i nterfaithimmigration.org - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

interfaithimmigration.org

Call and Webinar will begin on Monday, february 1 at 4 p.m. ETFor audio, please dial 641-715-3670, and enter access code 104402#Audio Visual Link is at: http://join.me/faith4immigrationPlease remember to leave your webcam turned OFF, in order to not block the powerpoint view for others. Also, please mute your phone line! Thanks so much!!Slide2

Interfaith Immigration Webinar:Faith Response to Border Militarization and Central American Asylum Seekers

Reverend Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, Director, Refugee & Immigration Ministries, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), FacilitatorJennifer Johnson, Policy Advisor for the Southern Border Communities Coalition/Church World ServiceShaina Aber, Policy Director, National Advocacy Office, Jesuit ConferenceFebruary 1, 2016Slide3

U.S.-Mexico Border Region

Population: ~15 million154 Native American tribes in 4 U.S. border states, 25 in border regionHundreds of thousands cross border every day to shop, visit family, do businessEl Paso & San Diego – in top 10 safest cities with 500k+ populationSlide4

Border Militarization

Since 2004: Customs and Border Protection (CBP) budget has increased 107.5% (FY2015 CBP budget: $12.5 billion)Doubled Border Patrol Agents - over 20k agents in FY14Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is nation’s largest law enforcement agencyOver 650 miles of pedestrian and vehicular fencingCorker-Hoeven Amendment to 2013 Senate Immigration Bill = massive expansion of border militarization Slide5

Human and Civil Rights Concerns at the BorderMigrant Deaths

“Consequence Delivery System” - resulted in criminal prosecution, prison sentences, separated families, exacerbated vulnerability for migrantsTreatment of Central Americans children and families fleeing persecutionConditions in CBP facilities – “hieleras”Racial and religious profiling by CBP at checkpoints/roving patrolsSlide6

Deaths by CBP AgentsSince 2010, over 43 individuals have died as the result of an encounter with CBP officials.

Sixteen-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez16-year-old was shot and killed in 2012BP Agent involved his death:Only the third Border Patrol agent to be prosecuted since 2005. First BP Agent to be prosecuted by the U.S Department of Justice. The other agents were not convicted in local prosecutions.Slide7

Deaths by CBP Agents:One quarter of shootings “highly suspect” since 2010 and Border Patrol “change or distort facts” to make fatal shootings look like “good shoot,” covering up wrongdoing.

“thousands of employees hired during an unprecedented expansion of the agency in the post-9/11 era are potentially unfit to carry a badge and gun.”-Former head of CBP IA , James F. Tomsheck Source: Center for Investigative Reporting, “Ousted chief accuses border agency of shooting cover-ups, corruption”Agency out of controlSlide8

Recommendations and Responses

Halt the militarization of the border region Apply law enforcement best practices to CBP – accountability & transparencyProtect human and civil rights of migrants and border communities Support sensible legislation - Rep. O’Rourke (D-TX) and Rep Pearce (R-NM) Border Enforcement Accountability, Oversight and Community Engagement Act of 2015 (HR 3576) Get involved!Support or get involved in humanitarian assistance on the groundStay informed and advocate for reform (listservs, action alerts, etc.)Meet with elected officialsSpeak out ! Slide9

Humanitarian

Fallout:Northern Triangleof Central AmericaSlide10

“Mexico has really been a key element in helping us lower the levels of unaccompanied children reaching our border since last summer,” Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central America and the Caribbean Francisco

Palmieri, March 2015Source: WOLA November 2015 ReportFrom one year to the next Mexico’s apprehensions of Central Americans increased by 71%Slide11

Assistant Secretary for DHS international affairs unit, Alan Bersin

outlined a vision in 2012 that “the Guatemalan border with Chiapas, Mexico, is now our southern border.” Slide12

Resources for Information and Action

Mexico the US Border Patrol’s newest hire: http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/10/mexico-us-borderpatrolsecurityimmigrants.htmlWOLA November 2015 report on Mexico’s increased immigration enforcement http://www.wola.org/commentary/increased_enforcement_at_mexico_s_southern_borderEcho the asks lifted up in a sign-on letter (http://ignatiansolidarity.net/pope2border/#letter) developed by the Ignatian Solidarity Network and the Jesuit Conference on migration and immigration that will be shared with Congressional members after the February visit of Pope Francis to MexicoSlide13

Resources To Support Central Americans Targeted in Recent ICE Raids:Go to: to see a letter written by detained Central American moms to President Obama:

http://immigrationimpact.com/2016/01/28/mothers-targeted-in-immigration-raids-and-still-detained-pen-letter-to-president-obama/See here a letter signed recently by heads of faith communions and other national faith leaders and organizations, reminding the administration of the violence from which the children had fled in their homelands of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador--and urging that the raids and the family separation they cause be halted.  CONSIDER JOINING THOUSANDS of faith, immigrant, and human rights advocates across the country in signing a Groundswell letter, requesting a halt to the raids. This letter, together with the faith letter above, will be presented to the White House this coming Tuesday, February 2nd. Slide14

