The family is at the center of community life—immediate and extended family, the family of church, neighbors and humanity—and for Catholics and others, we are called to consider all who we encounter as our brothers and sisters. The current “zero tolerance” immigration policy at the U.S.–Mexico border, which has resulted in all adults referred to criminal prosecution and the separation of 658 children from their parents in the first thirteen days of the program, is a violation of this most basic … [Read more...]

Over the last six months, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has systematically halted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) offered to immigrants from violence-torn or climate-ravaged countries in the 1990s. Most recently, DHS announced the end of these protections for the 57,000 Hondurans who reside in the U.S. Though TPS was conferred due to post-hurricane devastation in that country, Honduras is now rife with gang violence and police corruption (see Mateo’s Story: Faces of the Refugee … [Read more...]

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced plans to terminate funding for the Legal Orientation and Court Helpdesk programs that provide information about detention and deportation to tens of thousands of detained immigrants in remote locations far from the U.S.–Mexico border and major cities. These programs began in 2003 with bipartisan support to help immigrants without legal representation navigate complicated immigration court proceedings and efficiently use taxpayer … [Read more...]