Bending the Arc

April 23 brings a CWR Academy webinar focusing on the importance of our words: How Narrative Drives Change, which will be presented by CWR in partnership with Kino Border Initiative (KBI).

During this session, sisters who have participated in KBI’s Catholic Sisters Walking with Migrants program will share their experiences, and we will also hear the experiences of someone who has been forced to migrate. Sr. Tracey Horan, SP, will then lead a narrative change workshop. We will see how narrative change efforts possess the ability to dismantle damaging narratives, influence public sentiment, and drive policy changes aimed at addressing and eradicating the injustices of systemic racism.

While registration is required, this webinar will be available free of charge to all: both CWR members and non-members. Communicators, justice promoters, congregational leadership, and other colleagues – lay and religious – are all invited to join us. The webinar recording will be made available following the live session.
Please note that How Narrative Drives Change is scheduled to last approximately one hour and 15 minutes, slightly longer than other CWR Academy webinars, which are typically closer to 60 minutes.

REGISTER HERE
 

Asylum seekers in the U.S. are at risk of sex and labor trafficking when not allowed to find legal work and provide for their families.

Join Catholic sisters and people of goodwill on Wednesday, April 17 from 11:30 - 12:30 CT for a webinar to encourage Congress to fix this vulnerability and also to eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic red tape by passing H.R. 1325, the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act.

REGISTER TODAY TO LEARN MORE

This is a shared project at HumanTrafficking & Forced Migration - Alliance to End Human Trafficking.

Alliance to End Human Trafficking offers the third and final webinar in series. 

Asylum seekers in the U.S. are at risk of sex and labor human trafficking when not allowed to find legal work and provide for their families. Join Catholic Sisters and people of good will on Wednesday, April 17 from 11:30 - 12:30 pm CT for a one-hour webinar to encourage Congress to fix this vulnerability and also to eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic red tape by passing H.R. 1325, the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act.

Register today.

If you missed the first two webinars in their campaign on Forced Migration and the Threat of Human Trafficking you can find them here:

• Breaking the Link Between Forced Migration and Human Trafficking  (February 12)
• Breaking the Link: How Immigration Courts Can Protect Vulnerable Children From Trafficking (March 4)

Immigration and human trafficking are clearly interconnected, especially in the United States. Polaris estimates 77% of persons trafficked in the United States each year are immigrants. (Polaris Analysis of 2021 Data from the National Human trafficking Hotline, page 8 of 29).

The March issue of the Alliance to End Human Trafficking’s anti-trafficking newsletter focuses on how child labor and human trafficking taint fish and fish products.

Being disconnected from where our food comes from can leave us unaware of how human trafficking and child forced labor are part of providing what is on our plate. This is especially true when it comes to the fish we eat. Read the stories in the March Issue of the Stop Trafficking Newsletter.

Following false allegations by Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany that Casa Alitas was using taxpayer dollars to house illegal immigrants and pay for their plane tickets, among other things, the CSA Leadership Team took action. They worked with their JPIC Office and Sister Eileen Mahony, CSA, a volunteer at Casa Alitas, to gather facts and sent a letter to Rep. Tiffany. Their letter also demanded Tiffany retract his false accusations and stop from making any more. The letter was co-signed by the Leadership Teams of nine other Wisconsin-based congregations as well as by the Executive Director of Wisconsin Religious Collaborative. Additionally, copies of the letter were sent to: Mike Johnson, U.S. Speaker of the House; Hakeem Jeffires, House Minority Leader; Doug LaMalfa, Congressman from CA spreading the same damaging misinformation; and several bishops. Bishop Weisenburger of Tucson has been making his own efforts to call out the misinformation with this importan

Bishop Seitz serves as chair of the USCCB Committee on Migration; he received a copy. Wisconsin Archbishop Jerome Listecki received a copy as did Bishop James Powers of Superior, Mr. Tiffany’s area. We pray these efforts not only bring about a change of heart and a positive public response, but assist in extending government funding to Casa Alita, which is currently set to expire at the end of the month. 

In another border community, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued Annunciation House, a Catholic organization which operates houses of hospitality for migrants in El Paso, Texas, claiming the organization is engaged in “facilitating illegal entry to the United States, alien harboring, human smuggling, and operating a stash house.” The lawsuit seeks “to revoke Annunciation House’s authorization to do business in Texas and asks the court to appoint a receiver to liquidate their assets.”

The Catholic Bishops of Texas, along with other faith and community groups, have stated their strong support for Annunciation House. Over the years, Annunciation House says it has hosted more than 500,000 migrants fleeing death squads, civil wars, human rights abuses, and poverty. What can you do? Consider sending a message of support to Annunciation House and a message to the Office of the Attorney General Of Texas encouraging him to reconsider his lawsuit.

Learn more with these news videos:

Sisters of St. Joseph U.S. The Federation's Immigration Working Group offers, “Joseph the Worker, Joseph the Migrant.”

All are invited to join the Federation’s virtual session for an opportunity to learn about the emerging realities at the U.S.-Mexico border, asylum seekers and work authorization, federal policy updates, and a call to act. 

Tuesday, March 5 at 7 pm CT. This 90-minute Zoom session will be recorded and uploaded to the Federation's YouTube Channel. There is no cost to attend. Closed Captioning will be provided. 

Register in advance of the meeting and pose a question if you have one.

Confirmed speakers from: The Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, Border Institute, and Alliance to End Human Trafficking.

Questions? Need other accommodations (interpretation, etc.) Contact lcathelyn@cssjfed.org.

"Journeying in Dignity. Listen. Dream. Act": this is the theme of the tenth International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking on February 8, a day established in 2015 by Pope Francis on the feast day of Saint Bakhita, the Sudanese sister who was a victim of trafficking and a universal symbol of the Church's commitment against this scourge.

Talitha Kum is an international anti-trafficking network of more than 6,000 sisters, friends and partners. It was formally established in 2009 with the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) as an international initiative against human trafficking and exploitation, Talitha Kum promotes collaboration among networks organized at national, regional and continental level, actively supporting victims, survivors and people at risk. 

On January 30, Talitha Kum launched a new initiative: the “Walking in Dignity” app. The walking application invites everyone on the journey toward awareness of human trafficking and its prevention. All, particularly young people, are invited to download this App and engage. The application is designed to learn, engage, and care about the people facing human trafficking and to care for, heal, and empower survivors.

You can download the app from your App Store or Google Play.

Join USCCB and urge Congress to reject harmful changes to immigration law as a condition for supplemental funding. Rev. Mark J. Seitz, Bishop of El Paso and Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration sent Congress a letter and you can sign to support.

In his February 6, 2024, letter to Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, Bishop Seitz addressed several specific provisions that warranted concern, including those that would severely limit due process for noncitizens, make it even more difficult than it already is under current law for those with bona fide asylum claims to pursue protection in the United States, and create the opportunity for harmful, arbitrary, and counterproductive treatment of vulnerable persons. 

Complete this action alert to join with the U.S. bishops in opposing harmful and counterproductive changes to immigration law as a condition for supplemental funding.