Rebecca Scholtz has experienced firsthand how the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) program can be an “incredibly life-changing process” for undocumented youth, one that culminates with a green card and the ability to make a life for themselves in the U.S.
immigration
White House Hosts Visit for ‘Dreamers’; Six Young People Meet With Biden
President Joe Biden welcomed to the White House May 14 six beneficiaries of a program that helps young adults brought into the country illegally as children.
President Biden’s First 100 Days Receive Mixed Reviews From Catholics
The Catholic electorate gives mixed reviews on President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office. Issues of concern include his COVID-19 response, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and religious freedom.
USCCB Applauds Biden’s Decision To Raise Refugee Cap to 62,500
President Joe Biden officially raised the refugee admissions cap for the fiscal year that ends September 30 to 62,500, touting it as an essential — if currently unachievable — step for his administration to take.
The Tablet at the Border: One Town’s View
Near the end of S. 15th Street in Hidalgo, Texas, the road turns from smooth pavement to pothole-ridden dirt. Both sides of the street are no longer lined with local neighborhoods, but instead battered fences at the edge of desolate fields.
Haitian Immigrants Confused, Worried about Temporary Protected Status
While on the campaign trail in Miami this past October, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden promised to never quit on the Haitian American community. But now, many Haitian immigrants are confused and anxious, wondering if deportation is imminent.
U.S. and Mexican Bishops Call for Better Migration Policies at Border
As the number of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border continues to soar, more than a dozen Catholic bishops from both countries issued a reminder April 1 that “there is a shared responsibility of all nations to preserve human life and provide for safe, orderly, and humane immigration, including the right to asylum.”
Laredo Church Authorities Waiting for Influx of Immigrants
From conversations with federal government officials at the border, Bishop James Tamayo of Laredo estimates that there are at least 800 families — thousands of people — waiting on the Mexico side of the Laredo border for entry into the United States.
COVID-19 Pandemic Makes Human Trafficking Worse, Panel Says
Flor Molina crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her trafficker in 2002. At the time, she was under the impression the trip would last six months, provide housing, and enough money to return to Mexico to open a sewing shop and provide for her three children.
Center for Migration Studies Looks at Immigrants’ Health Risks
The Center for Migration Studies (CMS) of New York issued a 40-page study, “Mapping Key Determinants of Immigrants’ Health in Brooklyn and Queens,” on Feb. 23 and looked at the two boroughs neighborhood by neighborhood to determine which non-citizen immigrant communities are most at risk.