Thursday, July 30, 2015

J. Herbert Responds to TIP Report


Originally shared by Public Citizen 
Excerpts from Press Call: Faith Leaders and Human Rights Advocates Respond to State Dept’s Upgrade of Malaysia in its Trafficking in Persons Report
Monday, July 27, 2015
WASHINGTON, DC— Faith leaders and human rights advocates hosted a media conference call to respond to Malaysia’s upgrade from its Tier 3 ranking in the State Department’s Trafficking in Persons (TiP) report, released Monday. Since reports of the potential upgrade surfaced earlier in the month, human rights advocates in the U.S. and Malaysia responded with disbelief and outrage and 160 Representatives and 19 Senators sent bipartisan letters to Secretary of State Kerry, urging the State Department to not allow the TiP report to be manipulated simply to facilitate Malaysia’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).  Congress barred fast track treatment for trade deals with countries with a Tier-3 designation in recent Fast Track legislation.
Speakers: 
Reverend Dr. J Herbert Nelson, Director, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., Office of Public Witness
Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director, NETWORK, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch, Deputy Director - Asia Division
Tom Andrews, President of United to End Genocide and former Member of Congress
Susan Greer Burton, Director of Women’s and Children’s Advocacy, United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society

Reverend Dr. J Herbert Nelson, Director, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., Office of Public Witness
 
“It becomes very difficult to understand how we can continue with trade partnerships with nations that are violating basic human rights and certainly engaging in the struggle for human dignity.”
 
“139 mass graves shocked this nation – and this world – with regards to its conscience, to the issues of human trafficking, the sale and trade of people, and certainly a shameful act of profiteering. Therefore, our faith calls us to stand against this type of denial of human dignity, of in many ways murder, and in the usury mill of individuals who have been ordained by God with such great potential to make a difference.”
 
“We are calling for transparency, we are calling for the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress to truly move forward with an understanding that there has to be not an elevation from one tier to another of countries like Malaysia, where it is very clear that they’re involved in this type of framing around human dignity that not only denies but takes life.”
 
“We are calling on this administration to step back for a minute for this ‘no Fast Track for human trafficking’ amendment. We are asking that that be attached to this particular arrangement and that we look very closely at Malaysia’s participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks based on what we have recently discovered. Again, this is about the integrity of our nation. For people of faith, it is about the integrity of our faith. It is very difficult for us to say we are one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, and see the kind of atrocious actions that have taken place in the last few weeks regarding Malaysia.”
 
“We are calling upon our country, the United States of America, to be just that – the United States – on this particular issue, and to enforce the issues of liberty and justice for all around the globe as we have done in so many other cases.”

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Faith Leaders Celebrate Court Decision on Family Detention; Call for Administration to Comply

Children at the Dilley, TX facility
Source: Charles Reed,
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness and the Presbyterian Office of Immigration Issues have been deeply engaged in the struggle to end the unjust incarceration of asylum-seeking migrant mothers and children in three family detention facilities. On Friday, July 24, a U.S. District Judge ruled that this detention is illegal. Read more below, including a statement by Rev. Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of PC(USA).



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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                   
July 27, 2015      

Contact: Shaina Aber                                                             202-629-5918 
saber@jesuits.org                                                                                  



Faith Leaders Celebrate Court Decision on Family Detention;
Call for Administration to Comply

WASHINGTON – Late on Friday, July 24, 2015, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee ruled that the Obama Administration’s practice of detaining immigrant families violates the 1997 settlement in Flores v. Meese and all families, excluding those who pose a flight or national security risk, must be released as soon as possible.

The Flores settlement set guidelines for the detention of unaccompanied migrant children: if they are detained, they should be held in the least restrictive environment possible, cared for by licensed professionals. Judge Gee ruled that the settlement also applies to children detained with their mothers. She has given the federal government until August 3, 2015 to respond, or she will implement measures to enforce her ruling. Over the past two months the federal government and the plaintiffs have failed repeatedly to reach an agreement.

In response to the influx of almost 70,000 Central American families seeking asylum last year, the federal government began to detain mothers and children en masse in three dedicated facilities – Karnes City, Texas; Dilley, Texas; and Berks County, Pennsylvania. Since June 2014, 6,300 mothers and children have been booked into a family detention center. Currently, 1,700 mothers and children are being detained, even after Department of Homeland Security began their release of some mothers and children who have demonstrated a credible fear of returning to their country. According to the Women’s Refugee Commission, 88% of recently detained mothers have passed screenings for credible fear of return to their countries of origin.

The challenge to family detention came from counsel on behalf of several detained mothers. DHS responded with disappointment in the ruling, maintaining the government’s need for detention as a means of responding to mass influxes of immigrants at the border, such as the surge last summer.

