ST. JOSEPH: NEW RECOGNITION

For those of you who have been following my blogs, especially during March, you will recall that St. Joseph is a long-time and dear patron saint for me.

In fact, during the recent Papal Conclave I was praying that the Inauguration of the new Pope's Petrine Ministry would take place on March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph.  And that's exactly what happened:  Pope Frances formally began his ministry as the Successor to Peter on that day.

As the Second Vatican Council was underway some fifty years ago, the Constitution on the Liturgy [Sacrosanctum Concilium] was the first Council document to be approved and published.  At the same time, Pope John XXIII decided to include the name of St. Joseph to the Roman Canon, now known as Eucharistic Prayer I.  But St. Joseph was not named to the other Eucharistic Prayers.

I must confess that over the years I have consistently added the name of St. Joseph when I was praying the other Eucharistic Prayers.  Surely not a liturgical aberration!

Well, good news!  The Congregation for Divine Worship has published a decree that beginning immediately the name of St. Joseph is to be inserted into Eucharist Prayers II, III, and IV.  Those Prayers will be altered to include him in this way:

       ....that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
            with blessed Joseph, her Spouse,.....

And in Spanish:

          ....con Maria, la Virgen Madre de Dios,
               su esposo san Jose,.....

I have that inner feeling that Pope Francis is the one who made this important addition to the other Eucharistic Prayers.  He has had a long devotion to St. Joseph, and I suspect that he decided to take this step.

This new inclusion of St. Joseph will certainly vault this wonderful Saint to a new recognition and appreciation.

St. Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer, pray for us!
St. Joseph, Patron of the Church, pray for us!

CRUCIAL IMMIGRATION REFORM WEEK

This week comprehensive immigration reform will formally go to the floor of the U.S. Senate.  The hope is that a vote in the Senate on the final version will occur before the 4th of July.

We need to pray earnestly that amendments which will delay or lessen the rights of our immigrants will be turned aside.  Sadly, there is much misunderstanding in our country about the true value of today's immigrants.  We need to help all of our family and friends understand what is at stake with our wonderful immigrants in the Congress.

Various amendments are being suggested which will create very difficult obstacles for most immigrants to surmount.  "Border security" will become a mantra from some to delay for many years any possible earned path to legal status for our immigrants.

Each of us has a duty to contact our two U.S. Senators and urge them to vote for a version which most resembles the comprehensive reform which the Church has been advocating for so many years.  Refer to the website:  www.justiceforimmigrants.org.

Prayer is essential!  May the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, a grand prototype of immigrant families, lift up the hopes and dreams of our immigrants!

YOUNG ADULTS LARGEST SHARE OF UNAUTHORIZED IMMIGRANTS

The Migration Policy Institute recently gave some fascinating estimates on the numbers and age groups of the 11,000,000 unauthorized immigrants living in our country.

The unauthorized population is a young population, and it also includes a relatively small number of children.  The largest group is comprised of young adults.

In 2011, there were 1.15 million unauthorized immigrant children ages 18 and under, accounting for 10% of the total population.

By contrast, 24% of the total US population was under age 18 in the 2010 Census.  The vast majority of children with unauthorized immigrant parents (82%) are US born and therefore citizens.

Young adults comprise a large majority of unauthorized immigrants:  72% are ages 19 to 44.  By contrast, just 36% of the total US population is ages 18 to 44.

Because so many unauthorized immigrants are young, very few are in retirement or near retirement ages.  Just 17% of these immigrants are ages 45 to 64, versus 26% of the total population.  And only 1% of these immigrants are age 65 or older, versus 13% of the total population.

These data lead me to two important opportunities:

1.  For the Church

     It is imperative that our Church understand the presence of so many young adults within the immigrant population, and that new and attractive pastoral outreach efforts towards this population be set in motion across the Church.

     This young population need to be more involved in the life and the mission of the Church, and must be given pastoral leadership roles in order to develop the dynamic programs needed to attract and retain them within our Church community.

