Presbyterians for Just Immigration

TPS protections have been extended and redesignated for Haitians in the United States! We give thanks for coalitions like Haitian Bridge Alliance that have been persistent and consistent with their advocacy urging for protections.

What does this mean? Those who already have TPS status can renew their status. And an estimated 309,000 additional Haitian nationals could file initial applications for TPS if they established residence in the United States on or before June 3, 2024, and have continued to reside in the United States since this date. More information is included below!

We celebrate this relief for immigrant families. Access to immigration status leads to more stability and security, a chance to breathe more freely and fully. We also uplift with deep gratitude the commitment of the community as they seek just solutions. God's faithful stand together holding this important decision.

New Executive Action Supports Mixed-Status Families - Interfaith Immigration Coalition The Biden administration's new actions will promote family unity and help DACA recipients, faith-based organizations say.

We thank God for the faithful and persistent work of impacted communities and partners!

Good news! The Biden administration recently announced a rule that will extend work permits for 540 days for immigrants whose work permit renewal applications are stuck in processing backlogs. Longer extensions will give asylum seekers the confidence that they can continue to work while their permits are being processed.
Congratulations to Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, an immigrant-led organization who led the campaign for this change!

Please take time to join other Presbyterian and interfaith siblings in insisting that members of Congress and the Biden Administration keep asylum protections in place.

‼️Action Alert ‼️
Congress is considering sweeping changes to U.S. asylum law that would make it nearly impossible to win asylum in the U.S.
Contact Congress & President Biden and tell them to reject new restrictions that undermine migrants' human rights: https://www.votervoice.net/PCUSA/Campaigns/109750/Respond

One of our partners, the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC), is hosting a call-in event to reunite immigrant families!

This Thursday at 12:30 pm ET, join the IIC for a time of action in solidarity with immigrant families. Save your spot: bit.ly/IICNov30

Together as people of faith, participants will make calls to the Biden administration urging them to reunite and protect families this holiday season.

This Thursday at 12:30 pm ET! Join us for a time of action in solidarity with immigrant families.

Together as people of faith, we’ll make calls to the Biden administration urging them to reunite and protect families this holiday season. Save your spot: bit.ly/IICNov30

https://vimeo.com/868092603

Romans 14:13 says, “never to put a stumbling block” in each other’s way (NRSVUE Bible). James 2:18 says, “Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove” (MSG Bible). As people of faith, we make a commitment to God and to each other – to seek ways to rejoice in God’s love, participate in Jesus’ light, and encourage each other to thrive. When one in our community cannot thrive, as Yesica shares so clearly in this video, we are all called to act. We are called to raise our voices and demand justice. Let us seek this kind of justice along with immigrant young adults and youth. DACA is not the full answer…but a clean Dream Act gets us closer. Contact your federal legislators today via links in the comments section.

The Hope of Daca Contact your Congressional officials and urge them to pass a clean DREAM Act. https://www.senate.gov/general/contacting.htm https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

URGENT - we need to be asking the Biden Administration for TPS protections!

World Refugee Day is coming up. Join us & our partners at the Interfaith Immigration Coalition & Presbyterian Disaster Assistance for a virtual vigil in honor of journeys that refugees & asylum seekers make for safety.

PC(USA) pastor Rev. Sunny Kang will speak at the vigil.
June 20
4 PM ET
Register➡️ bit.ly/WRD-VFV

World Refugee Day is coming up. Join us & our partners at the Interfaith Immigration Coalition & Presbyterian Disaster Assistance for a virtual vigil in honor of journeys that refugees & asylum seekers make for safety.

PC(USA) pastor Rev. Sunny Kang will speak at the vigil.