Advocates, including dozens of faith groups, rejoice in Judge Gee’s ruling and plea for the Obama administration and DHS to comply. They will continue to push for the decisive end to this inhumane and immoral practice.

Read faith leader statements below.

“I applaud the July 24, 2015, ruling by Federal Judge Dolly Gee, joining the chorus denouncing family detention, reaffirming that migrant children must be released to foster care or relatives and placed in the least restrictive environment possible.  Her ruling echoes the prophet Isaiah’s call to seek to “correct oppression” (Is. 1:17) and enables our nation to better “speak out in defense of the poor” (Prov. 31:8-9).

Family detention exacerbates the trauma families have already experienced, profits prison companies, isolates legitimate asylum seekers from services, and constrains hope that liberty might ever be found.  Judge Gee’s order instructs the administration to develop a plan to release the mothers and children “without unnecessary delay.” I strongly urge the administration not to appeal Judge Gee’s decision. It is not illegal to seek asylum, and mothers and children should not be treated like prisoners. Around the U.S., our members have stood with faith partners in ditches outside centers to pray, have signed letters, visited legislators and White House staff, provided education, and made calls to build momentum for mercy and to say resoundingly that family detention is immoral. Our prayer is that it will end.” 
The Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the U.S. and Canada

“Church World Service applauds Judge Gee’s ruling. The criminalization and detention of families seeking asylum and refuge is a moral stain on our nation. Our country has a moral and legal obligation to respect asylum and protection laws. CWS will continue to advocate for the immediate release of families held in detention centers and the reduction in the overall use of detention”
The Rev. John L. McCullough, President and CEO of Church World Service

“We are heartened by the judge’s decision to end the policy of detaining immigrant women and children. A policy that blames women and children for fleeing violence, puts them in detention, and then expedites their deportation directly contradicts our values as people of faith and a nation of immigrants.”
Scott Wright, Director of the Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach

"We commend U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee for her wisdom and justice in the Flores ruling that is consistent with Catholic Social Justice Teaching and highlights this country’s commitment to life, our concern for the most vulnerable, and our steadfast allegiance to dignity for all. This decision enlivens the truth of Pope Francis’ statement, “No cell is so isolated as to exclude the Lord, none. He is there, ... His paternal and maternal love reaches everywhere.” (Pope Francis, Vatican City, Audience for National Congress of Italian Prison Chaplains, 10/23/2013.)  We commit our prayers and resources to oppose future appeals to this decision."
Sr. Louise Gallahue, DC, Vistatrix of the Daughters of Charity of the Province of St. Louise


“Our faith compels us to seek a complete end to the failed policy of family detention. We urge the administration not to appeal Judge Gee’s ruling that detaining children violates U.S. law. The administration should cease allowing private prisons to profit off of jailing children. We must instead whole-heartedly turn towards community-based alternatives that both keep families together and answer to that of God in the women and children seeking refuge.”
Diane Randall, Executive Secretary for the Friends Committee on National Legislation

“Our Jewish values and history call us to protect life and to love the stranger. As American Jews, we must work to ensure that anyone who reaches our border is afforded safety and dealt with fairly. This ruling confirms that the U.S. government is not living up to its obligation of ensuring the proper care of children in its custody. The Jewish community has long supported policies that promote human rights and ensure the protection of children. We must continue to press our government to live up to these ideals.”
Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, Vice President for Community Engagement at HIAS, the global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees.

“The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) welcomes the recent ruling by U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee which we trust will put an end to the detention of immigrant children and their mothers. We urge President Obama and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson to implement the court’s finding as rapidly as possible. We continue to be concerned about the failure of our present immigration system to treat all with the dignity and respect that is their God-given right.”
Executive Director, Sister Joan Marie Steadman, CSC

“We welcome the Judge’s ruling that no child belongs in a secure and unlicensed detention facility and strongly agree that parents should be released together with their children whenever possible. No child or family belongs in jail. Lutherans, and people of faith in communities all across America, stand ready to welcome and embrace our new neighbors as they are released from family detention facilities.”
Linda Hartke, CEO and President, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

“The National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd applauds Judge Gee's ruling that condemns the incarceration of women and children.  We hope the Obama administration will abide by her wise and compassionate decision and not appeal.  These incarcerated women and children have suffered enough.”
Lawrence Couch, Director of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

“We at NETWORK welcome the US District Court ruling that hopefully begins the end of family detention of undocumented immigrants. The Court recognizes the reality that we have been advocating as common sense: children and their mothers do not belong in prison-like settings. We are extremely grateful to Judge Dolly Gee for helping to ensure that children and their mothers will now await their asylum hearings in safe surroundings and not in custody. We urge the Administration to put families first by not appealing this decision. “
Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Director of NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

“So many in the faith community have been praying for something, such as Judge Gee's ruling, to advance the movement to end family detention. Today, we rejoice and continue to pray that the government will not appeal this decision and that, soon, thousands of asylum-seeking mothers and children will be freed.”
The Reverend Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