2.  For the Country

     With 10,000 baby boomers retiring every single day beginning back in 2011, our immigrants will be desperately needed in two ways.  First, as baby boomers leave the active work force, replacement workers must be found.  This requires far better education and training in math, science, computer sciences, medical technologies, and elder care.  Schools for our immigrants must emphasize courses and degrees that equip them to take these jobs.

     Second, a very large workforce will be required to provide all of the medical care for retiring baby boomers, as well as in-home assistance, meals on wheels programs, and all forms of elder care.  Our immigrants will be needed to provide this growing and expanding workforce.

As debate in Congress continues with a comprehensive immigration reform plan, we cannot lose sight of the valued presence and great need for the gifts and skills of our immigrant brothers and sisters. 

Actually, we simply won't be able to get along without them!

IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL--MANY CHALLENGES

Now that the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has voted the comprehensive immigration reform bill out of Committee and to the floor of the Senate, it remains to be seen how the bill will fare among the general membership of the Senate.

The current bill has many challenging aspects to it, and I fear that it may become weaker as many amendments are heard and voted upon.  One of the big stumbling blocks already is the cost to the immigrant to just begin the process.  They would be required to pay a $500 fine, an application fee of several hundred dollars, and be assessed all back unpaid payroll taxes.  That could amount to $2,000 or more.  How does a family with two or three eligible applicants get the money needed for such costs?

Much emphasis is being put on border security, but recall that 40% of all unauthorized persons in our country came through an international airport on a visa, not across the northern or southern border.  How can our visa tracking system be improved to close this gap?

There are fears that introducing several "triggers" into the bill will stretch out the implementation time by several more years.  That approach is one already in play in the House.

It is the hope and prayer of many of us that the Senate version will withstand burdensome amendments for unauthorized persons, and that this bill will at long last signal a new moment in the lives of our brothers and sisters who have desired to come out of the shadows and become members of our society.

HOUSE vs SENATE IMMIGRATION REFORM

We are aware of the US Senate 8-member proposed Bill before the Senate on comprehensive immigration reform, but we are now facing a new version in the US House of Representative.

All of us must keep focused on the overall goal:  to deal with the 11 million people living among us who do not enjoy any legal status, and who live in the shadows of our society--mostly neglected and abandoned.

The only legislative approach which will assist all of our objectives is one which includes all of the 11 million in the shadows.  I need to repeat often that 4.4 million of the 11 million did not walk across a border.  Rather, they arrived in a international USA airport with a Visa--and when the Visa expired, they just stayed.  That is almost half of the total number.

You and I need to emphasize to our representatives in Congress and in the US Senate that we need a comprehensive immigration reform package, and that we need it now.

I fear that other political issues now brewing strongly in Washington will somehow push comprehensive immigration reform to the side.  We can't allow that to happen.

It is not too early to contact your Congress Representative or US Senator to insist upon a full and comprehensive reform of our broken immigration system.

Yes, we can do this!!!

ORIGINAL PATH TO CITIZENSHIP

Sometimes, a simple cartoon tells the story more perfectly!!

GOOD ANALYSIS OF IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL in the U.S. SENATE

Below is a very fine analysis of S. 744 in the U.S. Senate to bring about comprehensive immigration reform.

