Jessica Astudillo was in high school before she learned she was an undocumented immigrant. Her parents sat her down and told her the truth — they brought her to America from their native Ecuador when she was two years old.
Congress
As DACA Marks 10th Anniversary, Recipients Voice Frustration Over Inaction
Standing outside the U.S. Capitol pleading with lawmakers to grant her and her peers a path toward citizenship is not how Zuleyma Barajas pictured her life 10 years after she was granted a temporary solution to remain in the U.S.
Bishops Urge Comprehensive Response to Shootings, Including Gun Control
In response to a recent string of mass shootings, four U.S. bishops’ conference chairmen have called on Congress to work towards legislation that “addresses all aspects of the crisis,” mainly gun control, mental health, and declining family life.
Puerto Rico Religious Leaders Welcome Long-Awaited Debt Restructuring Plan
Religious leaders in Puerto Rico have welcomed a debt restructuring plan that will reduce the stress on the U.S. territory’s economy and called for more focused efforts to reduce poverty and prioritize economic development.
Broad Effort to Pass Bill Supporting Pregnant Workers Focuses on Senate
Amid all the political sniping in Congress, one bill has gained strong bipartisan support and is poised to become law.
Justice Department Drops Conscience Case; Move Called ‘Dereliction’ of Duty
The chairmen of the U.S. bishops’ religious liberty and pro-life committees said Aug. 12 that the U.S. Department of Justice “is acting in dereliction of its duty to enforce the plain meaning of federal law” by voluntarily dismissing a civil lawsuit against a hospital that forced nurses to assist in elective abortions against their religious beliefs.
Efforts to Amend House Appropriations Bills With Pro-Life Riders Fail
As he offered three amendments to the State Department appropriations bill before the House July 28, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., asked his House colleagues in remarks from the floor, “Where is the justice and empathy and compassion for unborn babies?”
Bishops, Advocates Call Immigration Ruling a ‘Wake-Up Call’ for Congress
Before Daniela Alulema became a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient in 2012, she remembers the hardships and uncertainty she experienced as a completely undocumented college student.
New York Bishops’ Group Urges State Representatives to Support Hyde Amendment Renewal
The New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the bishops of New York in public policy matters, sent a letter to the state’s congressional delegation urging them “to reject taxpayer funding of abortion, and to oppose appropriations bills that do not include the long-standing, bipartisan Hyde Amendment and related pro-life policies.”
Bishops Call on Congress to Fix Immigration System After TPS Court Ruling
Two members of the U.S. bishops’ conference migration committee called on Congress to “stop kicking the can down the road” on immigration reform after a unanimous Supreme Court ruled that immigrants who receive Temporary Protected Status (TPS) after entering the country illegally are ineligible to apply for “green cards” to stay in the country permanently.