"The Sisters of Mercy celebrate Judge Dolly Gee's ruling on family detention. We ask the Obama administration to take immediate actions to end the shameful policy of incarcerating refugee women and children. President Obama's decision to appeal the ruling or comply with Judge Gee's findings will determine his legacy on immigration, as much as his fight for comprehensive immigration reform and deferred action."
Sr. Patricia McDermott, President of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas

"The court decision is a striking affirmation in defense of vulnerable Central American children and mothers and on behalf of the rights of asylum-seekers widely. We urge the Obama administration not to appeal the court's ruling, but to embrace it, to abide by it — and to immediately release all mothers and children now being held, so they can await their asylum hearings in compliance, yet in the safety and freedom they've been denied. 
It is time to close the door on this painful and shameful policy. Not jailing children and mothers is a legacy that befits the President."
The Rev. William Schulz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

“United Methodist Women members have been actively engaged in efforts to end family detention: marching outside the detention center in Dilley, Texas; using social media; sending postcards to President Obama; and sharing and mobilizing at Mission u events across the country. United Methodist Women celebrates this legal victory and urges the administration not to appeal this ruling. Mothers and children should be released from detention immediately. Furthermore, release from detention should not entail separating mothers and children; demanding exorbitant bonds; forcing mothers to wear GPS monitoring devices; or expediting the deportation of mothers and children. We seek a policy that guarantees due process for all including appeals on deportation orders, and which ends all family detention without an undue burden on families that have suffered more than enough.”
Harriett Jane Olson, General Secretary and CEO, United Methodist Women 

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Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Action Alert: Congress, Protect the Human Rights of Migrants!

It’s almost the end of July and the season of Congressional appropriations is in full swing! By September 30, Congress must pass 12 different appropriations bills to fund the U.S. government for fiscal year 2016.[1] One of these appropriations packages, the State Department and Foreign Operations bill, includes various forms of aid to other countries.

The House version of the bill (H.R. 2772) conditions humanitarian aid funding for Central American countries on their commitment to improving border security and interdicting migrants, particularly unaccompanied minors, trying to reach México and eventually the United States. [2]

The Northern Triangle of Central America-- Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras-- have erupted into levels of incomprehensible violence due to the rising control of gangs and lack of economic opportunity. The mass exodus of Central American children and families has been the result.[3] These conditional provisions in the bill seek to strategically keep Central Americans from ever reaching our southern border. The United States has already begun this process to externalize our southern border. Since last year, the U.S. has funded, armed, and trained Mexican, Honduran, and Guatemalan law enforcement to stop migration from Central America, without regard to the well-being or human rights of migrants.[4] The provisions in the House bill would amplify these efforts to keep Central Americans from exercising their internationally guaranteed right to flee trafficking, persecution, and violence as asylum seekers [5] to the United States and other countries.

We must not continue down this path. Instead, we should be investing in protection and post-repatriation services for migrants, along with addressing the root causes of migration—violence and poverty.

The Senate version of the bill (S. 1725) does not include these damaging conditions. It does, however, include positive provisions to condition assistance to Northern Triangle countries on their efforts to combat corruption and ensure transparency, protect human rights, implement policies and reforms to address root causes of poverty and violence, and reform the police and the role of military forces in policing, among many.[6]

When the House and Senate go to conference to reconcile their two bills, we want provisions like those in the Senate bill to remain and border security provisions like those in the House to be eliminated.

What does the PC(USA) say about asylum-seekers and refugees?

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has affirmed many times (1990, 1994, 1999, and 2014) [7] the need for U.S. immigration policy to protect the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers, in accordance with the Gospel mandate to care for the most vulnerable.

In 1990, the 202nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) resolved that any immigration-related policy must “uphold international standards and accords regarding protection to refugees and persons in refugee-like situations…” and “address the U.S. economic, political, and military policies that may contribute to conditions compelling human displacement and migration.”[8]


Primarily Central American migrants board a Mexican freight train known as
 'La Bestia," "The Beast" to reach the U.S. border.
Source: www.macleans.ca 



[1] The past few years, Congress has not passed all twelve bills before the deadline, so all twelve bills have been wrapped into one “omnibus bill.” Read more here: https://www.nationalpriorities.org/budget-basics/federal-budget-101/federal-budget-process/
[7] 35.143. Pp 520; 30.141. Pp. 243; “Transformation of Churches and Society through Encounter with New Neighbors.” PC(USA) Statement. Pp. 353-355; Commissioner Resolution. On the Global Crisis for LGBT People and Their Families: A Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Response. 09-20. http://pc-biz.org/PC-Biz.WebApp_deploy/(S(ips21ra3w0zttk2dvlduyrgf))/Explorer.aspx?id=5073
[8] 35.143. Pp. 520.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Action Alert: Congress Needs to Reauthorize Child Nutrition Programs!


