Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Future of Anti-human Trafficking Bills sought by Catholics Unclear amid Wider Immigration Debate

June 19, 2024

~ by Kate Scanlon, OSV News for Global Sisters Report

A trio of bills to combat human trafficking sought by Catholic advocates faces an uncertain future in Congress amid a wider debate over immigration policy.At a June 6 briefing at the Capitol, representatives from the Alliance to End Human Trafficking and the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd pointed to three bills they said would aid efforts to combat the practice: HR 5856, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2023; HR 1325, the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act of 2023; and HR 6145, Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act of 2023.

Sister Brigid Lawlor, founder of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, or NAC, and a sister of that community, said the issues of human trafficking and forced migration are closely linked.

“We have seen firsthand how traffickers prey on those forced to flee their homes by circumstances beyondtheir control,” she said in remarks at the briefing. “We all know what they are, could be floods, famine or gang violence, domestic violence, poverty, persecution and political corruption.”

Ending human trafficking, she said, “is a bipartisan issue with bipartisan solutions,” pointing to both Republican and Democratic staffers in attendance. “We need legislative action to address these particular trafficking vulnerabilities.” (Photo: OSV News/CNS file, Ruby Thomas, The Record)

The House in February approved the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act with a broad, bipartisan majority. The bill was sent to the Senate and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations, which has not yet moved to advance it. That legislation also is supported by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act and its Senate companion, S 255, would shorten the waiting period for asylees to be granted work permits, allowing them to seek employment and reducing their vulnerability to traffickers, supporters said. The USCCB also supports that legislation. The House and Senate versions of that legislation have yet to be taken up by their relevant committees.

The bipartisan Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act, which supporters say would reduce the immigration court backlog and strengthen due process rights for children in that process, also has yet to be taken up by the House Judiciary Committee.

But key provisions of that legislation were among the Biden administration’s December 2023 executive action on immigration, establishing separate dockets focused on the adjudication of unaccompanied children’s removal proceedings. Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., praised that move in a December statement as “welcome progress” but argued “we must build on this effort from the Executive Branch by passing my bipartisan Children’s Court Act to codify the creation of a separate Children’s Court into law.”

Congressional staffers in the House and Senate who spoke with OSV News about the bills’ prospects were unable to provide information about a timeline for advancing them, with one suggesting that any legislation dealing with immigration is getting caught up in wider debates over the border, even if the items have nothing to do with the border.

An Update on U.S. Immigration Policies

June 13, 2024

At the end of February, after President Biden’s bipartisan bill collapsed when Republicans backed away from the agreement, the President reportedly told the National Governors Association he was exploring executive actions. The Bill would have, in theory, restricted illegal border crossings, made it more difficult to apply for asylum and speed up deportations while simultaneously making more visas available legally.

Since this time there has been an executive action, announced last Tuesday, that bars migrants crossing the border illegally from seeking asylum — with some limited exceptions. Instead, they would be turned away immediately. The action and accompanying rule from the Biden administration allows the president to suspend asylum claims in between ports of entry when there is an average of 2,500 crossings a day over a seven-day period. That threshold, administration officials said, has already been hit over the past week.

The average daily illegal crossings have for years surpassed that threshold, peaking at over 8,000 last December, according to The Department of Homeland Security.
The surge driving those record-breaking crossings reflects a worldwide rise in migration over the last five years, driven by factors such as the uneven economic recovery from the pandemic and climate change, according to Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, an associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute

Under a pandemic-era restriction, which was lifted last year, federal authorities expelled hundreds of thousands of migrants encountered at the US southern border.
When crossings exceed a daily average over the course of a week, the president will have the authority to shut down the border in between ports of entry. Once the shutdown is in effect, DHS secretary Alejandro Mayorkas can reopen the border once average crossings have fallen below 1,500 for seven consecutive days. That determination allows the border to reopen 14 days later.

