The negative reaction of church leaders in Alabama to the state’s new anti-immigrant law—worse than Arizona!—is discussed in the New York Times (here) and the National Catholic Reporter (here).

by Sue Weishar, Ph.D.

The Justice for Immigrants Campaign of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is organizing a Pray for the DREAM weekend to be held between September 18th and October 9th. Dioceses, parishes and other faith groups are asked to plan events and/or incorporate petitions, homilies, and prayers into Sunday Masses in support of DREAM Act eligible students and youth, with a special emphasis on the weekend of September 25th.

by Sue Weishar, Ph.D.

In an August, 2011, study from the Migration Policy Institute, authors Marc R. Rosenblum and Kate Brick address the acceleration of migration from Mexico and Central America’s “Northern Triangle” (El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala) from 1 million persons in the 1970s to about 14 million today. They trace U.S. immigration policy across three major migration periods over the past century and how growth and diversification of these immigrant populations have been functions of structural factors, policy decisions, and the interaction between them.

Mississippi congregation reaches out after devastating immigration raid

By Sue Weishar, Ph.D.

Fate of 2011 Gulf South States' Anti-Immigrant Legislation

By Dr. Sue Weishar, Migration Specialist

Melissa Dockstader
11.9999

In a very strongly worded statement last month, Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami accused both the Congress and the Adminstration of abdication of responsibility for their complete failure to deal with the pressing issued of immigration reform. Failing to do so, he wrote, leaves immigrant families living in fear and, without action, “the nation’s social fabric will begin to tear, to the detriment of all Americans.” The complete statement can be found here.

People are on the move all over the globe! Large-scale migration is one of the most important social developments of our time; and the increasing growth in population and changes in demographics are exciting and challenging. However, too many societies have proven to be ill equipped to handle the rapidly changing populations. As a result, communities all over the globe are struggling with the serious implications of large-scale migration. What’s fueling this large wave of migration? What are the social justice issues involved? What is the Christian response to immigration?