Sweeping Senate Bill Sets the Stage for Fundamental Overhaul of US Immigration System By Muzaffar Chishti and Faye Hipsman April 26, 2013 After months of negotiations, a bipartisan group of US senators informally called the "Gang of Eight" on April 17 introduced long-awaited legislation for a sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration system. The introduction of the 2013 Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744) marked the opening salvo for what is bound to be a long deliberation in Congress of a bill that sets the tone for changes that reach into nearly every corner of US immigration policy. Though conditions for action on immigration reform seem more promising than they've been since 2001, supporters of comprehensive immigration reform confront a tight legislative calendar, a difficult political dynamic in the House of Representatives, and an early stumbling block precipitated by the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings. While most of public attention has been drawn to one aspect of the 844-page bill — a legalization program for many of the nation's estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants — it is clear that the legislation's architects seized an opportunity to incorporate a variety of landmark measures that, when taken together, recast some of the long-established principals of US immigration law in scope not seen since 1965. The heart of the legislation — its provisions to manage the future flow of immigration — would, over time, tilt the current legal immigration system away from its predominant emphasis on family reunification toward meeting US labor market needs. In the process, it would establish far greater flexibility for employers to access foreign workers when they are needed, for workers to move within the labor market, and for a system to determine the number of workers admitted into the country. A Greater Focus on Employment-Based Immigration According to The New York Times' analysis of the bill, the share of family-based immigration in annual admission of lawful permanent residents (LPRs) would shift from 75 to 50 percent. To that end, one of the most significant provisions is the creation of new merit-based points system, through which 120,000 to 250,000 immigrants per year would be admitted based on a list of government-established attributes: age, education, work experience, English language proficiency, employer demand, and presence of US relatives. On employment-based permanent legal immigration, there would be no caps on visas granted to individuals with extraordinary ability, outstanding researchers, multinational executives, and noncitizens with Ph.D. degrees or advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) from a US university. Furthermore, the spouses and children of employment-based immigrants would no longer be counted toward numerical caps. On the family-based side, visas for spouses and minor children of LPRs would no longer be capped. However, US citizens could no longer sponsor their siblings or their married children over the age of 31. Flexibility In another significant change, the bill would create a new legal channel for low-skilled temporary workers in non-agriculture occupations called the W-1 visa. The number of those admitted in this category would be adjusted in accordance with the labor market needs and conditions in the US economy. In its first year, 20,000 visas would be available. But in later years, the numbers could be set as high as 200,000. Workers would enter on three-year renewable visas, be able to change their employers, and eventually seek LPR status. Employers would have access to new workers if their sponsored workers leave their employment. A New Enforcement Regime S. 744 would also set in motion a far-reaching workplace enforcement measure that would impact employers of all sizes and in all occupations. Designed to prevent employment of unauthorized immigrants, within five years of enactment of the law, all US employers would be required to use a federal electronic employment eligibility verification system, most likely E-Verify. E-Verify enables employers to check whether new hires are permitted to work in the United States. Under the bill, large businesses with over 5,000 employees would be given two years to begin using the system; businesses with over 500 employees would be given three years; and all other employers would be required to use E-Verify within four years. Employers would face stiff penalties for violations of this mandate. To reduce the incidence of noncitizens overstaying their authorized period of stay (currently estimated to be 40 to 50 percent of the total unauthorized population), the bill directs DHS to implement an exit system at all air and sea ports of entry by December 2015. This would supplement the existing system to track noncitizens at their point of entry. Additionally, the bill would usher in new levels of surveillance at the southern land border, including the operation of drones 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Furthermore, the legislation authorizes $4.5 billion — and possibly as much as $6.5 billion — for increases in enforcement at the US-Mexico border for spending on additional fencing, personnel, and technology. Legalization Finally, the Senate bill would grant Registered Provisional Immigrant (RPI) status to unauthorized immigrants who have been physically present in the United States since December 31, 2011, pass a criminal background check, and pay taxes assessed and a fine. After ten years in RPI status, these persons could gain a green card if they demonstrate a consistent employment record or pursuit of education, and learn English. Three years after LPR status, they would be eligible for citizenship. However, no adjustment from RPI to LPR status would be permitted until certain border security and interior immigration enforcement requirements have been met. In a special concession, DREAMERs (unauthorized immigrants who arrived in the country before age 16 and meet certain additional criteria) and agricultural workers would be given an expedited path to LPR status and citizenship. Other important changes in the bill include: Increase in H-1B visas (which allow US businesses to employ foreign workers in jobs requiring expertise in specialized fields) to 110,000 (with potential to be adjusted to 180,000 over time); however, large businesses (with over 50 employees) would be prohibited from having a workforce made up of over 50 percent H-1B workers. Elimination of the diversity visa program Elimination of the one-year requirement for filing asylum applications Establishment of an independent immigration agency to make periodic recommendations to Congress and the executive branch regarding adjustments to employment-based immigrant and temporary worker flows. Members of the Gang of Eight wholeheartedly endorse the bill and all indications thus far are that they intend to remain unified as it winds through the Senate. Meanwhile, proponents of immigration reform from both parties have generally welcomed it as an important first step, but Democrats have expressed concerns about the elimination of certain family-based and diversity categories.    