There will still be a number of exceptions, including for unaccompanied children, some victims of trafficking, migrants facing acute medical emergencies or imminent threats to their safety. Migrants who also have an appointment at a port of entry via Custom and Border Protection’s smartphone app will still be processed.

People who cross the border unlawfully will be deemed ineligible for asylum absent of compelling circumstances, and they will only be referred to an asylum officer under specific circumstances. Migrants who are screened by an asylum officer will also face higher standards than what was previously used to determine fear or the intention to seek asylum. Some migrants could be removed immediately from the U.S. in a matter of hours or days. These migrants could also face a five-year ban on reentering the country, as well as potential criminal prosecution.

The actions Biden announced last week are expected to face legal challenges, just as the Trump administration did when relying on the same presidential authority to make sweeping changes to the immigration system. The president’s officials said they included “important humanitarian and legal changes” in their implementation of the authority. But they also said they’re prepared to defend the policy changes in court.
The American Civil Liberties Union announced that it would challenge the Biden administration’s policies in court, noting that the actions “take the same approach as the Trump administration’s asylum ban.”

They Journeyed Many Miles to Honor All Immigrants

June 13, 2024

In the spirit of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, this year Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC joined the 21st Annual Migrant Trail Walk. This is a 75-mile walk from Sásabe, Mexico to Tucson, Arizona which concluded on Sunday, June 2nd. Ivonne Moreno-Rodriguez, Director of Social Services at CIS-NYC, and David Rodriguez joined 36 other humanitarian workers to commemorate migrants who have lost their lives traveling across the US-Mexico border. Ivonne and David walked between 6 and 16 miles per day for a week to advocate for humane border policies and to honor our Cabrini clients and all immigrants who have crossed and continue crossing.

Here in the United States, more than 8,000 people (men, women and children) have lost their lives crossing the U.S.-Mexico border since the initiation of border deterrence policies in the 1990s. In the past year, 191 remains were found in the Arizona desert. Participants carried a white cross with the names of migrants who died in the desert. Other people carried a cross with the name “desconocido/a” (Spanish for “unknown”) that represents the remains of a person that has not yet been identified.

SPRING Brings Lots of Activities to CIS-NYC

May 1, 2024

On April 20th, CIS-NYC’s Social Services Program hosted a lunch for 21 of our families (31 adults and 21 children). The families enjoyed a delicious lunch and participated in group activities. Clients shared their immigration journeys, their proudest moments, and challenges in their lives. It was beautiful to see our community members connecting deeply, supporting one another, and enjoying each other’s company. They were sharing their joy at the opportunity to connect for days afterwards in our group chats! Thank you to our wonderful Social Services staff for organizing this event: Sr. Yolanda Flores, MSC, Yaniris Ortiz, Tiburcio Segoviano, Laylani Rosario and Ivonne Moreno-Rodriguez.

On April 23rd, CIS-NYC hosted a screening of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation’s short film, “Our Larger Community: Embracing New York’s New Immigrants,” which features one of our community members (and former staff member), Brenda. We were joined by staff, volunteers, partners, donors, and members of the local community who enjoyed some refreshments, viewed the film, and engaged in a panel discussion with some of our staff.

Thank you to Javier Ramirez-Baron, Dalilah Negrete, Yaniris Ortiz, and Amelia Scdoris for sharing about your work. And a big thank you to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation staff for joining us to share about the film! You can view the film here: https://film.cabrinihealth.org/

CIS-NYC recently released our 2023 Annual Report, which outlines our work over the course of 2023 and features many beautiful client stories. You can view the report here: https://cis-nyc.org/annual-report-2023

Presenting the Facts on Domestic Violence

March 21, 2024

Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, NY, held a workshop on Domestic Abuse and Violence. Statistics in the United States show that nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner. In one year, there are more than 10 million women and men abused. We know how important it is to educate people to be aware of the signs of abuse and hopefully help to prevent some people from being abused.

