Skip Navigation
Posts Tagged "human dignity"

CSA Joined Organizations Opposing DHS Surveillance of Activists, Journalists, and Lawyers

May 01, 2019
By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes

On May 1, the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA) joined a coalition of over 100 organizations in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urging it to cease any targeting of activists, journalists, and lawyers based on their First Amendment-protected speech and associational activities. The coalition demanded that DHS address alarming reports of surveillance activity by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that jeopardizes First Amendment rights and access to legal counsel, and may violate the Privacy Act of 1974.

As we point out in the letter, ICE documented and disseminated lists of “Anti-Trump” protests in New York City. In addition, CBP allegedly targeted and created dossiers on activists, lawyers, and journalists working with and reporting on asylum seekers. First-hand accounts revealed a pattern of harassment including extended detentions and interrogations, electronic device searches at ports of entry, and denial of re-entry to Mexico. 

In joining this coalition, CSA looks to help defend the human dignity of those that have been harassed or unlawfully targeted. The coalition demanded that DHS cease impermissible targeting, monitoring, and harassment of activists, journalists, and lawyers at the border, and disclose the policies, guidelines, and training materials that govern these activities. We are pleased that Congress is actively investigating both incidents, and that the DHS Investigator General has been tasked with reviewing CBP’s conduct. We join their efforts to ensure that our government agencies are held accountable for their actions.

Care INC Impacts Individuals in Fond du Lac

March 12, 2019
By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes

Sister Ruth Battaglia, Justice Coordinator for the Sisters of St. Agnes, was recently quoted in an article about Fond du Lac's Care INC, a program designed to empower and assist people so they aren’t pulled into the cycle of poverty. Care INC is a network of 300 individuals who work together to ensure timely support for individuals who find themselves in temporary crisis situations. The program is funded in part by a CSA Acts Grant. 

Read the full article (opens in new window)

LCWR Calls for the Welcome and Humane Treatment of Arriving Migrants

November 14, 2018
By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is deeply troubled by President Trump’s continued denigration of those fleeing untenable situations in their home countries. These are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers who have been forced from their homes by unimaginable violence and insecurity; runaway corruption; and droughts and floods linked to climate change. These are women and girls fleeing intolerable situations of domestic violence. These are young men and women who have no access to quality education and no hope of economic opportunity.

These are courageous people who have rejected cultures of corruption and exploitation. They are traveling the same road trod by our forbearers who fled tyranny and violence in search of the American dream. They are people of hope and promise who only want the opportunity to contribute their toil and talent to this nation.

We reject the president’s rhetoric of fear and policy of division that poisons our politics. We choose instead to embrace a dream for America that is filled with hope for a nation united in service of the common good. We stand with Pope Francis who calls us to “promote the dignity of all our brothers and sisters, particularly the poor and the excluded of society, those who are abandoned, immigrants and those who suffer violence and human trafficking.

We urge the administration to manage refugee arrivals humanely and in a manner that respects their dignity and rights under US and international law and to:

  • Allow migrants to approach our border and ask for protection in the United States and to be admitted for processing in a timely manner.
  • Ensure that asylum seekers have access to legal counsel and receive a fair resolution of their claim.
  • Guarantee that parents and children stay together after they are apprehended. Holding families indefinitely in detention or detaining parents while releasing their children violates the values of this nation and the standards set forth in the Flores settlement.
  • Eschew detention of those awaiting adjudication of their asylum petitions in favor of alternatives that are more humane and more cost efficient.
  • Direct Homeland Security to cooperate with faith-based and humanitarian organizations who are prepared to assist asylum-seekers.

The United States has a long and proud history of welcoming immigrants and sheltering refugees. Women religious have been blessed to be able to accompany and serve migrant communities across this country for a very long time. We will continue to welcome them as our national history demands and our faith requires.

LCWR is an association of leaders of congregations of Catholic sisters in the United States. The conference has nearly 1350 members, who represent more than 45,600 women religious in the United States. Founded in 1956, LCWR assists its members to carry out their service of leadership to further the mission of the Gospel in today’s world.

Recent Posts

1/5/24 - By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes
12/29/23 - By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes
12/22/23 - By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes
12/15/23 - By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes
12/8/23 - By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes
11/30/23 - By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes
10/13/23 - By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes
9/26/23 - By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes
9/15/23 - By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes
9/15/23 - By CSA Sisters of St. Agnes

Archives

Invitation Only