Immigration Task Force Resources

Announcement from the WDC Immigration Task Force:  The Immigration Task Force has discontinued its work as of November 9, 2022, due to changing life circumstances of the task force members. Task Force members Raylene Hinz Penner, Ryan Goertzen-Regier, Anali Looper, Kendra Davila, Pat Cameron, Karin Kaufman-Wall and Kathy Neufeld Dunn (WDC Associate Conference Minister liaison) thank the WDC congregations that continue to be actively involved in immigration and refugee work. We pray that the networking gatherings we hosted were helpful and encouraging to you. We are all still passionate about justice for immigrants and refugees, and hope a new task group will form with participation of members from across WDC, to help keep all WDC congregations informed of immigration and refugee issues across our conference. Consider carrying on this vital work or tap a WDC friend to consider it. A WDC Task Force can be formed by any group of WDC people in response to special needs or interests, through an application process described in the WDC Constitution (WDC Constitution (Spanish) For more information contact the WDC office at 316-283-6300 or wdc@mennowdc.org

-WDC Immigration Task Force Networking event: Refugee & Immigration Justice Event April 21, 2022 –

Thank you for attending the annual networking meeting of  WDC churches interested in immigration/refugee issues. We had 33 persons on the ZOOM meeting including two resource persons.  Below you will find the minutes of the April 21 meeting, but more importantly, a link to the recorded meeting itself in case you would like to use the information presented by the resource persons from MCC and IRC with your congregation. The WDC Immigration Task Force tries to assist as churches support immigrants and refugees; please feel free to contact any of us for further questions (our names are in the minutes).  You may also contact the resource persons Charity Stowell or Jen Rafter.  Finally, please forgive me if I did not correctly identify the work your church is doing or overlooked someone’s report.  My notes were a bit garbled as different persons reported in succession.
2022-04-21-Minutes-Immigration-TF-Refugee-and-Immigration-Justice-Zoom-Event
Click here for the link to the recorded event.
-Raylene Hinz-Penner, WDC Immigration TF Member
 
 
MCC Immigration Policy Update

MCC Video- “Welcoming Refugees to Your Community.”

“Strangers in Town” video

Immigration Task Force encourages WDC congregations and individuals to take action on behalf of our refugee neighbors.  Here are a few possibilities to consider:

Pray!    Loving God, in your infinite compassion, we seek your Divine protection for refugee children who are often alone and afraid.  Provide comfort and healing to those who have witnessed violence and destruction, who have lost parents, family, friends, home, and all they cherish due to war or persecution.  Comfort them in their sorrow, and bring help in their time of need.  Show mercy to migrant children who travel without parents or others who care about them.  Reunite them with their loved ones.  Guide these children who are strangers in a foreign land to places of peace and safety.  Bring them comfort, healing, and hope, too.  Show us how we might reach out as your hands of help and hope to them. Open our hearts to migrant and refugee children, so we might see in them your own migrant Son, Jesus.  Give us courage to stand with them against those who would do them harm. May we truly love our neighbors as ourselves.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.

-Consider making a donation of money or supplies to the International Rescue Committee in Wichita for a large recent increase in refugees who are arriving in Wichita. They are in need of several supplies that can be taken to the IRC Wichita. Click here for the donation supply list and delivery information.

-Call your representatives in Congress.

–Stop funding immigrant detention today

–Tell Congress to support no fewer than 75,000 refugees to rebuild their lives in the US

–Why should the US take in more refugees?  Learn more about the refugee cap.

Support WDC congregations who are assisting refugees and immigrants in a variety of ways.  Contact Kathy Neufeld Dunn, the WDC Staff Liason for the Immigration Task Force for more information.  316-283-6300 or kathynd@mennowdc.org

Refugee Resettlement Numbers

Immigration Task Force Survey Report 2018

San Antonio Mennonite Church:  Hope for refugees, escaping assassins, opening a new shelter, May 21, 2019

Resource about what immigrants and pastors and lawyers can do in case of ICE raids:  https://mailchi.mp/96953edc49ad/taqxy4idhx?e=a48e859582

MCC Detainee Kits:  https://mcc.org/sites/mcc.org/files/media/common/documents/immigrationdetaineekitsfinal_1.pdf

Mennonite Church USA July 2019 Immigration Resolution

Websites for Immigration Resources:

Information about immigration:

Resources from Citizens of God’s Kingdom workshop, March 1-2, 2013

TIME: A byproduct of the administration’s immigration enforcement threats: Immigrants are learning about their rights
“For the first time, many undocumented immigrants are finding out that when Immigration and Customs Enforcement comes to their door, they have rights.”PBS News: Faith leaders are mobilizing for immigration justice
Faith leaders — including rabbis, pastors, priests — have been mobilizing to aid and offer refuge to immigrant communities across the nation. Pastor Joanne Engquist said:  “What keeps us going is hope for justice.”CNN: Number of refugees admitted into the U.S. likely to decrease, again
The administration has been pondering various options for the 2020 refugee admission quota, including a zero-admissions option that drew pushback from top officials. The number of refugees admitted into the United States has drastically decreased since fiscal year 2017 — from 110,000 to 30,000 in 2019.Chicago Tribune: Three U.S. citizen children held 10+ hours by immigration authorities at Chicago airport
U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained the minors — ages 9 to 13 — past 12 hours on July 18, after their accompanying adult was “deemed inadmissible” by authorities. The incident mobilized a member of Congress, the mayor of Chicago and officials with the state’s Mexican Consulate, who intervened on behalf on the family. Immigrant advocates called the move “kidnapping of children by our government.”U.S. News: The administration is working on revisions to the U.S. citizenship test
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has been working on changes to the civics exam required for naturalization.CBS 2 / Fox 28: New asylum policy may worsen conditions at detention centers 
“A new policy to deny asylum to anyone who shows up on the Mexican border after traveling through another country threatens to exacerbate overcrowding at severely strained U.S. immigration detention centers and makeshift holding areas.”