June 20
4 PM ET
Register➡️ bit.ly/WRD-VFV

A glimpse at life in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, TX, USA after Title 42 restrictions are lifted - https://www.pcusa.org/news/2023/5/18/one-city-in-two-nations/

A blurb from the story:
"Rosa Mani, a social worker who provides migrant services for Abara in Juárez, discussed the post-Title 42 situation in Juárez and El Paso, speaking over the phone from inside Pasos de Fe, where the voices of children and adults could be heard in the background. The hum of activity was a reminder not only of the ways area shelters meet the needs of their community, but how on so many places along the border God’s human family is experiencing uncertainty, upheaval and stress.

Mani said that migrant families are 'worried and confused.'"

One city in two nations As Title 42 expired last week, we asked Tres Rios Presbytery (TRP) Border Ministry Foundation and their local partner Abara what life is like these days for people living on the border—both the migrants who have traveled such distances to seek protection in the United States and long-term resident...

Stated Clerk mourns those lost in fire at immigration detention center - https://www.pcusa.org/news/2023/4/11/stated-clerk-mourns-those-lost-in-fire-at-immigrat/

"We mourn the loss of life. We lament the causes of forced migration. We cry out against the inhumane conditions of immigrant detention centers. We demand that our government stop relying on deterrence-driven policies that place asylum seekers in dangerous circumstances."

Stated Clerk mourns those lost in fire at immigration detention center The Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is calling on Presbyterians across the denomination to pray for the victims of a recent fire at an immigration detention center along the Mexico/Texas border. In a brief statement released today, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nel...

Happy International Women's Day!
The Movement for Justice in El Barrio, a PCUSA community partner celebrates International Women's Day each year. Since many of the leaders in the movement are women, they released the video below to celebrate their work and efforts - https://youtu.be/n9kj53w9ckg

Movement for Justice in El Barrio says of the project, "Everyday, we are inspired by the fierce dignified women that fight relentlessly for justice, dignity, and for us all. They are the lifeblood of our movements and communities.

On this day, we would like to share with you a few beautiful and powerful videos that demonstrate that women's struggles are a true challenge to power, injustice, oppression: they force us to imagine and to fight for a world in which all worlds fit."

We celebrate and give thanks to God for the tireless energy and unfaltering resistance women provide as they urge and demand change!

Movement's International Women's Day Celebration 2018 On Sunday March 11th, 2018 people gathered in Harlem to celebrate International Women’s Day: “‘Women’s Struggles Transform the World’: An International Women...

In December 2018, Eddie Canales of South Texas Human Rights Center hosted us in Brooks County, TX to highlight the disturbing reality of migrant deaths in the region. Along with Dr. Kate Spradley, a Texas Forensic Anthropologist, they have been working to identify and repatriate unidentified migrant remains. Both will speak at a panel on Thurs, February 9th in Washington DC following a screening of the documentary, Missing in Brooks County. There will be a reception at 6pm followed by the film screening and panel discussion at 7pm. To learn more about the in-person event, visit - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vip-screening-of-missing-in-brooks-county-tickets-522948963427

If you are not in DC or cannot attend the event but would like to view the documentary, Missing in Brooks County, go to - https://www.missinginbrookscounty.com/

Freedom is a grounding principle in the United States. We value the freedom to remember and celebrate holidays and holy days that are important to the diversity of cultures who call the United States home. We mourn the loss of that sense of freedom and security. May God provide comfort for those affected by violence and insecurity. May we engage the work of fighting for change.

We hold in prayer all who are victims and survivors of gun violence. We pray for the loved ones who have lost loved ones or who have helped victims and survivors heal from gun violence.

Today in particular, we hold the farmworker community of CA in our prayers. Farmworkers often face intersectional injustice, and now mass violence hits their community. We pray for comfort, and we pray for voices crying out for change. May those in power be unsettled and upset and outraged...may they be urged to make change.

