This is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of the DePaul University’s College of Law, Refugee and Forced Migrations Studies Program and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. The podcast examines the recent bussing of asylum applicants to northern cities.  Through exploration of the Good Samaritan Parable, the podcast invites listeners to ask the question how can we each be a neighbor to a vulnerable person.

ACTION STEP

1.      Read the Good Samaritan Parable, Luke 10:25-37, and engage in a conversation with someone regarding how it applies to the efforts to send asylum applicants away from the border.

2.      Encourage Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

RESOURCES

Sara Baielles’ “A Safe Place to Land” with John Legend is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht2NCrlghS4

For an expanded discussion of Dr. André LaCocque’s interpretation of the Good Samaritan Parable, including citations to his works, see my article on “Constantine's Legacy: Preserving Empire While Undermining International Law". https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3960335

at pp. 390-91. 

Mayor Sean McDermott’s quote can be found in “Texas Gov. Abbott sends asylum seekers here to sow chaos, but Illinois is better than that,” (September 15, 2022) at: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/9/15/23355440/texas-gov-abbott-asylum-seekers-venezuela-immigrants-countryside-mayor-sean

Paul Wickham Schmidt, "Opportunity Knocks," (September 16, 2022) at:

https://immigrationcourtside.com/2022/09/17/

You may find Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman’s book, All Are Neighbors at: https://www.womenandchildrenfirst.com/book/9780593429983

The budget for the federal government support of refugee resettlement came from:  Todd Miller, “More Than a Wall: Corporate Profiteering and the Militarization of U.S. Borders,” Transnational Institute (TNI), September 16, 2019) at https://www.tni.org/files/publication-downloads/more_than_a_wall_-_executive_summary.pdf

Lawful Assembly Podcast

Episode 30: Who Is My Neighbor?

This is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of DePaul University’s College of Law, Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Program and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. The podcast explores a recent speech by Pope Francis involving responses to refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable immigrants.  Pope Francis suggests that, through our common humanity, our collaborative efforts can build a safer world.

ACTION STEP

Read and respond to Pope Francis’ “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the Meeting on Refugees Promoted by the Pontifical Gregorian University,” September 29, 2022: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2022/september/documents/20220929-incontro-rifugiati.html

RESOURCES

You can read more about Drew Edwards and his work with Pangea at:  https://www.pangeaeducation.org  

He also wrote a report of his attendance at the meeting of educators in Rome: 

https://www.pangeaeducation.org/news/pope-francis-a-champion-for-refugee-education

For information on the DePaul Migration Collaborative:  https://law.depaul.edu/academics/centers-institutes-initiatives/depaul-migration-collaborative/Pages/default.aspx

Other information on programs sponsored by DePaul’s Division of Ministry and Mission at:  https://offices.depaul.edu/mission-ministry/Pages/default.aspx 

MUSIC FOR THE JOURNEY

As we work together for our common global world, listen to Wiyaala sing Osibisa’s song, Woyaya (We Are Going) at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwckMpR9V-Q

We welcome your inquiries or suggestions for future podcasts.  If you would like to ask more questions about our podcasts or comment, email us at: mission.depaul@gmail.com

Episode 31: New Light to Pierce the Logjam

This is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of DePaul University’s College of Law, Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Program, and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. The podcast explores how the claim for a fully secure border has stalled immigration reform for over three decades.  It calls for comprehensive immigration reform to address many of the issues the failed policies of detention and deportation have been unable to resolve.

ACTION STEP

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is hosting a week of action highlighting the theme “migration Join AFSC, the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC), and #WelcomeWithDignity  You can find suggestions for action at: bit.ly/AsylumDay22Toolkit  

RESOURCES

The Prophet Haggai’s words are at Haggai 2:5 and the angels’ proclamation at Luke 2:10 (KJV).

Governor Johnston’s 1776 “Address in Answer to the King’s Speech” was quoted in Jack P. Greene, The Constitutional Origins of the American Revolution, (Cambridge University Press, 2011), p. 166.

