its considerable executive powers to facilitate some kind of categorical relief for the Dreamer. And we presented our arguments for realization of the Dream as members of a large interfaith coalition that can claim solidarity in our view regarding the need for acceptance and freedom for the Dreamers of this generation.

Forty to fifty years ago, Reverend Martin Luther King fought for a similar Dream, with similar faith support. He dreamed that, one day, little black children and little white children would join hands as brothers and sisters. Inequality, as a matter of law, would be abolished.

Today, the Dream lives… but it will never be fully realized until we reach out to join hands with the brown children and the yellow children too…until all children join hands freely.

I work on healthcare, nutrition, safety net, etc., with many interfaith activist coalitions. Different religious values and beliefs make for different points of view and political thoughts. Birth control… war…. gay persons’ rights… so much prevents us from coming to full agreement. Some subjects can’t even be raised. But on this topic of justice for the Dreamer, we all, without reservation, agree.

So the mere fact that all religions represented in this large, interfaith coalition agree on this subject must tell us all something. It is so right, so clear, that there can be no just opposition.

I believe it is God saying that it is time for the truth to be unearthed, …right here, …right now. We believe that the innocent child who was brought over by an adult should not suffer one more day. All available measures to assist them should be fully implemented. I think that the present administration believes this as well. But faith without works is dead.

We know, as faithful people, that we belong to each other. And once we truly believe that we belong to one another, our responsibility to treat each other with respect and dignity comes alive. A valid belief should always create a will to effect change.

So our faith communities serve the undocumented and documented immigrant populations in the streets. Daily, in some form or another, we serve the hungry, the homeless and the cold immigrant. We see their pain. And we know their suffering is created by the laws that allow treatment that is unequal, unaccepting and racist. So, we work in our congregations and on Capitol Hill to revolutionize the hearts of people.

In the meanwhile, as Martin Luther King further reminds us: the habits, if not the hearts of people, have been and are being altered by legislative acts, judicial decisions and executive orders. We will not be misled by those who would argue that justice for the Dreamer cannot be achieved through force of law. (adapted from Strength to Love)

Laws and executive orders that provide for justice and the common good enable human beings to live as God intended for them to live.

The administration has publicly professed belief in justice for the Dreamer. I think everyone in that room believed in this. But faith without works is dead. So we must ask ourselves, can we make our work reflect our stated belief? A great man once said, ‘YES WE CAN’.

He was right.

On April 26, 2012, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear oral arguments on Arizona’s anti-immigration law S.B. 1070, and a ruling is expected before the end of the term in June.

NETWORK, along with approximately 50 other civil rights, faith, and community organizations filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court urging the affirmance of the injunction issued by the lower court. (We are also taking part in a prayer vigil before the Supreme Court during the week. Photo shows NETWORK’s Sr. Mary Ellen Lacy leading a prayer.)

Although purportedly targeting “unlawfully present” immigrants, S.B. 1070 will dramatically harm the lives of U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (“LPRs”), and other individuals across a spectrum of immigration statuses—such as asylum seekers and victims of violent crimes—in ways that run counter to the federal immigration scheme. Underlying S.B. 1070 are two fallacies. The first is that each person fits into one of two categories—those who are “lawfully present” and those who are not. The second is that Arizona law enforcement officers can readily distinguish between these categories by simply reviewing a certain set of federally mandated documents, or by calling the federal government on the telephone….

Excerpted from the amicus brief. See entire amicus brief here.

NETWORK believes that individual state-authored or Supreme Court-tweaked legislation is not the ideal; nor is it representative of the separation of powers and the checks and balances mandated by the first articles in the U.S. Constitution.

NETWORK maintains that the manner in which we treat immigrants is one of national significance, and we call upon Congress to adopt federally mandated legislation that is just, compassionate and wise.