We at Farmworker Justice are devastated to learn of yesterday’s mass shooting at a farm in Half Moon Bay, CA. Early reports indicate that that the shooter killed at least seven people at multiple farm sites, including farmworker family housing. The lives of farmworker families in the Half Moon Bay community will be forever changed by this senseless act of violence. The Half Moon Bay attack follows just days after another mass shooting claimed the lives of 11 victims in Monterey Park, CA. These tragedies must stop. Farmworkers already face some of the most dangerous working and living conditions of any workers in this country. Our policymakers must take meaningful action to address the dangers farmworkers face, including by confronting the undeniable epidemic of gun violence. Today, we mourn the victims and stand with their families and community in demanding change.

作为 Farmworker Justice 的工作人员，我们非常沉痛地获悉昨天在加州半月湾的一家农场
发生的大规模枪击事件。早期报告显示，射手在多家农场（包括农场工人家庭住宅）杀害
了至少七人。这种无情的暴力行为将永远改变半月湾社区中农场工人家庭的生活。仅仅在
另一次夺走加州蒙特雷公园市 11 名受害者生命的大规模枪击事件发生几天后，半月湾就
发生了枪击事件。这些悲剧必须停止。农场工人已经在面对这个国家任何工人面临的一些
最危险的工作和生活条件。我们的政策制定者必须采取有意义的行动来应对农场工人面临
的危险，包括面对不可否认的枪支暴力流行。今天，我们为受害者哀悼，并与他们的家人
和社区成员站在一起，要求变革。

Are you an elder or deacon in the PCUSA or do you know elders and deacons in the PCUSA? This leader formation event might be just for you:

Breaking the Myth of Presbyterian Fear of the "E" Word: A Leader Formation Webinar
February 23, 2023; 7:00 – 8:30 pm (eastern)
Registration Deadline February 15, 2023 - REGISTER at https://oga.pcusa.org/section/mid-council-ministries/leadership-formation-ruling-elders-deacons/year-leader-formation-webinars/

Presbyterians have a long and rich history of evangelism. Rekindling the yearning to share the Good News of Christ’s love, we will incorporate the Yao mores of kalibu and ulongo, radical welcome, and relationship. Employing these concepts we can live into our quest to answer Jesus' call to make disciples of all people.

This webinar will be led by Rev. Dr. Cheni Khonje, who was born in Malawi and became a political refugee when she was less than a month old. Cheni is a nickname; her full name is Chenyangu which means "mother of the nation". She and her siblings grew up in Lusaka, Zambia and Hilversum, the Netherlands. Her mother's job with the United Nations moved the family to New York City. The Rev. Khonje received her BA from Chadron State College in Nebraska. She holds a Master's degree in Medical Microbiology from Long Island University. Her plan had been to earn her PhD in Immunology because of her interest in cancer and AIDS research, but answering the Lord's call, the Rev. Khonje graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree in 2007, and from United Lutheran Seminary with a Doctor of Ministry degree in May 2018. She is an avid knitter, loves cooking and football: soccer and American.

Please continue to reach out to your congressional leaders and the Biden Administration about protecting immigration asylum. The PCUSA Office of Public Witness created an action alert - https://www.votervoice.net/PCUSA/Campaigns/99783/Respond

🚨ACTION ALERT🚨 Biden is planning to break his campaign promises + resurrect Trump-era asylum bans. Tell Congress and the Biden admin that barring the most vulnerable migrants from asylum is unacceptable.

Take action: https://www.votervoice.net/PCUSA/Campaigns/99783/Respond

As we celebrate the miracle of Christ's birth, we are reminded of how we journey through faith. It is urgent that we push for legislative protects for our loved ones. Reach out to your Senators urging them to support decisions that will protect Dreamers and all undocumented members of our communities. Our faith propels our work forward!

🚨 Before the year ends, Congress must prioritize securing permanent protections for Dreamers and all of our undocumented neighbors without expanding border militarization, detention, deportation, or other harmful measures.

