Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Washington, DC (Agenzia Fides) – The National Migration Conference 2008 will take place July 28-31 in Washington, D.C., with the theme: “Renewing Hope, Seeking Justice.” The Conference is sponsored by the Migration and Refugee Services department of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (MRS/USCCB) and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC). Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles; Edwidge Danticat, Haitian immigrant and author; U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), a long-time advocate for global human rights and assistance to victims of human trafficking; Immaculee Ilibagiza, Rwandan genocide survivor and author; Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, renowned migration expert and university professor on globalization; and representatives of the U.S Departments of State, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security are all part of the program for this year’s Conference.
At the opening plenary session, keynote speaker Cardinal Mahony will assess the role and importance of church involvement in the national immigration debate. In this same preliminary session, Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, Ph.D., professor of Globalization and Education at the Steinhardt School of Education of New York University, will speak on global migration to bring a broader focus to the immigration debate and an examination of the factors that compel the movement of persons within and across borders.
The next morning, a panel of U.S. Government officials will outline efforts to restore the U.S. refugee admissions program to pre-2001 levels, and note recent efforts targeted at Iraqis and others. The panel will include: Sam Witten, Acting Assistant Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration; David Seigel, Acting Director, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement; and Lori Sciallaba, Associate Director for International Operations and Special Representative on Iraqi Refugees, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Edwidge Danticat will recount her immigrant story as a child coming to the United States and how that experience has influenced her life journey since then. She will also tell the story of her uncle who was caught up in the U.S detention system with life and death consequences. Representative Chris Smith (R-4th, NJ) will give a Capitol Hill perspective on migration issues being considered by Congress, including human trafficking, refugee protection and immigration reform, and will offer suggestions for how the Catholic community can influence Congress to enact positive legislation. Immaculee Ilibagiza will speak from her experience of having endured and survived great suffering and loss as a result of the Rwandan genocide of the early 1990’s and the importance of the faith in this hellish experience. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 30/5/2008)
