Interfaith Welcome Coalition chairperson Dan Klein was quoted in a recent Washington Post article titled “Texas family detention centers expected to transform into rapid-processing hubs.” The article reads: The Biden administration is preparing to convert its immigrant family detention centers in South Texas into Ellis Island-style rapid-processing hubs that will screen migrant parents and children…
The Interfaith Welcome Coalition (IWC) is pleased to announce the selection of Victoria (Tori) Salas as our first Coordinating Director. Since its inception, IWC has been made up entirely of volunteers. Sister Denise LaRock was provided at no cost to IWC by her order, Daughters of Charity, and acted in a director capacity until…
“I voted sticker” is commonly given to voters across the U.S. after they cast their ballots. (Wikimedia Commons). | https://bit.ly/3htGgBD Dear IWC volunteers: In the last 4 years, we have witnessed the destruction of the asylum system—day by day, policy after policy. It is time once again for each of us to take action. …
On July 9, 2020 the current administration proposed its latest rules change geared toward denying due process to asylum seekers under the guise of acting to protect public health by refusing to admit/process those with asylum claims because of the risk of spreading the coronavirus. The IWC advocacy committee invites you to learn more about…
Photo Credit: Pouya Dianat Congressman John Lewis, who died on July 17, wrote this essay shortly before his death. He wanted it to be published on the day of his funeral. His staff provided a copy of the essay to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the morning of July 30, four hours before his 11 a.m.…
There are only a few days left to comment on PROPOSED NEW REGULATIONS by the Trump administration that will decimate the U.S. Asylum system. We must use our voice and collective power to oppose these new rules by sending comments to the Federal Register immediately with a deadline of July 15, 2020. TAKE ACTION NOW:…
May’s advocacy letter continues to call on elected officials to protect migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample letter is included below. Please send a letter to each of our US Senators, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, and your Congress Member. Due to the time-sensitive nature of the Coronavirus affecting conditions along the border, please mail…
May 15, 2020 By Julia Ainsley, NBC WASHINGTON — Several immigrant rights organizations are outraged by a new choice U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is presenting to migrant parents: Separate from your child or stay together in detention indefinitely. Starting on Thursday, the groups claim, ICE began distributing a form in all three of its…
By Elaine Ayala In 2016, pastor John Garland’s Mennonite Church in Southtown became an emergency shelter for Central American migrants. They’d trekked, some by foot, to the U.S. border to seek asylum. It seems like so long ago now, when humanitarian protections for such travelers seemed a possibility. They’re rare today, even before the COVID-19…
SAN ANTONIO (May 15, 2020) – The Interfaith Welcome Coalition, a faith-based network dedicated to assisting asylum seekers, refugees and at-risk immigrants, today joined human rights and civil rights advocates demanding that federal immigration halt the renewed separation of children from their families in the midst of a global pandemic. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials…