Sign the petition: ICE is detaining and deporting immigrant activists.

ICE is detaining and deporting immigrant activists.

Donald Trump’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is out of control.
As the rogue enforcement arm of Trump’s racist, xenophobic regime, ICE is invading communities across the country to terrorize and tear apart immigrant families. Its agents are detaining and deporting prominent immigrant activists and reportedly abusing people in their custody.

February 26 - National Call-In Day for Dreamers

 

Greetings,

This information comes through LCWR. 

Next week the Catholic community across the country is planning to double-down on its commitment to stand with Dreamers.

On Monday, February 26, USCCB is sponsoring a National Call-In Day for Dreamers. In their announcement, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, USCCB President, Archbishop José Gómez, USCCB Vice President, and Bishop Joe Vásquez, chair of the USCCB’s Migration Committee said: “Our faith compels us to stand with the vulnerable, including our immigrant brothers and sisters. We have done so continually, but we must show our support and solidarity now in a special way.  Now is the time for action." 

Your advocacy is critical.  We hope to drive thousands of calls to Congress.  Please call 1-855-589-5698 and press 1 to be connected to your Senators. Call again and press 2 to be connected to your Representative.

Once connected please ask the person on the phone to deliver this simple message to your legislator: 

“I urge you to support a bipartisan and humane solution for Dreamers: Protect Dreamers from deportation and provide them with a path to citizenship. Reject proposals that undermine family immigration or protections for unaccompanied children. As a Catholic, I know that families are not “chains,” but a blessing to be protected. Act now to protect Dreamers, our immigrant brothers and sisters.”

The House Needs to Have a Clean Dream Act

Are you up for doing it all again -- asking that Congress take action on behalf of Dreamers? 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised to hold a vote by Friday, February 9. In order to protect Dreamers and families, we need the House to also take up a clean Dream Act. Call your representative to have them pressure Speaker Ryan to hold a vote as soon as possible.   

Be sure to ask that there be no border wall nor increased militarization. 

JusticeAlert - February 1

Thursday, February 8 is the feast day of Josephine Bakhita. Josephine was born in Sudan in 1869, enslaved as a child, and sold to an Italian diplomat. Years later she was brought to freedom through the Canossian Daughters of Charity and later became part of their community. In 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized her.  He said that her life is an inspiration to all who work for the freedom of girls and women who experience violence and oppression and the slavery of human trafficking—until all reach their full human dignity and live in freedom.  

Attached are petitions that you may use in prayer.  

Prayer of the Faithful 

The response is: Gracious God, hear our prayer.

For Pope Francis, all bishops and church leaders that God may gift them with deep wisdom as they call the Church to struggle against the evil of human trafficking, we pray 

For policy makers, that God grants them the wisdom to enact laws that provide greater protection for victims and survivors of human trafficking, we pray 

For everyone who is trapped in a situation of slavery, that God will help to liberate them from their chains, we pray 

For perpetrators of slavery, that they repent of their evil ways and turn to God for forgiveness, we pray 

For our neighbors, coworkers, friends, fellow Christians, and all people, that they may increase in their awareness of the problem of human trafficking and become a voice in the public square calling for its abolition, we pray

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A toolkit for observing this feast can be found on the Become a Shepherd page on USCCB’s International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking.

The photo above contains the information to join a webinar on what parishes around the country are doing to combat human trafficking