The Justice for Immigrants: A Journey of Hope is the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform launched in June 2005 by the US. Catholic Conference of Bishops that seeks a comprehensive immigration reform including a broad legalization program. This campaign intends to educate and galvanize Catholics on the need for justice for immigrants. The goal is to educate Catholics and others of good will to the understanding of the dignity of every human person and recognizing the benefits of immigration and the benefits of immigrants to our nation. June Quote of the Month from Justice For Immigrants: Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life. John. F. Kennedy Immigration Fact of the Month: International Human Rights Protect Everyone: Human rights apply to everyone, whether they are immigrants or not. Human rights are the rights that one has because one is human. These international ethical standards uphold the minimum requirements so that individuals and communities everywhere can live in dignity and realize their potential. Human rights can neither be taken away nor are they based on status or official recognition. As one scholar has noted, the human rights identified and protected in international human rights treaties derive from human dignity, and human dignity does not turn on the type of passport or visa a person holds. The Advocates for Human Rights Association. http://www.energyofanation.org/home.html Feast Days and Other Celebrations During the Month of June: Date- The 3 rd of June. We celebrate the feast day of Blessed Pope John XXIII on the 11 th of October; however, his birthday is in fact June 3 rd. Pope John XXIII was a courageous and wise man who dedicated his life to learning and accepting the cultures of others. In World War II he, with the help of Germany s ambassador to Turkey, saved an estimated 24,000 people. On his deathbed he said: It is not that the gospel has changed; it is that we have begun to understand it better. Those who have lived as long as I have were enabled to compare different cultures and traditions, and know that the moment has come to discern the signs of the times, to seize the opportunity and to look far ahead. Religion- Catholic Activity: What do we know so far about immigration? Have the students take this quiz on immigration offered by PBS. Immigration Myths and Realities Quiz- by PBS 1. Most immigrants come to the United States from where? The Middle East Africa
Asia Latin America The Middle East and Africa Asia and Latin America All of the above ANSWER: Asia and Latin America Most immigrants come to the United States from Asia and Latin America. From 1900 to 2000, the proportion of immigrants from Asia and Latin America increased from less then 1.5 percent to 26 percent and 52 percent, respectively. 2. What percentage of the world's immigrants come to the United States? More than 35 percent 22 percent 15 percent Less than one percent ANSWER: Less than 1 percent Of the 175 million migrants in the world, the U.S. admitted 1,063,732 documented immigrants in 2002. Undocumented immigration adds approximately 350,000 people per year by INS estimates. 3. What is the most common reason people from other countries come to the U.S. to live? To join a close family member For employment To escape persecution (as a refugee) All of the above ANSWER: To join a close family member Most legal immigrants (about 75 percent) come to the U.S. to join close family members, although employment and escaping persecution are two of the other main reasons people come to the U.S. 4. Most immigrants come into the United States illegally. True False ANSWER: False Of the approximately 1.4 million immigrants who entered the U.S. in 2002, only about 25 percent came illegally. Although these figures do not account for some homeless immigrants and undocumented migrant
workers who return to their native countries when their seasonal work is over, the proportion of illegal immigrants to legal immigrants is still quite small. 5. About four out of 10 undocumented immigrants enter the country legally and then overstay their visas. What percentage of undocumented immigrants cross the southern border of the U.S.? 12 percent 28 percent 40 percent 60 percent ANSWER: 40 percent Only about four out of ten undocumented immigrants cross the U.S.-Mexico border. Even so, 85 percent of border enforcement is concentrated there. Most Mexican nationals in the United States are migrants who take seasonal jobs and then return to their families in Mexico. Approximately 40 percent of all undocumented immigrants enter the country legally as students, tourists, on business, or on some other temporary visa and then overstay their visas. Most arrive on commercial carriers or come across the Canadian border. 6. Where did the most refugees who were resettled in the United States come from in 2002? Former Soviet Union Iran Vietnam Sudan Afghanistan Cuba ANSWER: Former Soviet Union In 2002, the U.S. resettled nearly 10,000 refugees from the former Soviet Union. While upheaval in Afghanistan has produced an unmanageably large number of refugees (estimates put the 2002 number between 3.5 and 4.5 million), only 1,649 of those were resettled in the U.S. There is a yearly limit of how many refugees the U.S. will admit. In 2003, that limit was 70,000 although in many years the actual number of refugees admitted can be much lower than the limit. The U. S. makes a distinction between immigrants and refugees. According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country." An immigrant is a person who voluntarily leaves their place of birth in order to migrate to another country. 7. Immigrants made up what percentage of the total U.S. population in 2000?
