IAUSA Irish Apostolate

Update on the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform  

Issue: # 94  June 2013
In This Issue
Senate Passes S. 744
Fr. Nick Clavin Celebrates 40 Years in Priesthood
CLINIC Presents a Volunteer Management Toolkit
Chicago CELTS Watch as Immigration Bill Passes
What We Won With S. 744
The Top 5 Things the Senate Immigration Reform Bill Accomplishes
Quick Links 

 

Current Articles 

 

CBO: Senate Immigration bill will cut deficit $197B over 10 years

The Hill 

 

 

Crafting a Successful Legalization Program: Lessons From the Past

 

 

Summary and Analysis of Senate Bill 744

National Immigration Law Center

 

Other Links 

 

Join Our List
 

Senate Passes S.744


The Senate passed their immigration bill by an overwhelming majority, 68 to 32 on Thursday, June 27th.

  

We want to thank all of you who have called, sent emails, and made office visits to voice your support for this bi-partisan legislation.  


While S. 744 as it now stands is far from perfect, it retains the spirit of our core principles for comprehensive immigration reform that is compassionate and just.

 

This bill is not the bill we would have crafted. The massive build-up at the Southern border will have serious consequences for our border communities and our environment. We will work with other immigration advocates to improve these and other provisions that affect families before the bill becomes law.  However, the path to citizenship  - the heart of this bill - is largely intact and will provide relief for millions of immigrant families around the country. 

 

The action moves now to the House of Representatives.  WE WILL CONTINUE TO NEED YOUR HELP IN MOVING OUR LEGISLATORS TO PASS AN IMMIGRATION BILL THAT CONTAINS A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP AND INCLUDES THE SCHUMER E3 VISA.  

 

WATCH FOR FUTURE ACTION ALERTS AND BE SURE TO SHARE THEM WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ACROSS THE USA!

 

Fr. Nick Clavin Celebrates 40 years 
in the Priesthool

by Bernadette Cashman, San Diego Irish Outreach

 

The celebration of 40 years in the priesthood of Nicholas Patrick Clavin took place at  Fr. Nicks parish with a Mass at Saint Gregory the Great Church on Saturday, June 15 at 5:00 pm. 

 

Attending were Fr. Nick's brother Donald and his family and cousins who traveled from Ireland. Additionally, his priest friends who were present were: Msgr. Michael Gallagher, Our Lady of Grace in El Cajon, Fr. Michael Cunnane, retired  from Guardian Angels Church, Father Nicholas Dempsey from Saint Therese of Carmel  and Fr. Edward Gallagher Jr,. retired.

 

The Parish community were invited to a dinner and Irish music in the parish hall following the Mass. 

 

Fr. Nick Clavin is an Affiliate Chaplain with the Irish Apostolate USA and provides pastoral care to the Irish community in San Diego working with Bernadette Cashman.

 

Fr. Clavin & B. Cashman  

 

CLINIC Presents a Volunteer Management Toolkit

 

Start now recruiting and training volunteers to use in your immigration legal program, especially in anticipation of a comprehensive immigration reform bill passing. CLINIC's Center for Citizenship and Immigrant Communities presents a Volunteer Management Toolkit designed to provide programs with help finding tasks for non-legal volunteers, developing a volunteer program, and retaining quality volunteers. Sample volunteer job descriptions from affiliate agencies are included, along with sample volunteer contracts and confidentiality agreements. Those just beginning to use volunteers as well as those with long-established volunteer programs will find helpful information, new ideas, and resources that can be put into use immediately. You can access the toolkit  here .

 

For additional questions or information, please contact Leya Speasmaker at [email protected].  

 

 

 

Chicago Celts Watch as Historic Immigration Bill passes the Senate

By Breand�n Magee, Executive Director, 

Chicago Irish Immigrant Support

 

Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform Chairman Billy Lawless welcomed the passage of the Senate's historic immigration reform bill on Thursday.  Speaking outside the chamber where the vote passed 68 to 32 he said "This is a huge day for immigrants, particularly for the Irish with the inclusion of the Schumer E3 visas that will allow 10,500 new Irish visas every year and for the bill's path to citizenship for the 50,000 Irish undocumented living in the shadows." 

 

The bill won all 52 Democrats' support as well as the votes of 2 independents and 14 Republicans.  The bill further strengthens border security after the Hoeven-Corker amendment was added this week, which among other things increases spending on the border to $45 bn, doubles the number of border agents from 20,000 to 40,000, will see the construction of 700 miles of new fencing and increases the use of drones.  In effect this militarizes the border and will provide one border guard for every 250 ft.  Opponents argue that the border has never been more secure with current spending of $17 bn on border enforcement adding up to more than the combined budget s of the CIA, FBI and Secret Service but Republicans insisted on the moves to secure their support.

 

The Chicago Celts have a great friend in Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a leader in the Senate and member of the Gang of Eight, the bipartisan group of senators who drafted the bill.  The Celts joined Senator Durbin in his office immediately after watching the vote pass in the Senate viewing gallery where they heard him thank all the immigrants groups for their hard work in making the moment possible.  