Resources To Support Central Americans Targeted in Recent ICE Raids:

See United We Dream’s New Report of the Impact of the Raids at:http://unitedwedream.org/press-releases/new-report-immigration-raids-the-real-impact-documenting-316-calls-for-help-in-less-than-one-month/ (Also note that this report includes graphic footage of a mother being separated from her children, aired by Al Punto.)Go to the National Immigration Law Center at nilc.org to see a Fact Sheet on the recent raids, and to find resources for how families can protect themselves from ICE, if approached.Consider joining a Briefing Call by HIAS (the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) on the Deportation of Central American Refugees on this Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 2 p.m. ET. Register at: http://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/38EAEFY2M3237G15Slide15

Holy Days & Holidays Resources

And, stay tuned for President’s Day Resources to help your faith community learn about and call for the end of the ICE raids, available soon at: http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/2015/06/05/religious-holiday-resources/Also, soon to come will be Lenten and Passover Resources related to refugee issues. These will also be available at: http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/2015/06/05/religious-holiday-resources/Slide16

Questions and Discussion

Please feel free to type a question into the “chat” function on the top of your screen. OR, you can press *6 to unmute your line and ask a question as prompted by the facilitator.Slide17

IIC Contacts by organization

African American Ministers in Action: Leslie Malachi, lmalachi@pfaw.orgAmerican Baptist Home Mission Societies of the American Baptist Churches, USA: Aundreia Alexander, Aundreia.Alexander@abhms.org

American Friends Service Committee:

Lia Lindsey,

llindsey@afsc.org

American Jewish Committee:

Chelsea Hanson,

hansonc@ajc.org

Bread for the World Institute:

Andrew

Wainer

,

awainer@bread.org

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ):

Sharon Stanley,

sstanley@dhm.disciples.org

Christian Reformed Church

Kris Van

Engen

,

kvanengen@

crcna.org

Church of the Brethren:

Nate

Hosler

,

nhosler@brethren.org

Church World Service:

Jen Smyers,

jsmyers@cwsglobal.org

Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach: Chloe Schwabe,

cschwabe@columban.org

Conference of Major Superiors of Men:

Eli McCarthy

emccarthy@cmsm.org

Daughters of Charity:

Mary

Ellen Lacey,

Maryellen.lacy@doc.org

Episcopal Church:

Katie Conway,

kconway@episcopalchurch.org

Franciscan Action Network:

Marie

Lucey

,

lucey@franciscanaction.org

Friends Committee on National Legislation:

Ruth Flower,

flower@fcnl.org

HIAS:

Liza Lieberman,

liza.lieberman@hias.org

Interfaith Worker Justice:

Michael Livingston,

mlivingston@iwj.org

Irish Apostolate USA:

Geri Garvey,

administrator@usairish.org

Islamic Information Center:

(currently no contact available)

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA,

Mary Small,

msmall@jesuit.org

Jewish Council for Public Affairs:

Jill

Borak

,

jborak@thejcpa.org

Leadership Conference of Women Religious

: Ann Scholz, SSND

ascholz@lcwr.org

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service:

Brittney Nystrom,

Bnystrom@lirs.org

Maryknoll

Office for Global

Concerns:

Judy

Coode,

jcoode@maryknoll.org

Mennonite Central Committee:

Tammy Alexander,

TammyAlexander@mcc.org

Muslim Public Affairs Council:

Hoda

Elshishtawy

,

hoda@mpac.org

Sisters of the Good Shepherd:

Larry Couch,

lclobbyist@gsadvocacy.org

National Council of Churches:

Russell Meyer,

rmeyer@floridachurches.org

National Council of Jewish Women:

Madeline Shepherd,

madeline@ncjwdc.org

NETWORK Lobby:

Laura Peralta-

Schulte

LPeralta

@

networklobby.org

Pax

Christi:

Anne-Louise Nadeau,

anadeau@paxchristiusa.org

PICO:

Gordon Whitman,

gwhitman@piconetwork.org

Presbyterian Church, USA:

Teresa Waggener,

Teresa.Waggener@pcusa.org

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas:

Ryan Murphy,

rmurphy@sistersofmercy.org

Sojourners:

Ivone Guillen,

iguillen@sojo.net

3P Human Security

: Tom

Brenneman

,

cooperativebydesign@gmail.com

T’ruah

: The

Rabbinic Call for Human

Rights,

Rabbi Rachel Kahn-

Troster

rkahntroster@truah.org

Union for Reform Judaism

:

Jonathan

Edelman

jedelman

@

rac.org

Unitarian Universalist Association:

Jen Toth,

JToth@uua.org

United Church of Christ:

Rev. Mari

Castellanos

,

castellm@ucc.org

United Methodist Church:

Bill

Mefford

,

bmefford@umc-gbcs.org

UNITED SIKHS

:

Anisha

Singh,

anisha.singh@

unitedsikhs.org

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Kevin Appleby,

kappleby@usccb.org

U.S. Jesuit Conference,

Shaina

Aber

,

saber@jesuit.org

World Relief:

Jenny Hwang

jhwang@worldrelief.org