Last North Carolina immigrant to take sanctuary at a church goes home
RNS Juana Luz Tobar Ortega, who spent nearly four years in church sanctuary at an Episcopal church in Greensboro, North Carolina, will be allowed to go home beginning on Monday. Ortega, 48, is the latest undocumented immigrant to emerge from the network of US churches that harboured people threatened with deportation by the Trump administration. […]
Immigrant facing deportation leaves US church sanctuary
Amherst, Massachusetts, USAP A Guatemalan man has left the Massachusetts church he lived in for more than three years to avoid deportation after being granted a reprieve from federal immigration officials. Lucio Perez stepped out of the First Congregational Church in Amherst on Saturday. Rev Margaret Sawyer, of the Pioneer Valley Workers Center, a local […]
ELCA leaders call on US Congress to pass Citizenship Act of 2021 in new letter
RNS Pastors, bishops and the head of the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States are calling on Congress to support the US Citizenship Act of 2021, which President Joe Biden proposed on the first day of his administration. In a letter published Thursday, leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America threw their support behind […]
Private bill seeks freedom for man living in church in US state of Missouri
O’Fallon, Missouri, USAP US Representative Cori Bush introduced legislation to Congress on Monday to grant permanent residency to Alex Garcia, a Honduran immigrant who has spent more than three years inside a Missouri church to avoid deportation. Bush, a freshman Democrat from St Louis, announced a private bill that would allow the married father of five […]
As US President Joe Biden floats immigration plan, Edith Espinal leaves three-year stint in sanctuary
RNS An undocumented immigrant who had been living in an Ohio church for more than three years went home to her family this week after securing assurances that she will no longer be an immediate target for deportation. Edith Espinal, a Mexican native and mother of three, had been living at the Columbus Mennonite Church […]
Pope hails Colombia for giving needy Venezuelans protection
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis on Sunday praised Colombia for its recent decision to grant protection to Venezuelans who fled their homeland’s economic hardships, as he encouraged people to express gratitude to all those who help migrants. In remarks to the faithful in St Peter’s Square, Francis said he wanted to recognise Colombia’s decision, which he […]
End in sight?: Immigrants in sanctuary in US churches hope Biden offers relief
PHILIP MARCELO, SOPHIA TAREEN and JIM SALTER, of Associated Press, reports on the plight of those who have been living in church sanctuary to avoid deportation – and their hope things will change under new US President Joe Biden…
Thailand offers work permits to undocumented migrants to curb COVID-19
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Thailand on Tuesday said it would allow undocumented migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to work in the country legally for about two years to curb the spread of COVID-19. Migrants have to sign up online and be registered by an employer before mid-September in order to receive a work […]
Malaysia lets undocumented migrants work but hardship fears persist
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Malaysia launched a plan on Monday that gives undocumented migrants stuck in the country a chance to work in certain industries, but labour rights groups said the initiative did not do enough to protect victims of human trafficking. The government said the scheme aimed to revive Malaysia’s labour-reliant industries, including […]
UN urges countries to extend care to all migrants to combat coronavirus
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Undocumented migrants, asylum seekers and trafficking victims worldwide should be granted access to healthcare and welfare – regardless of their legal status – to protect them during the coronavirus pandemic, two United Nations experts said on Monday. Migrants working in sectors such as farming or the shadow economy often lack any […]