Digna Merchan, MSW, a former social work intern at St. Cabrini Nursing Home and CIS in Dobbs Ferry, presented the workshop. She spoke about what domestic violence is, the different types of violence, the causes, the mental and physical effects on the person, etc. Rocio Soria Morales, a social work intern at CIS, spoke about the impact of domestic violence on children. She presented how witnessing domestic violence effects the child both physically and emotionally. It also has a great impact on their future.

In addition, everyone received a folder filled with information about places that assist domestic violence victims, hotlines to call, places that will assist with legal services, etc.

Justice for Immigrants Advocate in Albany NY

March 6, 2024

Last week, members of Justice for Immigrants at Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC were engaged in advocacy efforts in Albany, supporting two campaigns.

On Monday, we joined forces with the Fund Excluded Workers Coalition to rally for the Unemployment Bridge Program. This initiative aims to extend unemployment benefits to marginalized workers such as undocumented individuals, formerly incarcerated individuals, and freelancers. Our involvement included participating in a press conference, lobbying, and sharing testimonies.

On Tuesday, several of our members lobbied for the Working Families Tax Credit. This proposed credit combines existing tax credits to ensure that families with the lowest incomes receive the most benefits. For instance, under the WFTC, a family of four could potentially receive up to $1600 per child, in relation to just $100 per child annually under existing tax credit benefits.

Earlier this month, we supported the launch of the WFTC calculator, a tool designed to help families estimate their potential benefits under the proposed legislation: https://www.nyic.org/our-work/campaigns/the-ny-working-families-tax-credit/

CABRINI Film to Debut on March 8th International Women’s Day

March 6, 2024

In celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, the long-awaited and much-anticipated CABRINI movie will make its debut tomorrow in theaters across the United States.

The story of our patroness, Mother Cabrini, is being brought to life through a film directed by Alejandro Monteverde and Executive Producers. J. Eustace Wolfington and Eduardo Verástegui.

The movie tells the story of Mother Cabrini, who after witnessing disease and poverty in the slums of New York, embarks on a daring journey to persuade the hostile New York City mayor to provide housing and healthcare for hundreds of orphaned children.

Cabrini film producer Jonathan Sanger said he wants [people] to keep this thought in mind as they view the film:
“The lesson of the movie is that we all need to do more. She became the [patron] saint of immigrants and we’re living in a situation and a time where immigration is a huge issue worldwide. The movie is very contemporary…it’s about exactly what’s happening today, as much as it was a lot about what was happening at the turn of the century.” ~ WKBW 7 ABC Buffalo

To watch a trailer of the film, click here

CIS Hosts Parenting Workshop

January 31, 2024

Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, NY, offered a workshop for parents of toddlers. Betsy Suarez, LMHC, presented: “Effective Strategies: How to Get Your Children to Listen to You More Consistently.”

Our clients from CIS as well as some of the asylum seekers from neighboring towns joined us for the workshop. They discussed achievable goals when raising young children and different ways of achieving the goals. As a group, they discussed what worked with their child and what needed improvement. Betsy assured them to be patient with themselves. She reminded them that no one is an expert.

While the parents were attending the workshop, our social work intern kept the toddlers entertained with puzzles, coloring and different toys. It was very evident that toddlers have an enormous amount of energy!

Catholic Migrant Shelter in Mexico offers Respite, Solidarity

January 31, 2024

~ by Julieta Valdez, National Catholic Reporter

The Archdiocese of Monterrey, Mexico, founded Casanicolás in 2004. “Just as the Mexican government demands a just treatment of our emigrants in the United States, it should respect the rights of those who come from Central America,” Msgr. Luis Eduardo Villarreal, then director of social ministry for the archdiocese, said at the time.

Casanicolás provides shelter, medical and legal support to thousands of Central and South American migrants every year.
Casanicolás is an apostolate of the parish of Saint Frances Xavier.

Casanicolás, named after St. Nicholas of Tolentine, includes 130 beds across three buildings, one for women and two for men.

