The Immigration Working Group is active and lively with religious women, priests (order and diocesan), and occasionally lay persons, who participate. The group meets monthly, with 7-10 members present on zoom. Members share the immigration situation in the areas in which they live, along with personal activities and experiences to keep us updated on what is going on in the USA.
We have had three webinars: one by Jennifer Peyton, an immigration judge from Chicago, one by Michael Richard, Catholic Charities in Louisiana, on amnesty and one by Ruben Garcia from Annunciation House in El Paso, TX on events at the border. We worked with the Women in the Church Group on a webinar on women and immigration.
We presented a letter at the AUSCP conference in Lexington, Kentucky, addressed to the USCCB inviting the Bishops to become more active before the elections. It was passed by the assembly, almost unanimously.
At the assembly in 2019 five objectives were set forth (see below). We are working to fulfill these, and also trying to move our bishops and diocesan leadership to be more vocal on the issue of immigration as an issue of life.
- Education of ourselves and others on issues of immigration
- Report on the conditions and events of where we are involved
- Preaching on relevant issues
- Advocate for immigrants and refugees
- Form and maintain welcoming communities for immigrants and refugees