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.
Immigrants
Catholic University of America Dedicates ‘Angels Unawares’ Sculpture
A monumental work of art depicting migrants and refugees seeking a home has found its own permanent home at a new plaza at The Catholic University of America.
Immigration Advocates Praise Decision to End Title 42 Border Policy
When Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso got the news that the federal government will soon terminate Title 42, a controversial border policy, he said he began “thanking God.”
Only In Print: Talk of New Cold War Heating Up
A new Cold War is emerging since Russian troops invaded Ukraine last month.
Visa Delays Causing Hardships for Church Workers in U.S.
Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso considers the process temporary religious worker visa recipients endure to maintain lawful status a “race against time” with federal processing backlogs making it difficult to satisfy different permissions and expiration dates.
Bishops Urge Mexico to Return to Policy of ‘Open Arms’
The Mexican bishops’ migrant ministry has called on the federal government to return to a policy of “open arms” as the country experiences heavy waves of migration — most visibly with Haitians, who recently traveled the length of Mexico to the U.S. border in large numbers.
Texas Archbishop Says Small Border Crossing Is Facing ‘A Humanitarian Crisis’
As thousands of migrants congregate underneath the Del Rio International Bridge, the Archbishop of San Antonio says the archdiocese is ready to help, but he fears an already overwhelming situation at the small Texas-Mexico border city will get worse.
Bishop Praises House Members for Proposing Citizenship Path for Immigrants
The U.S. bishops’ migration committee chairman Sept. 15 welcomed a move by House members to include language in the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill to provide a pathway to U.S. citizenship for beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and other immigrants.
COVID Made Bad Situation For Immigrants Worse, Catholic Survey Finds
One of the main findings of the survey was that the demand for Catholic institution’s services from the immigrant community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased. And those Catholic institutions responded with a number of new services, the survey found. These included: financial assistance, COVID-19 testing, education, contact tracing, and quarantine services, mental health services, grief support and assistance with funeral expenses, and delivery of food and sanitation supplies for infected and other homebound persons.
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.