Monsignor Luis Eduardo Villarreal, ordained 42 years ago, has been the parish priest of the Church of San Francisco Xavier, a few blocks from Casanicolás.

“Our migrants arrive in Casanicolás worn out and traumatized by the mistreatment they receive in national territory. Here in Mexico is where the migrants suffer the most on their journey. Extortion, kidnapping, robbery, beatings, threats…it’s hell,” Villarreal said.

The priest is also a professor at Universidad Libre de Derecho, a law school, where he teaches socioeconomic problems of Mexico and oversees an immigration law clinic.

“The migrant is a good person who contributes work, culture, and life projects to places where he or she arrives; the rest are myths and not realities,” he said.

“Casanicolas’ vision is to humanize human mobility,” said Philippe Stoesslé, professor-researcher of law and social sciences at the University of Monterrey.

“I admire Monsignor Luis Eduardo. Having achieved so much, he is an extremely humble person. He is very close to his parishioners and the migrants at the shelter,” he said.

“Villarreal has taught me a deep understanding of Christian mercy, which includes welcoming migrants, but also one that includes protection, security, warm human treatment, guidance and spiritual accompaniment, knowing the people by name and not just as numbers.

“He has a vision of mercy, empathy, infinite compassion and human rights. He is sensitive to the protection and promotion of human rights, which goes hand in hand with his Christian profile of guaranteeing dignity to all human beings,” Stoesslé said.

From 2019 to 2023, Casanicolás has sheltered 4,000 to 7,700 migrants per year. Since 2021, the number of adults accompanied by minors has increased.

Villarreal told NCR that Casanicolás’ fundamental purpose is theological.

“We want to give a response to the Gospel, because we believe in the project of the Gospel,” he said. “A project of brotherhood and solidarity between one and other. And this shelter is a sign that it is possible that the last shall be the first.”

To read the full account, please click here

A Very Busy December at CIS-NYC

December 13, 2023

A Very Busy December at CIS-NYC

On Friday, December 1st, we had a busy day at CIS-NYC. In the morning, we collaborated with volunteers at Kearney, (a global management consulting firm) to host a career development workshop for some of our Angel Fund Scholarship recipients and other young clients. The group learned about career planning, how to build a resume, and how to prepare for an interview. They were able to engage with and learn from and inspiring group of professionals from Kearney. Our students left motivated to pursue their dream careers!

On Friday, we also hosted a legal clinic in collaboration with Saint Michael’s Church in Brooklyn. At the clinic we were able to assist 17 individuals with applying for Temporary Protected Status, a program which allows migrants whose home countries are unsafe the right to live and work in the United States for a temporary, but extendable, period of time. In recent months, our legal team has been working hard to ensure all of our clients who are eligible for this status are able to apply.

On December 5th, members of Justice for Immigrants at CIS-NYC marched in solidarity to City Hall alongside various organizations advocating for New York’s Right to Shelter law. Our members shared their experiences and perspectives with a PBS reporter. It was a powerful display of unity and advocacy, and a collective voice demanding justice and shelter for all in our community. If you would like to join us in defending New York’s Right to Shelter policy, you can sign this petition: https://p2a.co/axh2luo CIS-NYC

On Saturday, December 9th we held the first session of our leadership development training, where Justice for Immigrants members did a deep dive into community organizing and storytelling. Participants delved into the art of crafting and sharing personal narratives, equipping themselves with powerful tools for advocacy. Together, we learned how to foster a community-driven approach to amplify voices and create meaningful change. The following week, participants put their learning into action as they mobilized for a moving action to advocate for the Unemployment Bridge Program. This legislation would create an unemployment benefit program for excluded workers, such as undocumented immigrants.

Lastly, on December 10th we had the opportunity to celebrate our wonderful Food Pantry volunteers with a festive volunteer appreciation lunch! Our Food Pantry would not be able to serve hundreds of families each week without the support of our volunteers.