Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.

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.

By: Jennie Guilfoyle

By Julia Alanen

Each year in the United States, underage girls are forced into marriages by their parents or close family members. This practice has garnered little attention in the U. S., to date.

Contributions by: Peggy Gleason, Yen Le, Kristina Karpinski, and James Porter

“On a recent visit to Miami to teach at a CLINIC training, I was impressed all over again by the great work of the Miami Catholic Charities immigration legal services,” says Peggy Gleason, Training and Legal Support Attorney for CLINIC. The program is located at ground zero for the multitude of Haiti assistance efforts that have sprung up since the January 12 earthquake. A third of the more than twenty people who work at the immigration program are Haitian in origin.

A New Decade, A Renewed Push for Reform, and Tragedy Strikes Haiti:  January in Immigration News

On Start of 2010 Census – CLINIC Urges Full Participation

This year, the U.S. Census has a BIG job. Starting January 25, it’s counting EVERYONE that lives in the United States. This only happens once every 10 years and it’s a big deal.

January  17, 2010 marks the 96th World Day of Migrants and Refugees.   In a statement prepared for the day, Pope Benedict XVI said:

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that there are “12.3 million adults and children in forced labor, bonded labor, and commercial sexual servitude at any given time.  Of these victims, the ILO estimates that at least 1.39 million are victims of commercial sexual servitude.”[1]  More than 56% of all victims of human traff

In view of this week’s introduction of legislation for comprehensive immigration reform, it seems appropriate that on International Migrants Day, we take a moment to recognize the struggles, contributions, and other issues that face people on the move.