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January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month January 18th, 2017

President Barack Obama has proclaimed January 2017 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the United States, calling upon businesses, national and community organizations, families, and all Americans to recognize the vital role we must play in ending all forms of human trafficking. Many with groups are bringing attention to this issue through prayer and educational resources. Below are links to some of these resources.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s (USCCB):

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month & Day of Prayer Tookit:

“Human trafficking is a crime against humanity. We must unite our efforts to free victims and stop this crime that’s become ever more aggressive, that threatens not just individuals, but the foundational values of society.” Pope Francis

U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking provides several resources on its website including prayer services and an interfaith toolkit produced and distributed by the Washington Inter-Religious Staff Community Working Group on Human Trafficking (WISC).

The Catholic Health Association is sponsoring a Twitter Chat on Human Trafficking, Feb. 2nd, 1-2:00 PM Eastern. Contact Jody Wise for details: wisejo@trinity-health.org.

Renewed Call to End the Death Penalty. July 21st, 2015

During the 10th Anniversary of Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops renewed push to end the death penalty. Accompanying their message, “A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement saying,

“Since that time, significant gains have been made, several states, including New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, Illinois, Connecticut, Maryland and most recently Nebraska, have ended the use of the death penalty, and other states have enacted moratoria. Death sentences are at their lowest level since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976.”

“Our Catholic faith affirms our solidarity with and support for victims of crime and their families. We commit ourselves to walk with them and assure them of the Church’s compassion and care, ministering to their spiritual, physical and emotional needs in the midst of deep pain and loss. We also acknowledge the inherent human dignity of those who have committed grave harm, affirming that, even as they repay a debt to society, they too should receive compassion and mercy.”

Full statement here

Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran Bishops Call for an End to Detention of Families March 27th, 2015

The current policy of family detention is unworthy of our nation; Humane alternatives to detention are available

Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran bishops visited with young mothers and children who have fled violence in their home countries and are now incarcerated at Dilley Detention Center in Dilley, Texas, on March 27. The faith leaders called upon the federal government to halt the practice of family detentions, citing the harmful effects on mothers, children and the moral character of society.

Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio, Texas, whose archdiocese includes Dilley, was joined by Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, auxiliary bishop of Seattle, and Bishop James Tamayo of Laredo, Texas. Bishops Michael Rinehart and H. Julian Gordy of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America also joined them on the visit. Since last summer, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has detained hundreds of families at detention centers in New Mexico, Texas, and Pennsylvania, under a new family detention policy aimed at families fleeing violence in Central America.

“After this visit, my primary question is: Why? Why do we feel compelled to place in detention such vulnerable individuals –traumatized young mothers with children fleeing persecution in their home countries?” said Archbishop García-Siller following the visit. “A great nation such as ours need not incarcerate the most vulnerable in the name of deterrence. The moral character of a society is judged by how it treats the most vulnerable in our midst. Our nation’s family detention policy is shameful and I implore our elected officials to end it.”

Bishop Elizondo, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, added: “The detention of families serves no purpose and undermines due process. It especially harms children, who experience emotional and psychological harm from detention. The policy is a stain on the administration’s record on immigration.”

Bishop James Tamayo of Laredo, Texas, said humane alternatives to detention exist and should be used for the population.

“The government should consider placing these families in humane alternatives to detention, where they could live in the community and access needed services, including legal representation,” Bishop Tamayo said. “The Church is ready to assist in this effort.”

Information on the USCCB position on family detention can be found on the USCCB website at:

www.usccb.org/about/migration-policy/position-papers/upload/Family-Detention-Paper_Final_-3-19-15-2.pdf

Read the Bishops’ Letter to President Obama here…

Family Detention: the National and Local Catholic Response October 6th, 2014

Family detentions are increasing in number across the United State. Sign up for a webinar offered by USCCB’s Justice for Immigrants campaign: Learn more about these detentions, get talking points and listen to a clear analysis of the current situation and the human rights issues for immigrant families being detained in immigrant detention facilities. Find out how you can advocate with your local law makers as well as assist immigrant families currently facing detention within your community.