ACT NOW

1. Contact your members of Congress: https://bit.ly/3eNirYP

2. Attend a Vigil for Citizenship in DC TODAY (or online) from 3-10 pm ET. The IIC will lead from 6-7 pm. Details here: https://fb.me/e/33lgADodP

3. Attend an Interfaith Vigil and Letter Delivery in Raleigh, NC (or online) this Friday, 12/9, from 4-5 pm ET. Details here: https://bit.ly/3Fwejre

[Pictured: A vigil at a church in New Jersey, courtesy of We Are Home]

On Dec. 14th, join the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) for a webinar on how the U.S. asylum system remains in crisis, causing profound harm to far too many people who are simply seeking safety.

Join the webinar on 12/14 at 8 pm, ET/5 pm, PT to learn more about the current state of asylum + how you can help .

PCUSA is a co-sponsor of the event.
Register at https://bit.ly/AsylumDec14FB . Available in Spanish and English.

We need to pass THIS YEAR! The Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2021 is a simple, long overdue fix to this problem that ensures automatic citizenship to all intercountry adoptees who were legally adopted by U.S. citizen parents as children. The bill has bipartisan and bicameral support, having most recently passed the House of Representatives in March.

PCUSA partner, NAKASEC, is hosting an educational event on the Adoptee Citizenship Act on December 7 at 11 am, ET/10 am, CT/9 am MT/8 am PT. Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/464935562420965

Please contact your senators. This is a simple change that can help loved ones!

The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness published an action alert on the need to protect the rights of asylum seekers.

You can find the alert at https://www.votervoice.net/PCUSA/Campaigns/98558/Respond

Please express your concerns and urge action from your congressional leaders!

Defend the Right to Seek Asylum Although President Biden promised a more humane asylum system as a candidate, his administration is continuing the U.S. government’s attacks on asylum. A new agreement  will send many Venezuelan migrants to Mexico without an opportunity to seek...

The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is hosting a webinar on DACA. The PCUSA Office of Immigration Issues has helped plan this event. It's important to attend to learn more about how we can support and respond to attacks on DACA protections.

Please join us on Thursday, Oct. 27th at 7-8 pm, ET/4-5 pm, PT for the event. Register for the event at bit.ly/IIC1027Zoom

Amid continued attacks on DACA, join us for a critical conversation this Thursday about the need for pathways to citizenship + how you can take action in solidarity with immigrant youth.

Spanish + Korean interpretation provided!

Register here 👉🏽 bit.ly/IIC1027Zoom

Temporary Protected Status allows immigrants in the US stay when disaster strikes their home country, and they are unable to return home. TPS grants individuals from designated countries protection from deportation and offers work authorization. However, status for each country must be renewed every 18-24 months. As TPS for El Salvador will end at the end of the year, immigrants’ rights organizations are calling for the redesignation for El Salvador and the expansion of protections to other Central American countries. The Office of Public Witness is urging Presbyterians to lift their voices in favor of these protections. Access the action alert below for more information.

https://www.votervoice.net/PCUSA/Campaigns/97704/Respond

Speak out for Central American Immigrants: Urge the Administration to Extend TPS Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which helps over 200,000 Central Americans live and work in the United States without fear of deportation, is expiring at the end of 2022. TPS provides work authorization and protection from deportation to...

Register by this Friday, 9/16 to be part of the events that will help you connect with elected officials!

The PCUSA has a long history of supporting family unity and family reunification. This week of action is a great way to get involved in efforts to reunite families separated through the U.S. immigration system.

Families are sacred and belong together—yet the massive visa backlog is keeping families apart and forcing many to pursue risky alternatives to entering the U.S.

📢 Join us OCTOBER 3-7 for a week of action to strengthen the family-based immigration system: https://mailchi.mp/interfaithimmigration/vof-week-of-action

Families are sacred and belong together—yet the massive visa backlog is keeping families apart and forcing many to pursue risky alternatives to entering the U.S.

