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Our commitment to immigration reform calls us to raise our voices in defense of the voiceless and vulnerable immigrants in our midst. Ever since the downturn in the U.S. economy there has been an increase in backlash against immigrants. We have heard of workplace raids, detentions and deportations, as well as anti-immigrant legislation proposed and passed by local and state governments. The crackdown on immigrants has not only created a climate of fear and intimidation, but also prevents the immigrants from exercising their economic and political power.
Pastoral Care Ministry
Sr. Francisca Olvera is in the process of receiving training to serve as a chaplain in the El Centro, California detention center. She will be working under the auspices of the Jesuit Refugee Services. JRA has chaplaincy programs in El Paso, Texas; Mira Loma, California; Florence, Arizona; and Batavia, New York. We are grateful for the opportunity for a Victory Noll Sister to be a caring presence among those who are being detained and assure Sr. Francisca of our support and prayer in this new ministry.
In Chicago, Sisters JoAnn Persch and Pat Murphy, members of the Sisters of Mercy, are largely responsible for legislation passed in Illinois to have pastoral ministry in prisons and detention centers. The law went into effect in June 2009, and the weekly visitations with approximately 250 undocumented persons at the McHenry County Jail are going very well. Pastoral visitations began at the Broadview Center on February 19, 2010.
Sisters JoAnn and Pat were part of the original planning group to establish “Sisters and Brothers of Immigrants, and continue to be a vital part of the endeavors of this group, as are our Sisters at the Julia Center. Sisters JoAnn and Pat were also instrumental in starting a prayer service outside the federal detention center in Broadview, the last stop before the detainees are deported. Every Friday for the past two and one-half years in all kinds of weather, the group, which has grown to nearly two dozen sisters, clergy, and other activists, prays the rosary and then boards the buses to bless the immigrants being sent out of the country.
Immigration Update
At the beginning of 2010, expectations were running high for legislative action for immigration reform this year. March 21 was a beautiful day on the National Mall in Washington, DC, when 200,000 people from across the country gathered to call for changes in our nation's immigration laws. Just about the same time the Senate released a framework for immigration reform. But, April brought discouraging news from Arizona.
On April 23, 2010, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed Senate Bill 1070, which essentially allows local police to investigate and then detain or trigger deportation proceedings against any person about whom they have a "reasonable suspicion" of residing in Arizona without documentation. Many, including the Catholic bishops of Arizona, are concerned that this law violates the protection guaranteed by the Constitution, that it will negatively impact immigrant families, and that it will compromise public safety.
The Catholic leadership in the United States has been consistent in their response to the Arizona law SB 1070 from the perspective of Catholic Social Teaching. They believe the law violates human dignity and the human rights of populations targeted by the law.
On April 17, Bishop John Wester, Chairman of the USCCB Migration Committee, issued a statement:
(Source: Immigration Update – Arizona and Immigration, May 2010,
Education for Justice, www.educationforjustice.org)
Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR)
On Thursday, April 29, Senators Charles Schumer (NY), Harry Reid (NV), Robert Menendez (NJ), Patrick Leahy (VT), Richard Durbin (IL), and Diane Feinstein (CA), all Democrats, released the Real Enforcement with Practical Answers for Immigration Reform (REPAIR) proposal, a framework for CIR legislation. The REPAIR proposal does not contain legislative language; rather, it outlines the Senators' substantive ideas for an eventual bill. It includes plans for border and interior enforcement, legalization, a biometric social security card, employment and family visa reforms, a new immigrant worker visa, detention reform, and other measures. The Senators hope that their proposal will serve as a starting point for discussions with potential Republican co-sponsors and supporters. President Obama released a statement praising the framework and repeating the need for immigration reform legislation. However, a few days later the President suggested that CIR may need to wait, given other legislative priorities.
