Archives for August 2014

By: Roxane Ramos The humanitarian crisis of thousands of undocumented and unaccompanied children at the border has prompted numerous responses from organizations throughout the country. Here, we print two letters—one from the Jesuit Conference and the other from the Sisters of Mercy. The letters outline the decades-long history of violence in Central America that has led to the atmosphere of danger and threat that exists today. And they provide disturbing facts about the reality of what … [Read more...]

By: Roxane Ramos More than 57,000 unaccompanied migrant children have crossed the U.S.–Mexico border since October. The initial crisis for the U.S. government and border authorities was one of sheltering them and providing for their basic needs. Now that most of the children have been placed with relatives and await immigration hearings, the more ongoing challenge is addressing the reasons they have migrated, and determining who may have a right to stay in the U.S. based on refugee status or … [Read more...]

By: Roxane Ramos If you wish to learn more about the causes behind the increased number of unaccompanied migrant children at the border, please view—and forward—this excellent video from Jesuit Refugee Service | USA. It consolidates a range of interrelated events and factors into an informative 4-minute history lesson: http://vimeo.com/102135765 You can also provide in-kind or monetary support to help immigrant families at the border through Catholic Community Services (CCS), highlighted in … [Read more...]