📢 Join us OCTOBER 3-7 for a week of action to strengthen the family-based immigration system: https://mailchi.mp/interfaithimmigration/vof-week-of-action

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) celebrates the introduction of the Afghan Adjustment Act that will allow our Afghan Allies and friends evacuated last year to apply to stay in the U.S. as residents. This is welcome relief after a year of uncertainty while the time on their temporary status has been ticking away.

Please tell your Senators and Representatives to support the Afghan Adjustment Act.

Take Action: Urge Congress to Swiftly Pass the Bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act Following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, more than 75,000 at-risk Afghans were welcomed into the United States via “humanitarian parole,” a temporary immigration status typically only granted for 1 or 2 years to provide safety for people...

It is still unclear how the Remain in Mexico program will be phased out. This is what is being reported: "The program will be unwound in a 'quick, and orderly manner,' Homeland Security said in a statement. No more people are being enrolled and those who appear in court will not be returned to Mexico when they appear in the U.S. for their next hearings."

We celebrate this decision, giving thanks for the countless voices who pushed for the program to be terminated. Now, we encourage you to reach out to organizations who do the long-term work of supporting asylum seekers! May God continue to provide safe passage to vulnerable individuals, families, and communities.

https://apnews.com/article/mexico-immigration-government-and-politics-5c7bb29c829d7f0711b23f9beb18755d

Biden administration says 'Remain in Mexico' policy is over WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security said Monday that it ended a Trump-era policy requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court, hours after a judge lifted an order in effect since December that it be reinstated.

Positive changes that ease struggles for immigrants can sometimes seem out of reach when the federal government sets laws and policies regarding immigration status and enforcement. However, there are significant ways local and state policymakers can lessen the burdens and open up opportunities for all in their communities. Higher education is an investment in a community's future and the potential of each individual. May we give thanks for and celebrate this news from VA for seeking creative solutions guided by community leaders.

"A law allowing undocumented students to receive in-state financial aid at certain colleges in Virginia takes effect Monday. Students with a wide range of immigration statuses — including those with pending refugee or asylum applications — will also be eligible for the funds."
https://vpm.org/news/articles/34450/students-with-varying-immigration-statuses-to-be-eligible-for-in-state-college

Students with varying immigration statuses to be eligible for in-state college aid Students with a wide range of immigration statuses — including those with pending refugee or asylum applications — will be eligible for the funds.

Tomorrow, July 28 at 10 am, ET/7 am, PT the Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA), a PCUSA Washington Office partner organization, is hosting a webinar on Cuba. A panel of experts for “Root Causes, Recent Trends, and the Impact of U.S. policy on Cuban Migration” will examine recent trends in Cuban emigration, the possible causes to the record-breaking migration, and what makes this current migratory wave distinct. The webinar will be available in English and Spanish.

Registration - https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/tZUqdemgqjIiHdFLLLT4Vdh6W7YZBNH_ev0j/success?user_id=wnlndfAqRWy8bcgUGATK1Q&timezone_id=America%2FNew_York

Most congressional offices are hosting in-person meetings. Most of August elected officials are back home to meet with constituents. Let's reach out to our elected officials!

The PCUSA Office of Immigration Issues encourages you to utilize the immigration asks document to guide your conversation with elected officials -https://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/immigrant/pdf/immigrationadvocacyasks.pdf

Urge congressional leaders to restore asylum protections and end Title 42 - https://www.votervoice.net/PCUSA/Campaigns/96511/Respond

Tell Congress: Heal Not Harm, End Title 42! The sacred texts and traditions of our faith seek and promote healing and wholeness, and call us to do everything possible to reduce suffering and harm.  Yet despite our faith values, our current U.S. asylum policies have turned away from...

Join us tomorrow, July 26th, at noon, ET/9 am, PT for a prayer filled event about as a part of the Heal Not Harm initiative to restore immigration asylum protections. You'll be trained and invited to call your senators. Register to join at - bit.ly/PDAEndTitle42.