Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.

By: Christie Valentine* and Allison Posner**

Catholic Charities of Washington, D.C. TPS Workshop

This week, Alejandro Mayorkas, the Director of USCIS, announced that the agency has extended the deadline for Haitians filing applications for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) until January 18, 2011.  Previously, Haitians had until July 20, 2010 to apply for TPS.  This is an important step in ensuring that the needs of this vulnerable population are being met in a timely manner.  Already over 35,000 applications have been approved, and another 20,000 are awaiting adjudication.  However, these numbers represent only a fraction of the individuals who are eligible for TPS benefits.  It is estimated that there may be an additional 15,000-45,000 people in the U.S. who may still apply.

June was a busy month for immigration news with the Department of Justice announcing its intentions to sue the state of Arizona for the controversial immigration bill, SB 1070. Since then, United States vs. Arizona has been and will continue to be a contentious subject among Republicans and Democrats alike.  While June began with news stories of tension along the US/ Mexico border and students and married couples facing the threat of deportation, it ended with an announcement by President Obama on the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

Making DREAM a Reality

By: Christie Valentine*

In a Papal message for migrant and refugee day, Pope Benedict XVI stressed the importance of supporting migrant children’s education:

By Maria Odom*

It felt great to be back in New Orleans for CLINIC’s 2010 Annual Convening.  The last time I was in the Big Easy was just weeks before Hurricane Katrina hit the city with its deadly force.  Back then, my family had gathered in the city to celebrate my younger brother’s law school graduation. Victor, the youngest of four children, made us all immensely proud and grateful to our parents for their love and commitment to our education and formation.

By: Allison Posner*

Out of many, one.  This phrase was suggested by the committee appointed by Congress to design a seal for the United States of America on July 4, 1776. Yesterday, President Obama reminded us of this motto found on our nation’s coins in his first speech about immigration since taking office last January.  The President stated that “being an American is not a matter of blood or birth.  It’s a matter of faith.  It’s a matter of fidelity to the shared values that we all hold so dear.”

By: Ann Atalla
Advocacy Attorney, CLINIC

Immigration advocates have been down in the dumps lately, with news reports pronouncing the death of immigration reform in 2010.  As the nation’s largest network of legal service providers for immigrants, CLINIC has felt the pain as vividly as other immigrant advocacy organizations.  Although the lack of action in Congress can be discouraging, not all is wrong with the immigration landscape these days.  In three recent decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court has provided immigration advocates with reassuringly good law. 

By: Crista Cornavaca and James Porter

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan declared May 25 National Missing Children Day. The day is meant to highlight the importance of parents securing high-quality images of their children and to remind the broader public of the importance of amber alerts. Here at CLINIC, we see this day as an opportunity to highlight another group of children that gets lost in our society.

April was an important month for immigration news.  April 1^st marked Census Day, which saw a big push for all immigrants to participate, with some calling for it to be used to deport undocumented immigrants.  However, the month was dominated by the passing of the nation’s toughest immigration law in Arizona.  This brought the immigration debate to the forefront of the public forum.  With advocacy groups pushing lawmakers to act on immigration reform, a group of Democratic Senators presented an outline of a bill that could eventually be

March was a big month as more than 200,000 people from across the country gathered in Washington D.C. to show their support for comprehensive immigration reform.  Additionally, Senators Schumer (D-NY) and Graham (R-SC) released a blue print for what could become a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the Senate.  With deportations on the rise, it is events such as these that show steps being made in the right direction.  These stories and more were the most read immigration related news items for March.