January 21, 2018 - "National Migration Week"

For the past fifty years the Church has observed National Migration Week.  This year it occurred from January 7-14, 2018.  I want to share some of Cardinal Wuerl’s remarks about National Migration Week 2018 and then report on a disturbing development with a statement by Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Migration.  First let me present some reflections from Cardinal Wuerl:
 
“Recognizing how often the people of God found themselves strangers in a foreign Land, from Abraham and Jacob to the Holy Family and missionaries through the ages, the plight of migrants and refugees as long been a concern of the Church.  To raise awareness and celebrate the gifts that people from other lands have to offer, the Church in the United States lifts up for us National Migration Week, which this year is observed from January 7-13…
 
“This annual initiative comes this year as our nation considers much-needed immigration reform amidst which is actually a world-wide migration crisis.  As Pope Francis notes in this Message for the 2018 World Day of Peace, over 250 million women, men and children are on the move, 22.5 million of whom are refugees.  Stressing our humanity as sons and daughters of God, he says, “In a spirit of compassion, let us embrace all those fleeing from war and hunger, or forced by discrimination, persecution, poverty and environmental degradation to leave their homelands.
 
“Instead of viewing migration as a threat to national resources, the Holy Father encourages a welcoming response as part of the effort to build a just peace and better world. ‘Migrants and refugees,’ he says, ‘do not arrive empty-handed.  They bring their courage, skills, energy, and aspirations, as well as the treasurers of their own cultures of their own cultures; and in this way, they enrich the lives of the nations that receive them.’”
 
These thoughts of Cardinal Wuerl and our Holy Father are well worth bearing in mind as we consider the implications of the decision by the Department of Homeland Security to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador.  TPS is temporary, renewable, and statutorily authorized humanitarian migration program that permits individuals to remain and work lawfully in the U.S. during a period in which it is deemed unsafe for nationals of that country to return home.  The vast majority of TPS recipients in the U.S. are Salvadoran.   Bishop Vasquez, Chair of the USCCB Committee on Migration, issued the following statement in response to the decision announced on January 8, 2018 by the Department of Homeland Security:
 
"The decision to terminate TPS for El Salvador is heartbreaking. As detailed in our recent delegation trip report to the region, El Salvador is currently not in a position to adequately handle the return of the roughly 200,000 Salvadoran TPS recipients. [To see this delegation trip report, please go to https://tinyurl.com/y9j67fhu.]  Today's decision will fragment American families, leaving over 192,000 U.S. citizen children of Salvadoran TPS recipients with uncertain futures. Families will be needlessly separated because of this decision.
 
“We believe that God has called us to care for the foreigner and the marginalized: 'So you too should love the resident alien, for that is what you were in the land of Egypt' (Deut. 10:19). Our nation must not turn its back on TPS recipients and their families; they too are children of God.
 
“DHS [Department of Homeland Security] has provided an 18-month period (through September 9, 2019) during which TPS recipients from El Salvador can legally stay in the United States and prepare for their departure. While we recognize and appreciate this extra time, it will not remedy the underlying protection and family unity concerns that remain for Salvadoran TPS recipients.
 
“We renew our call to Congress to work in a bipartisan manner to find a legislative solution for long-term TPS recipients, and we stand ready to support such efforts. TPS recipients are an integral part of our communities, churches, and nation. Without action by Congress, however, recipients' lives will be upended and many families will be devastated. As with DACA, we strongly urge Congressional members and leadership to come together and address this issue as soon as possible.
 
“To Salvadoran TPS recipients, we promise to continue to stand in solidarity with you and pray for you and your families, and all those who are displaced or forced to flee from their homes."
Until next week,
Fr. John Dillon