John Higham’s “American cosmopolitan faith” can be found at “Instead of a Sequel, or How I Lost My Subject,” Reviews in American History 28 (2000), 327, 329, cited by Jerry Kammer, “Historian John Higham’s Widening Views on Modern Efforts to Limit Immigration, It’s Not All About Nativism,” May 23, 2010, https://cis.org/Historian-John-Highanms-Widening-Views-Modern-Efforts-Limit-Immigration.   His comment on the disparities can be found at “Sequel,” p. 330. 

The mileage of our borders is in, R. Jones, Nobody is Protected, How the Border Patrol Became the Most Dangerous Police Force in the United States, (Counterpoint, Berkeley, 2022), p. 45.

Information on the safety statistics:

automobiles
drowning
bicycles
We welcome your inquiries or suggestions for future podcasts.  If you would like to ask more questions about our podcasts or comment, email us at: mission.depaul@gmail.com

Episode 32: “Fear Not”

This is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of DePaul University’s College of Law, Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Program, and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. The podcast critiques Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas’ recent NPR interview for what the interview omits in explaining 2023 asylum policies. 


ACTION STEP

Imagine you are an asylum-seeker who has left your homeland.  Listen to the interview with Secretary Mayorkas and consider its impact as you.  Then write to the White House and Secretary Mayorkas and urge the Biden administration to follow the procedures and procedural protections of the Refugee Act of 1980: https://www.npr.org/people/4080709/steve-inskeep


RESOURCES

Dr. Shailja Sharma: “The Border ‘Crisis’ Is a Crisis We Can Solve,” January 9, 2023:  https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-border-asylum-seekers-resources-title-42-20230109-g3aoghdnn5avxavszsfcln7viu-story.html


Paul Schmidt quotes several experts on the new policy and adds his critique: (January  6, 2023):   https://immigrationcourtside.com/2023/01/06/%f0%9f%a4%af%f0%9f%91%8e%f0%9f%8f%bc-experts-condemnation-of-bidens-latest-anti-asylum-border-gimmicks-swift-brutal-true/


Law professor Karen Musalo: “Enough with the Political Games.  Migrants Have a Right to Asylum,” January 6, 2023, https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-01-06/biden-border-immigration-asylum-title-42


The National Immigrant Justice Center’s FAQs on these policies:  https://immigrantjustice.org/staff/blog/recycling-trumps-asylum-bans-expanding-title-42-how-bidens-new-policies-threaten


For information on U.S. policies undermining democracy, see, Mousin, “You Were Told to Love the Immigrant,” https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2784951, text between fns. 161-166. 


For documentation on the violence caused by soldiers trained at the School of the Americas Watch, now WHINSEC:  www.soaw.org


The statistics on the violence at the border: US/Mexico: Expelling Venezuelans Threatens Rights, Lives Restore Access to Asylum at the Border, (October 21, 2022) as cited in https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2022/10/human-rights-watch-usmexico-expelling-venezuelans-threatens-rights-lives-restore-access-to-asylum-at.html


We welcome your inquiries or suggestions for future podcasts.  If you would like to ask more questions about our podcasts or comment, email us at: mission.depaul@gmail.com

Episode 33: New Year, Same Problems

In this interview, Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of DePaul University’s College of Law, Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Program, and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy interviews Heidi Altman, the Policy Director of the National Immigrant Justice Center (www.immigrantjustice.org).  Ms. Altman discusses a proposed rule that will effectively preclude most asylum-seekers from safely and effectively applying for asylum in the United States. She advocates for humanitarian asylum welcome.  She previously served as the legal director for the Capital Area Immigrants' Rights Coalition and was a Teaching Fellow in the immigration clinic at Georgetown University Law School.  

ACTION STEPS 

1.       Invite friends and family to learn how the proposed rule will undermine refugee protection and encourage them to respond to their elected representatives and the Biden administration urging withdrawal of the proposed rule.

2.      The Sanctuary Working Group of the Chicago Religious Leadership Network currently serves and advocates alongside newly arrived asylum seekers in the Chicagoland area.  There are many impactful ways you can help asylum seekers, from providing sponsorship and temporary housing to covering legal fees and advocating for policy change.  Interested individuals, faith communities, or organizations may contact CRLN staff/consultant David Fraccaro at davidfraccaro99@gmail.com to talk about ways to partner together in supporting and protecting our newest neighbors.  


