CLINIC Executive Director on Mayorkas Nomination

January 26, 2021

SILVER SPRING, Maryland — Anna Gallagher, executive director at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. said:

“As an immigrant with serious management and policy-making experience, Alejandro Mayorkas is an excellent choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Having directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and served as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security in the Obama administration, Mayorkas understands the complexities of U.S. immigration law. His respect for the dignity and rights of immigrants is real. The job here is not only to undo the destruction of the previous administration, but to lead us forward in building a humane, just, and dignified immigration system. CLINIC looks forward to working with Mayorkas and his team to make this a reality.”

Read about CLINIC’s priorities for the Biden-Harris administration here: cliniclegal.org/transition

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Catholics Reaffirm That Title 42 Must End for U.S. To Be a Moral and Just Nation
Posted on April 18, 2022
SILVER SPRING, Maryland – The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, or CLINIC — the nation’s largest network of nonprofit immigration legal services organizations — released this statement as Catholics across the world celebrate the season of renewal ushered in by Holy Week and Easter:

“The United States can and must welcome people seeking asylum because it is the law, because it is right, and because we can.

CLINIC, which represents the largest network of nonprofit immigration legal services organizations in the United States, knows that the amount of resources available to care for and provide legal services to asylum seekers is a decision that belongs to the Biden administration. It is simply wrong to say that we cannot welcome because we are stretched too thin or because there is not enough to go around. The decision against providing adequate resources to welcome those in need of protection is a policy choice.

When God calls us to welcome the stranger, God calls us to action. Welcome means to offer food, shelter, clothing, education, health care and other services, which are all human rights. It is the responsibility of the U.S. government and the responsibility of all of us to act accordingly. In a nation with the wealth of the United States, the failure to do so is unconscionable.

For Catholics, Easter is a season of renewal, of light, of hope. It is a time when we reflect on all that is possible. CLINIC knows that what is possible is a United States that upholds the rights and dignity of asylum seekers and puts in place systems, laws, and policies that truly and actively welcome.

Title 42 was never about public health, it is about racism, xenophobia, and the politicization of human life, and there is no place for Title 42 in a moral and just nation.

As Texas Governor Greg Abbott, members of Congress and others attempt to stoke fear around the end of Title 42, CLINIC renews our call on the Biden administration to end this deadly and devastating policy immediately and to do everything in its power to ensure such a travesty of human rights and morality never happens again.

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Federal Administrative Advocacy, Asylum and Refugee Law
Biden Administration Makes Right Decision on TPS for Ukraine; Must Do the Same for Other Countries
Posted on March 3, 2022
SILVER SPRING, Maryland — The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., or CLINIC, commends the Biden administration for making the right decision to designate Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Ukraine. The decision will protect approximately 28,000 people in the United States from return to the war and humanitarian disaster in Ukraine.

“Temporary Protected Status is a pillar of the U.S. humanitarian immigration system,” said Anna Gallagher, CLINIC’s Executive Director. “Congress, in its wisdom, gave Homeland Security this authority for moments exactly like this, to ensure no man, woman or child is returned to conditions where their lives or freedom would be at risk. As Catholics, TPS designations put into action our faith values to welcome, share resources and recognize the dignity of all.”

CLINIC, a member of the Temporary Protected Status – Deferred Enforced Departure Administrative Advocacy Coalition, joined a letter endorsed by 177 organizations calling for TPS for Ukraine delivered to the administration last Friday.

“The urgent calls on the Biden administration to designate TPS for Ukraine are preceded by calls for TPS for Ethiopia, Cameroon, Mauritania, Afghanistan and other countries,” said Lisa Parisio, Director of Advocacy at CLINIC. “Designations for these countries are also warranted under the law. TPS for Black-majority countries can be particularly crucial in meeting the Congressional intent of TPS. As a protection for all nationals of a country, as opposed to a case-by-case determination, TPS can serve as a safety net, saving the lives of people who slip through cracks in our asylum system, including due to systemic racism.”

“TPS sends a message from the U.S. government to the world that humanitarian protection in war and disaster must be prioritized,” said Parisio. “The backlog of TPS designations for Black-majority countries here in the U.S. mirrors the anti-Blackness we’re seeing as African students and others in Ukraine are denied access to escape the conflict. As the Biden administration calls for Ukrainians to be protected through this TPS designation, it should designate TPS for Ethiopia, Cameroon, Mauritania and other countries whose nationals face grave danger if they are forced to return.”

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CLINIC to Biden Administration: The Delay on Temporary Protected Status for Cameroon Must End Now
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SILVER SPRING, Maryland — The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., or CLINIC, joins dozens of organizations today in the call for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Cameroon on the national Black Immigrant Advocacy Day of Action. As founder and steering committee member of the Temporary Protected Status Deferred Enforced Departure Administrative Advocacy Coalition, or TPS-DED AAC, CLINIC has been continuously calling for TPS for Cameroon as conflict and humanitarian crises make safe return to the country impossible.

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Promoting the Dignity of Immigrants With Affordable Legal Expertise

As it has for more than 30 years, CLINIC will fight for the rights of immigrants. CLINIC trains legal representatives who provide high-quality and affordable immigration legal services. We develop and sustain a network of nonprofit programs that serve over 500,000 immigrants every year. We cultivate projects that support and defend vulnerable immigrant populations by:

Providing direct representation for asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border and educating them about their rights;
Reuniting formerly separated families;
Increasing legal representation for those in removal proceedings and in detention;
Providing public education on immigration law and policies; and
Advocating for fair and just immigration policies that acknowledge the inherent dignity and value of all people.

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About the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.

Embracing the Gospel value of welcoming the stranger, CLINIC promotes the dignity and protects the rights of immigrants in partnership with a dedicated network of Catholic and community legal immigration programs. We are based out of Silver Spring, Maryland (Washington, D.C. metropolitan area), with an office in Oakland, California, and additional staff working from locations throughout the country. Questions and inquiries can be sent to national@cliniclegal.org.

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