#justiceOPportunity Thursday: January 23, 2020

It’s #justiceOPportunity Thursday and we are calling on our faithful friends to JOIN THE CAMPAIGN on the National Day of Prayer, January 29, 2020.

January 29 is the first anniversary of the institution of President Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) which forces asylum seekers to Remain in Mexico while they await their asylum hearings in the U.S.

The Interfaith Immigration Coalition, including many Catholic organizations, and in collaboration with immigrant and border organizations, is launching a campaign to stop the administration’s harmful and inhumane policies—Faith 4 Asylum Campaign: Stop the Inhumanity. The Coalition plans to launch this campaign in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer on January 29 with a prayer vigil in Washington, DC and scores of vigils across the country. Attached is a prayer for you to use in solidarity with those participating in vigils.

Asylum seekers are migrants who flee their homes because of fear of violence or persecution. U.S. and international laws state that anyone has a right to apply for asylum in the United States. However, recent changes in U.S. immigration policy are preventing asylum seekers from waiting for their hearings in safety in the United States, instead forcing them to wait in locations in Mexico where they face violence, extortion, sexual assault and kidnapping. At least 636 people have been raped, kidnapped, assaulted, and even murdered, including 138 children.

This “Remain in Mexico” (MPP) policy violates domestic and international law by sending asylum seekers to dangerous conditions without an adequate screening process, effectively denying them access to lawyers and interpreters and preventing many from receiving a fair day in court. More than 56,000 asylum seekers have already been sent to Mexico under this policy.

Join faith communities across the U.S. in calling for an end to policies like Remain in Mexico that harm asylum seekers and reject their sacred humanity. Please sign the petition to urge our leaders to end policies that restrict access to asylum, such as Remain in Mexico/MPP, put individuals’ lives in danger, and devalue their sacred humanity.  https://faith4asylum.com/join-the-campaign-2/

Join the #Faith4Asylum campaign: faith4asylum.com

#Faith4Asylum #justiceopportunitythursday #EndMPP #SaveAsylum