RESOURCES

“Solutions for a Humane Border Policy,” National Immigrant Justice Center, January 17, 2023: https://immigrantjustice.org/staff/blog/solutions-humane-border-policy

“Proposed Ban on Asylum Violates US Law and Catholic Social Teaching,” Catholic Legal Immigration Network, February 22, 2023: https://www.cliniclegal.org/press-releases/proposed-ban-asylum-violates-us-law-and-catholic-social-teaching

 “Biden Asylum Ban Will Endanger Refugees, Center for Gender and Refugee Rights, February 21, 2023: https://cgrs.uchastings.edu/news/biden-asylum-ban-will-endanger-refugees

The proposed rule is scheduled for publication on February 23, 2023:  https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2023-03718.pdf

 

Craig Mousin volunteers with the National Immigrant Justice Center. We welcome your inquiries or suggestions for future podcasts.  If you would like to ask more questions about our podcasts or comment, email us at: mission.depaul@gmail.com

Episode 34: Support Humanitarian Asylum Welcome

In this interview, Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of DePaul University’s College of Law, Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Program, and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy urges listeners to file comments opposing the Biden administration’s proposed asylum rule by 11:59 EDT, Monday, March 27, 2023.

ACTION STEPS 

1.      Prepare a comment and invite friends and family to also file a comment opposing the proposed rule that will undermine refugee protection.
A.      Attorneys may use this template which also includes the diagram on the process discussed in the podcast. 

B.      Organizations or community groups may want to use this template.

2.      You can also email the White House and your Senators and Representative stating your opposition to this proposed rule emphasizing the need for a humanitarian border policy. Please find your individual link for your Senators or Representatives and urge them to oppose the Biden rule.


RESOURCES

Solutions for a Humane Border Policy, January 17, 2023.

NIJC’s Policy Director Heidi Altman discuss some of the many problems with the proposed rule in her interview.

Javier Zamora’s book is Solito, A Memoir, (Hogarth, N.Y. 2022).  Mr. Zamora will be speaking at the NIJC’s Human Rights Award Luncheon on June 6, 2023; click here for information.

That only 10% of visas that were available were provided in the war years came from Paul Johnson, A History of the Jews, (Harper & Row, N.Y., 1987), 503.

Melissa del  Bosque describes some of the problems with the CBP One mobile app, in “From Education to Everything Else,” The Border Chronicle, March 14, 2023.

Craig Mousin volunteers with the National Immigrant Justice Center. We welcome your inquiries or suggestions for future podcasts.  If you would like to ask more questions about our podcasts or comment, email us at: mission.depaul@gmail.com

Episode 35: Let’s Not Make the Same Mistake

In this interview, Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of DePaul University’s College of Law, Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Program, and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy presents a moral argument for sensible gun regulation.  We have learned since the recording of this podcast, that Justin Jones and Justin Pearson have been appointed to be interim State Representatives in the Tennessee legislature through the action of their respective constituents.

ACTION STEPS 

1.      Call or write your elected representatives to enact sensible gun laws to address the epidemic of gun violence in our nation.

2.     The United Church of Christ offers a tool kit with resources to Advocate to End Gun Violence.  Review it and take prophetic action.

RESOURCES

Justin Jones quote on the gun epidemic can be found at “Tennessee House expels 2 Democrats after gun control protest,” April 7, 2023.

Justin Pearson’s quote on sobering reality can be found at Nouran Salahieh, , “Reinstated Tennessee lawmaker Justin Jones says he’ll continue to call for gun reform” April 11, 2023.  Justin Pearson’s statement regarding whom he speaks for in the legislature can be found at Democracy Now! 2023-04—11 Tuesday between 22:34-26:18.

The reference to Gloria Johnson can be found at Robin Gibson and Devarrick Turner, “Kelsea Ballerini, Gloria Johnson refer to Knoxville's 2008 Central High School shooting,” April 7, 2023.