 

Chgo CELTS, R Victory, Sen Durbin  

Senator Durbin along with Senator Schumer (D-NY) was also a key supporter of the Irish E Visa included in the final bill.

Durbin acknowledged the need to achieve a similar bill in the House.  The fight now moves to the Republican dominated House of Representatives where the water is a bit murkier.

"The Irish need to mobilize across the country in their local districts and let their congressmen know that immigration reform with a path to citizenship for the undocumented is critical for our community," 

said Lawless.

  

Friend to the Chicago Irish, Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) has been working behind the scenes with a bipartisan group of congressmen to draft a House bill that achieves many of the same goals as the Senate bill.  Lawless expects to see this bill made public in the coming days and argued that the enforcement only, stand-alone bills floating around the House will not fly.  Notably Gutierrez has also assured the Chicago Celts that any bill he produces will include the Irish E3.

The Chicago Celts will now shift their focus after months of lobbying the Senate in Washington DC to the House of Representatives.  Together with the Irish Embassy, the AOH and ILIR they will focus in particular on Republican congressmen who are crucial to any bill passing.  

 

After meetings in Chicago and Washington with Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) Lawless feels that the Republican leadership understand the need for immigration reform.  "Congressman Ryan assured me of his support for immigration reform including the path to citizenship for the undocumented and the Irish E3 visa. But he also understands how difficult the House will be" said Lawless.

 

Before catching a flight back to Chicago to celebrate the win again with Senator Durbin and other pro immigrant groups he quipped, "But if there's one thing the Irish like it's a good fight so let's take this all the way to the House." 

WHAT WE WON WITH SENATE IMMIGRATION BILL S. 744

While  Senate bill 744 is a compromise full of unnecessary and overstrict border measures, IT IS full of provisions that would substantially improve the lives of immigrants.  Here's a short list of some of them:

 

1. Path to citizenship for vast majority of the 11 million!!!
2. While in RPI status, immigrants can work, travel and live without fear of deportation
3.  Reunification of many families separated by deportation
4.  5 year path to citizenship for Dreamers
5.  DACA recipients will have RPI status expedited
6.  Farm workers will get a 'blue card' and will be on a 5 year path to citizenship
7.  Expedited path for those already here in a temporary status (TPS/DED)
8.  Families that have spent years, even decades waiting for their turn in line will finally be reunited
9.  Spouses and children of LPRs would be considered immediate family members and therefore would no longer be subject to arbitrary visa caps. 
10. Allows DREAMers to become citizens through military service

11. Immigrants on the path to citizenship can pay fees in installments

12 .Individuals with final removal orders may be eligible for RPI status

13. Beacons for those toiling at the border

14. New temporary worker programs that protects immigrant workers and American labor force

15. All workers, including RPIs, will be treated equally by the tax system and eligible for tax credits

16. Spouses of H-1B holders will now be able to work

17. Immigration Judges will have some flexibility to consider individual factors when making decisions

18. Children and the mentally disabled will be eligible for court appointed counsel in immigration proceedings

19. Removal of filing deadline for asylum seekers

20. Encourages immigrant integration through more targeted programs and foundations to help legal immigrants become citizens

21. Inclusion of POWER Act, bolsters legal remedies to immigrant workers who are fired in violation of labor laws

22. Strict limits on solitary confinement in immigration detention facilities

23. Asylum applicants will be granted work authorization within 180 days of filing an application

24. Provides immigration status to certain battered spouses and children

25. Prohibit ICE from conducting raids/arrests outside schools, churches, hospitals and other "sensitive locations"

26. Prohibits deportation of immigrants for a crime that wasn't a deportable/inadmissible offense when committed.

27. Makes it substantially easier for both LPRs and non-LPRs to qualify for cancellation of removal, and removes the cap on the number of cancellations that DOJ/DHS can grant in a year.

28. Protects the ability of W visaholders (essential workers) to change jobs.

29. Ensures access to affordable housing for battered immigrants.

30. Encourages alternatives to immigration detention

31. More protections for workers recruited abroad

32. Stricter penalties for notario fraud

33. Requires a use-of-force policy among all DHS agencies

34. Future work-visa holders will be able to self-petition for green cards rather than relying on employers to decide whether they can call America home for good

 

Thanks to the Alliance for Citizenship for this information! 

 

The Top 5 Things the Senate Immigration Reform Bill Accomplishes

Here are the top five things the Senate immigration reform bill accomplishes:

 

1. Record-breaking build up at the border

2. An achievable path to citizenship

3. The most generous DREAM Act ever

4. Unprecedented family reunification

5. Economic growth

 

To read the entire article, go to: Center for American Progress 

Join the Justice for Immigrants Campaign

The Justice for Immigrants Campaign continues to build its grassroots support for comprehensive immigration reform.  
If you want to be notified of immigration legislation updates , NOW is the time to join the JFI Action Alert list.  Sign up at: 
www.justiceforimmigrants.org
The Irish Apostolate USA is the umbrella organization for the Irish Immigration Pastoral and Outreach Centers in the United States, under the direction of the Irish Episcopal Council for Emigrants. 

Please visit our website for more information: 
 
Geri Garvey, Administrator
Irish Apostolate USA
Phone/Fax:  301-384-3375     Email: [email protected]