U.S. Bishops and REPAIR Proposal
Bishop John Wester, Chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Migration, issued a statement calling the REPAIR proposal "an important first step." But, he expressed concern about the level of border enforcement spending in the proposal and the lack of any foreign development measures aimed at improving Mexican and Central American economies to reduce migration pressures. He urged Congress to act now to fix what he called a "badly broken system in need of immediate repair."
(Source: USCCB Policy Update, April 30, 2010,
"Justice for Immigrants" website, www.justiceforimmigrants.org)
Human Rights and Dentention
Over 300,000 men, women, and children are detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) each year, the majority of whom have no criminal history whatsoever. Harsh immigration laws passed in 1996 violate the human rights of immigrants by using a policy of mandatory detention. They are deprived of access to legal counsel and fair hearing in court. They are denied basic due process and human rights. This is in violation of international law.
(Source: Detention Watch Network, http://detentionwatchmetwork/org/humanrights)
Detention of immigrants has vastly expanded in the past 15 years. The number of immigrants held in jail-like detention facilities has tripled since 1996. Why? The purported reason is to catch "dangerous criminal aliens," who pose a threat to public safety or national security.
In order to catch more non-criminal immigrants, ICE relies on controversial local enforcement programs that authorize police officers to enforce immigration laws. As a recent government report shows, local enforcement programs lack oversight and result in the widespread use of racial profiling.
Because of the overwhelming number of detainees and the lack of immigration judges to process their cases in a timely fashion, detainees languish in detention facilities for months, even years. This is costing U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars. Yet, ICE continues to justify their system. The enforcement-only program does not work. This is another reason for comprehensive immigration reform.
(Source: US Bishops' Campaign, Justice for Immigrants, www.justiceforimmigrants.org)
Racial and Religious Profiling
Racial and religious profiling is a pervasive problem that affects many communities across the country. Not only is racial and religious profiling humiliating and degrading for those subjected to it, but it is also unconstitutional. It is an ineffective enforcement practice and damages community security.
Rights Working Group has initiated a campaign called Facing the Truth. Its goal is to achieve commitments at all levels of government to ban all forms of racial and religious profiling by law enforcement. This campaign has three policy objectives:
Secure passage of federal legislation to ban racial profiling – "The End Racial Profiling Act."
Revise the June 2003 Department of Justice Federal Guidance on Racial Profiling to eliminate the border and national security loophole that includes profiling based on religion and ethnic origin, and to ensure that the guidance is enforceable.
Eliminate Department of Homeland Security programs that result in racial profiling in immigration enforcement.
For further information on Facing the Truth campaign, go to Rights Working Group's web site, www.rightsworkinggroup.org.
Making a Difference
Are you aware of Associate Steve Hay's ministry in Santa Fe, New Mexico? He volunteers to help undocumented immigrants in a detention facility in downtown Santa Fe for two hours every Monday evening. While a priest hears confessions on one side of the room, Steve holds a faith-sharing session in Spanish on the other side, reading Scripture and applying the teachings to our lives. Congratulation to Steve for this important ministry! (For further information on Steve's ministry, see VISIONS, March 2010.)
Resources on Immigration
There are many religious and secular organizations that are working for immigration reform. For more information, check the following websites on the Internet:
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition: www.interfaithimmigration.org
Send an email to bmefford@umc-gbcs.org for information on how to participate in a conference call on the first Monday of each month.
Our Lady of Victory Missonary Sisters is an American Missionary Congregation founded in 1922 — serving the poor and oppressed in a personal, non-institutional way
+ Proclaiming the Gospel + Working for Justice + Empowering the Laity
We want to minister to the culturally diverse Catholic population of this country, proclaiming Jesus Christ through evangelization, education and/or Christian formation. We would like to offer a solid Catholic teaching and ministries that speak to the needs of the faith communities, empowering the Laity, dedicating our prayer and ministry to the proclamation of God's Kingdom.
That is why we have become part of a network of religious communities collaborating to assist home mission dioceses in their efforts to develop lay leadership and ministry. This is an initiative of the Home Missions Leadership Conference and the Congar Institute for Ministry Development. READ MORE