Part of this podcast was inspired by my earlier op-ed “Where Does One Stand on a Slippery Slope?” (2013).  You can find additional citations to the CDC, cases, and other resources in its footnotes.

Fr. Guillermo Campuzano, C.M., “Easter Season: A Culture of Nonviolence, Resilience and Communal Hope,” April 10, 2023

Rev. William Barber’s quote can be found in Ruth Graham, “Nashville, Battered and Mourning, Pauses for Easter,” April 9, 2023.

The Washington-Post: John Woodrow Cox et al, “More Than 349,000 school shootings” includes information on how gun violence places a disproportionate impact on black youth.  (April 11, 2023) and Silvia Foster-Frau and Holly Bailey, “A tragedy without end,” March 27, 2023.

Cases cited in this podcast:  New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, 142 S. Ct. 2111, (Thomas, 2145; Alito, 2157) (2022); Glenn v. State, 72 S.E. 927, 929 (1911, Hill); State v. Workman, 14 S.E. 9, 11 (1891); Hill v. Georgia, 53 Ga. 476-7, (1874, McCay); Hopkins v. Commonwealth, 66 Ky. 480, 482 (1868, Robertson).

Listen to Sweet Honey in the Rock’s rendition of “Ella’s Song”

Contact us: mission.depaul@gmail.com

Episode 36: A Moral Claim for Sensible Gun Regulation

Episode 37: “Soda Stories: Educating Families”

Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of DePaul University’s College of Law, Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Program, and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy interviews DePaul graduate and Pangea Educational Development co-founder Drew Edwards. Drew and his colleagues in Uganda, with the support of many volunteers, have developed a remarkable literacy program in Uganda that works with refugees and internally displaced persons to engage the entire family in learning to read. Drew Edwards is a social entrepreneur with international development experience across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. He has spent his career working in education with children in post-conflict and crisis settings. He has extensive experience in informal and primary education in low-resource settings. His research interests include early childhood literacy, inclusion and belonging, and the intersection of violence and education. In part one of this three-part series, Drew offers ideas on how we all can respond to those who are forced to flee due to violence and ecological harm.


ACTION STEPS

1. Pope Francis has urged all of us to not simply welcome migrants, but “they must be welcomed, accompanied, promoted and integrated.” Read his address in the link below and find how you can best respond within your area of skill and interest.

2. As Pope Francis told Drew Edwards, “Do more.”


RESOURCES

1. Pope Francis stated, “I see the need for further studies on the so-called ‘right not to emigrate.’ It is important to reflect on the causes of migratory movements and on the forms of violence that lead people to depart for other countries.” “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the Meeting on Refugees Promoted by the Pontifical Gregorian University, September 29, 2022.

2. For more information on Pangea Education, see: https://pangeaeducation.org

3. For more information on Project Backpack, see: https://pangeaeducation.org/work/project-backpack

If you would like to ask more questions about our podcasts or comment, email us at: mission.depaul@gmail.com

Episode 37: “Soda Stories: Educating Families”

Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of DePaul University’s College of Law, Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Program, and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy interviews DePaul graduate and Pangea Educational Development co-founder Drew Edwards. Drew and his colleagues in Uganda, with the support of many volunteers, have developed a remarkable literacy program in Uganda that works with refugees and internally displaced persons to engage the entire family in learning to read. In part two of this three-part episode, Drew speaks of some of the national and international barriers to working with refugees and offers insight into how Uganda has welcomed refugees and internally displaced persons.

RESOURCES

1. Pope Francis’ challenge for Catholic universities to educate their own students "to a clearer understanding of the phenomenon of migration, within a perspective of justice, global responsibility and communion in diversity" can be found in his “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the Meeting on Refugees Promoted by the Pontifical Gregorian University, September 29, 2022.

2. For more information on Pangea Education, see: https://pangeaeducation.org

If you would like to ask more questions about our podcasts or comment, email us at: mission.depaul@gmail.com

Episode 38: “Serving All of Us Together”

Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of DePaul University’s College of Law, Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Program, and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy interviews DePaul graduate and Pangea Educational Development co-founder Drew Edwards. Drew and his colleagues in Uganda, with the support of many volunteers, have developed a remarkable literacy program in Uganda that works with refugees and internally displaced persons to engage the entire family in learning to read. In this final episode of this three-part series, Drew explains how the program invited local story tellers to share traditional folk stories and subsequently transformed those stories into children’s books for families to read together.