Meanwhile, Republicans appear to be troubled about the low numbers allotted initially to the W visa program. Opponents of immigration reform have criticized the bill as an "amnesty" for lawbreakers, and an invitation to future illegal immigration. They have also criticized the border security measures as inadequate and that allow too much discretion to DHS officials. The Boston Bombings On April 15, as senators readied their bill for introduction, two bombs were set off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring over 200. The bill's momentum — fueled by constant speculation over its impending introduction — was briefly interrupted. Coverage of the attacks consumed national media, overshadowing the introduction of the legislation and prompting its sponsors to cancel a scheduled press conference out of respect for those affected by the attacks. After the revelation that the bombing suspects were two Russian-born brothers of Chechen heritage who came to the United States as minors in the early 2000s pursuant to a grant of political asylum to their father, questions were raised about possible lapses in the immigration system. Several lawmakers, including Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) suggested that vulnerabilities exposed in the Boston attacks should be addressed before Congress turns to making broader immigration reforms. However, supporters and sponsors of the bill, both Democrats and Republicans, have taken the opposite stance, arguing that if anything, the Boston events increased the need for swift action on immigration reform. In a joint statement, two of the Gang of Eight members, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John McCain (R-AZ), stated that "immigration reform will strengthen our nation's security by helping us identify exactly who has entered our country and who has left." Their views gained a boost when 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, a congressman from Wisconsin with significant support in conservative circles, said Boston has impressed the need to "fix and modernize our immigration system." Though the early focus after the bombing was on the immigration system and its possible failures, attention quickly shifted to the intelligence community after word that Russian authorities had contacted both the FBI and CIA in 2011 to express concerns that one of the bombing suspects, Tamarlan Tsarnaev, had possible ties to extremists. While the Boston attacks knocked the immigration reform debate off stride for a few days, there was a sharp contrast to the political reactions in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. After 9/11, lawmakers shelved all consideration of immigration reform for years and raced to enact strict procedures for visa issuance, tracking, and registration of foreign citizens. Because the 9/11 hijackers traveled to the United States with valid visas even though some were known to intelligence and law enforcement agencies, serious weaknesses in the immigration enforcement system were revealed, prompting Congress and the federal government to invest billions of dollars in staffing, new technology, and programs to make the system dramatically more effective. Legislative Timeline Beyond any implications resulting from the Boston bombing, the efforts for immigration reform in Congress also face a race against the clock. After several missed deadlines on its introduction, the Senate bill is finally gearing up for action. Hearings began in the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 19, and the committee is expected to begin considering amendments to the the bill on May 9 and report it out for a vote in the full Senate in June. President Obama, who has been seeking to keep the pressure on Congress to act, has demanded that the legislation reach his desk by the end of September. With a limited number of working legislative weeks left in both the Senate and the House before Congress' month-long recess in August, the clock is ticking for legislation to clear both legislative chambers. In the House, there are reports that a bipartisan "secret gang" of members is drafting a broad reform bill but introduction of comprehensive legislation does not appear to be imminent. However, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte (R-VA) has indicated a preference for a piece-meal approach to legislation, and stated on April 25 that the committee will begin introducing individual proposals, beginning with a guestworker program and an employment verification system, within the week. It is unclear whether the two paths can find a common ground. Furthermore, while House supporters of immigration reform can be found on both sides of the aisle, the issue faces powerful opposition from parts of the GOP. Many conservative House members represent districts with little immigrant constituency and face the threat of a primary challenge if they appear to be soft on immigration. According to Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), a key member involved in immigration talks, the House bill will be "a lot tighter [and] stricter" than the Senate bill. Though for President Obama immigration reform is clearly a top priority, in Congress immigration legislation faces competition from other legislative priorities. Pressure is mounting on lawmakers to reconcile appropriations bills, agree on a federal budget, act on increasing the nation's debt limit, and pass an ambitious farm bill. Still, while immigration legislation must compete with these other priorities, the momentum for its consideration is stronger and spans more fronts than it has in decades.

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