6 percent 11 percent 15 percent 28 percent ANSWER: 11 percent (11.1 percent to be exact) In 1910, immigrants made up nearly 15 percent of the U.S. population but in 2000, immigrants made up a little more than 11 percent of the population. Immigration was at its peak during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Europeans arrived to work in the factories of the industrializing cities and the Western territories. Census Bureau statistics for 2000 report that out of approximately 281.4 million people living in the U.S., 31.1 million were born outside the country U.S. So far, no single decade has topped 1901-1910 for immigration admissions. 8. In southern California, the average income of an immigrant day labor worker was $8,500 per year. On average, what percentage of this income did workers send back to their home countries? 15 percent 26 percent 31 percent 40 percent ANSWER: 31 percent On average, each day labor worker sent home $2,600, or 31 percent of his or her yearly income. Seventyseven percent of these workers were from Mexico and 20 percent from Central America. 9. Undocumented immigrant workers take jobs away from native workers. True False ANSWER: False Studies show that undocumented immigration either has no effect on native workers or actually increases their labor market opportunities by boosting the industries that create new jobs. Immigrants create more jobs than they themselves fill. They do so directly by starting new businesses and indirectly through their expenditures on U.S. goods and services. Undocumented immigrants often take jobs that others in the community refuse to perform. For example, the railroads across the West were largely built by Chinese immigrants, and large-scale agricultural production still relies on Mexican workers, many of whom are migrants, not immigrants. Merriam-Webster Dictionary definitions: Migrant: a person who moves regularly in order to find work especially in harvesting crops Immigrant: a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence 10. Recent immigrants tend to speak a language other than English in the home.
True False ANSWER: True About 83 percent of the immigrants who live in the U.S. do not speak English at home. 11. Which of the following personalities was born in the United States? Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State Andrew Grove, founder, Intel Corporation Jennifer Lopez, actor, musician Gene Simmons, rock musician, Kiss Patrick Ewing, basketball player, New York Knicks ANSWER: Jennifer Lopez With parents hailing from the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, J. Lo was born in the Bronx, New York. All of the others are first-generation immigrants to the United States: Madeleine Albright from Czechoslovakia, Andrew Grove from Hungary, Gene Simmons from Israel and Patrick Ewing from Jamaica. 12. According to the U.S. Census, the total number of immigrants living in the U.S. in 2000 was more than 31 million. By INS estimates, how many undocumented immigrants were living in the U.S. that same year? 75.3 million 46.8 million 12.5 million Seven million ANSWER: 7 million The INS revised its estimates of how many undocumented immigrants enter the United States each year in 2003. Their new figures show approximately 350,000 illegal immigrants entering per year from 1990 to 2000. The total number is derived from a complicated formula that takes into account not only arriving immigrants, but also those who return to their native countries. They estimate that approximately seven million undocumented immigrants were living in the U.S. in 2000. In 2000, nearly three quarters of all immigrants settled in how many states? 2 6 10 15 ANSWER: 6 Perhaps a common misperception that there is a high volume of immigrants entering the U.S. today rests in the fact that nearly three-quarters (68 percent) of all immigrants settle in just six states: California, New York, Texas, Florida, New Jersey and Illinois.
Reflection: After the students have taken the quiz, rate their scores and talk about how they did. Most will not score as well as they might have expected, explain to the students that this is not uncommon. Immigration in an unending, ever-changing and surprising topic that most people are continually shocked by. This just proves the purpose of needing to stay educated on immigration. Now watch the video entitled One Border One Body which was, like Dying to Live, also created by Notre Dame with Fr. Daniel Groody co-producing once again. Synopsis: In the dry, rugged, and sun-scorched terrain where many immigrants lose their lives, bishops, priests and lay people come together each year to celebrate the Eucharist. Like other liturgies, they pray and worship together. Unlike other liturgies, a sixteen-foot iron fence divides this community in half, with one side in Mexico and the other in the United States. One Border, One Body tells the story of a ritual that unites people beyond political constructions which divide them. Amidst a desert of death and a culture of fear, it testifies to God s universal, undivided, and unrestricted love for all people. It speaks of the gift and challenge of Christian faith and the call to feed the world s hunger for peace, justice and reconciliation. More than just another documentary on immigration, This film is a meditation on the Kingdom of God, a globalization of solidarity, and a journey of hope. Directed by John Carlos Frey with Executive Producers Fr. Daniel Groody, CSC and Jack Lorenz. Length: 30 min. Questions: 1. This film, in comparison with Dying to Live, seems like more of an overview of some of the problems concerning immigration, it is meant for a more experienced audience. Do you feel like after having learned about immigration over the past year that the video was an accurate summary of the issue? What was correct about it? What was missing? 2. Do you think that others who have not participated in this class would be surprised to learn some of the things you have learned about immigration? Can you state a few facts you have learned that surprised you? 3. How can you help others to become more educated about the issue of immigration? 4. Keeping in mind that the Catholic Church fully supports immigration reform, how has this year changed your views on immigration? Do you agree their should be a reform? Did you previously know the Church s stance on immigration? 5. In Leviticus we are told, the stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Leviticus 19:33-34). How can we live out this command in our daily lives?