Even after the economic recovery, food insecurity in the United States remains at staggering rates: 49 million people live in food insecure households.[1] One in five children live at risk of hunger every day.[2] Katie Klabusich, a policy writer, who has experienced hunger, defined food insecurity in the U.S. as eating “just enough so that you aren't really hungry, just enough so you can put one foot in front of the other, just enough so you can push your body through another workday. ”[3]
 
Although thousands of nonprofits and faith communities (like many of your churches) offer food assistance, they only provide one of every twenty grocery bags that those who are food insecure receive.[4] Federal nutrition programs stand in this gap. We need both.
 
Child nutrition programs, encompassed in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, include the School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, Summer Food Service Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (food assistance to child and adult care institutions). This legislation also includes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance for Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. The act expires on September 30, 2015 and must be reauthorized before then.
 
 
WIC, school breakfast and lunch, after-school snack, and summer meals work together to fight childhood hunger. 21.5 million children eat a free or reduced school lunch everyday. However, gaps still exist: only four of every seven children who eat school lunch also eat school breakfast. Only one in seven participate in summer meals, often because many families cannot reach or are too far away from summer meal sites.[5]
The WIC program serves more than 8 million low-income women and children annually. Pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women and their children up to age 5 are eligible for these benefits. There are four components of the highly successful program: nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, healthcare and social service referrals, and a nutritious food package. Participation in WIC contributes to healthier births, lower rates of anemia, and more nutritious diets for both the mother and her children.[6]
 
2015 Legislative Concerns
 
In the past, these programs have received broad bipartisan support. School lunch was first legislated in 1946 and expanded during the War on Poverty; WIC was enacted in 1974. Now, they are under increased scrutiny due to partisan politics.
 
This year, faith advocates are concerned that improvements in the 2010 legislation, such as heightened nutrition standards and funding for farm-to-school programs, will be scaled back. In addition, we are concerned that funding for child nutrition programs and other social safety net programs like food stamps will be cut. Lastly, we are worried that legislation will include legal-status documentation requirements for school meal eligibility. The school meals program is the only federal nutrition program that does not require documentation of legal status.[7] This is one way that Congressional members could insert their position on the rights undocumented immigrants should have in our society.
 
Improvements to Child Nutrition Programs
 
Source: http://www.cbpp.org/school-districts-and-schools-that-
are-eligible-for-the-school-meals-community-eligibility-provision
A promising initiative within school meals is the Community Eligibility Program (CEP), a program that opens school meals to all students within high-poverty districts. It eliminates application fees, reduces administrative work, and more importantly reduces stigma for children. It has been rolled out over the past three years. Now, 14,000 schools in 11 states participate, serving more than 6 million children.[8]
 
More progress is on the horizon. Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Linda Sánchez (D-CA) introduced the Wise Investment in Our Children Act (H.R. 2660) in June. It would extend a child’s eligibility for WIC benefits to age 6, closing the hunger gap for children who don’t enter kindergarten until they are 6 years old.[9]
 
What does the PC(USA) Say about Child Hunger?
 
The 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) affirmed the importance of maternal and child nutrition in the first 1,000 days, from the beginning of a woman’s pregnancy to her child’s 2nd birthday. Without proper nutrition during this time, children suffer permanent physical and cognitive delays. The General Assembly reiterated the Confession of 1967 that says“enslaving poverty in a world of abundance is an intolerable violation of God’s good creation.” [10] The overture highlighted programs like WIC that provide good nutrition for women and infants in this 1,000 day window. In addition, the PC(USA) participates in the 1,000 Days Movement that focuses on adequate nutrition for women and children in countries around the world.[11]
 
 


[1] http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1565415/err173.pdf
[2] http://www.childtrends.org/?indicators=food-insecurity
[3] http://mic.com/articles/120610/49-million-americans-live-with-this-so-why-are-we-so-uncomfortable-talking-about-it utm_source=Mic+Check&utm_campaign=7b33b2ae5b
June_16_20156_16_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_51f2320b33-7b33b2ae5b-285492657
[4] http://www.bread.org/ol/2015/downloads/ol15-issues.pdf
[5] http://www.bread.org/ol/2015/downloads/ol15-issues.pdf
[6] http://www.cbpp.org/research/index.cfm?fa=topic&id=31
[7] http://www.childrensaidsociety.org/files/upload-docs/11-Benefits_for_Immigrants-1.pdf
[8] http://www.cbpp.org/research/take-up-of-community-eligibility-this-school-year?fa=view&id=5273
[9] https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2660/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22%5C%22hr2660%5C%22%22%5D%7D
[10] Book of Confessions, Confession of 1967, 9.46 https://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/oga/pdf/boc.pdf
[11] http://www.thousanddays.org/