IAUSA Irish Apostolate

Update on the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform  

Issue: # 104 May 2014
In This Issue
May 29th - National Call In Day for Immigration Reform
IAUSA Board Meeting in Washington
CLINIC Announces New Citizenship Toolkit
PENTECOST and IMMIGRATION REFORM Toolkit
National Migration Conference 2014
Frequently Requested Stats on Immigrants
Quick Links 

 

Current Articles 

 

Boehner: Most Republicans Want to Deal With Immigration


DHS Announces Proposals to Attract and Retain Highly Skilled Immigrants

 

 

 

House Republicans Have Nothing to Fear from Supporting Immigration Reform


 

 

Other Links 

 

Join Our List
 
 May 29, 2014 

Bishops Come to Washington

on a Mission for Migrants

  

following last month's

Border Mass in Nogales, Arizona,

the Bishops take their cause to Washington, DC

 

There will be a Mass concelebrated by the following bishops at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church on Capitol Hill at 8:30 am on Thursday, May 29th.  The bishops include:

 

Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski (Miami)

Bishop Eusebio Elizondo (Seattle)

Bishop Oscar Cantu (Las Cruces, NM)

Bishop Gerald Kicanas (Tucson)

Bishop John Wester (Salt Lake City)

 

After the Mass and a press conference, the Bishops as well as other Justice for Immigrants supporters of immigration reform will visit House offices to press for actionTHIS YEAR.  

  

YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN THIS EFFORT BY PARTICIPATING IN THE MAY 29th 
National Call In Day to the House of Representatives
  • Call this toll-free number,
     1-855-589-5698, to be connected to the in-district office of your U.S. House Member and ask them to:
    • Vote for immigration reform,
    • Support a path to citizenship,
    • Preserve family unity, and
    • Employ safe and humane immigration enforcement practices.

 

Thank you for participating in this much-needed campaign to bring an immigration bill to the House floor.

 

 

Mark your Calendars - June 9th and June 13th will also be Call in Days with the Same Number and Same Message.

 

 

 

IAUSA Irish Apostolate 

Members of the IAUSA Board Meet with Ambassador Anderson and Embassy Staff

Fr. Brendan McBride, Fr. Michael Leonard, Ms. Joanna Joyce, Fr. John McCarthy, Ms. Celine Kennelly, Fr. John Madigan, and Ms. Geri Garvey met with Ambassador Anne Anderson, Mr. Kevin Conmy, and Mr. Ralph Victory at the Embassy of Ireland on their recent visit to Washington. The group discussed the urgent need for immigration reform and how they and many of the Irish organizations are working on Capitol Hill to bring about reform this year.


CLINIC Announces New Citizenship Toolkit

 

CLINIC is pleased to announce its revamped Citizenship Toolkit.  

 

This toolkit was recently updated with a new format that is more dynamic, attractive, and user-friendly.  The new format will make it easier for users to navigate the toolkit and find needed information.  

 

The toolkit, which is divided into 12 topical sections, contains over 100 resources on citizenship and civic participation that were collected or produced through CLINIC's citizenship projects over the last 15+ years.  It is designed to assist agencies providing citizenship services and civic participation opportunities for the most vulnerable applicants.  

 

The toolkit will be updated regularly with new information, which appears in the top left margin.  CLINIC hopes you will find this toolkit useful.  If you have any feedback or ideas for additional resources that would be helpful, please contact Laura Burdick, lburdick@cliniclegal.org.

 

 

 

Justice for Immigrants Campaign Publishes 

A TOOLKIT FOR PENTECOST AND IMMIGRATION REFORM

Join Catholics across the country for seven days of prayer, reflection, and action to heal our broken immigration system. Each day will be centered on one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It will be through this lens that we will explore seven aspects of our immigration system.


Each day participants will be asked to pray the Prayer of the Holy Spirit, the daily reflection, and the closing prayer (on page 2). Additionally, we encourage you to choose to engage in one or more of the suggested actions for IMMIGRATION REFORM, joining with other Catholics across the country.

 

To download this 11-page toolkit, go to the JFI website.   

National Migration Conference 
2014
The 2014 National Migration Conference (NMC) is a gathering hosted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/ MRS), the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), and Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA).    

 

Please consider attending the 2014 National Migration conference in Washington, DC on July 7-10.

 

An advocacy day will take place during the conference and your participation can make the difference in the passage of immigration reform legislation.

 

For conference information and registration go to:  http://bit.ly/LssXku . 

  

Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants in the United States

 

Where are unauthorized migrants from?

According to DHS estimates, about 8.9 million unauthorized immigrants in 2011 were born in North America (which includes Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and Canada). About 1.3 million were from Asia, 800,000 from South America,, 300,000 from Europe, and 200,000 from the remaining parts of the world. Mexico (59 percent), El Salvador (6 percent), and Guatemala (5 percent) were the top three countries of birth of the unauthorized immigrant population.

 

How many immigrants have entered the United States since 2000?

Thirty percent of the 40.8 million foreign born residing in the United States in 2012 entered between 2000 and 2009, 7 percent entered since 2010, and the majority (63 percent) entered before 2000.

 

How many immigrants are naturalized U.S. citizens?

 

In 2012, close to 46 percent of immigrants (18.7 million) were naturalized U.S. citizens. The remaining 54 percent (22.1 million) included lawful permanent residents, unauthorized immigrants, and legal residents on temporary visas, such as students and temporary workers.

 

Of the 18.7 million naturalized citizens in 2012, 11 percent have naturalized since 2010, 38 percent between 2000 and 2009, and 51 percent prior to 2000.

 

What is the racial composition of the immigrant population?

Of the foreign born in the United States in 2012, 48 percent reported their race as white, 9 percent as black, 25 percent as Asian, and 16 percent as some other race; more than 2 percent reported having two or more races.

 

How many immigrants are of Hispanic origin?

In 2012, 46 percent (18.9 million) immigrants reported having Hispanic or Latino origins.

 

In 2012, the top five U.S. states by number of immigrants were California (10.3 million), New York (4.4 million), Texas (4.3 million), Florida (3.7 million), and New Jersey (1.9 million).
 
 
Published by the Migration Policy Institute     April 2014

 

 

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: administrator@usairish.org