ACTION STEPS

1. If you would like to share your skill with Pangea, go to its website and learn how you can contribute your wisdom and talents. https://pangeaeducation.org

2. As Pope Francis told Drew Edwards, “Do more.”

RESOURCES

1. Pangea responds to Pope Francis call to encourage teaching: “Opportunities for meaningful encounters are to be promoted, so that teachers and students can have an opportunity to hear the stories of those men and women who are migrants, refugees, displaced persons or victims of trafficking.” Further these programs can “help identity and indicate the foundations for the construction of an intercultural society, in which ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity is seen as a source of enrichment and not an obstacle for the common future.” “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the Meeting on Refugees Promoted by the Pontifical Gregorian University, September 29, 2022. 2. For more information on Pangea Education, see: https://pangeaeducation.org

3. For more information on how Pangea work in publishing local folk stories to increase literacy see “Behind the Books: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SD8HvkBm30

If you would like to ask more questions about our podcasts or comment, email us at: mission.depaul@gmail.com

Episode 39: “One Key to Literacy: Sharing Folktales”

Author: Dennis H. Holtschneider C.M., Ed.D.
Link: http://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol26/iss1/8/


No Small Matter: Leadership for Institutional Culture in Vincentian Higher Education

Author: Edward R. Udovic.
Link: http://works.bepress.com/edward_udovic/2/


What about the Poor? Nineteenth-Century Paris and the Revival of Vincentian Charity

St. Vincent and Sustainability

Author: Edward R. Udovic.
Link: http://works.bepress.com/edward_udovic/113/


Vincent’s Values: A Spiritual Perspective

Author: Edward R. Udovic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCzhjEK8FLo


The Vincentian Question

Originally from "Vincent de Paul, His Mind and His Manner"

www.setonheritage.org/shop/vincentia…nd-his-manner/


The Workaday Ministry of Vincent de Paul

Full Title: Saint Vincent and Saint Louise, Catholic to the Core: Spiritual Praxis as the Foundation for Social Change

Published: http://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol28/iss2/24/

Saint Vincent and Saint Louise, Catholic to the Core

Written by Thomas McKenna C.M.. Read by David Edward Sims.

Article can be found here: http://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol30/iss1/1/





Frédéric Ozanam's Tactical Wisdom For Today's Consumer Society

Saint Vincent de Paul as a Leader of Change: The Key Roles of A higher Purpose and Empowerment
Written by Margaret Posig PhD

http://via.library.depaul.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1257&context=vhj

Saint Vincent de Paul as a Leader of Change

Written by Alison Forrestal, Ph.D. Read by David Edward Sims.

http://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol27/iss2/1/

Vincent de Paul as Mentor

Read by David Edward Sims. Written by Gregorio L. Banaga Jr., C.M., Ph.D.

http://via.library.depaul.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1323&context=vhj

Education With a Heart

Published in 1999 in St. Vincent de Paul, Windows on his Vision.

Read by David Edward Sims

Christmas Compassion

Frederic Ozanam’s life is examined to illustrate his many virtues. Among these were “sensitive charity, practical wisdom, care for the truth, [and] love of family.” This study divides his life into three phases: his education and formation, his legal career, and his definitive vocation. The section on Ozanam’s education and formation gives information on his early family life and how he came to be influenced by Vincent de Paul, which has not appeared in as much detail in previous Vincentian Heritage articles on him.

Written and read by the author: John Rybolt, C.M.

The Virtuous Personality of Blessed Frederick Ozanam

“Faith Resisting Authority in the Name of Justice and Love: Immigration Law and the Bible”

Written and Read by 
Rev. Craig B. Mousin

You can find the earlier blog post, “The Bible: the Perfect Primer on Immigration Law for Senator Sessions,” at:  https://works.bepress.com/craig_mousin/14/

Faith Resisting Authority in the Name of Justice and Love: Immigration Law and the Bible

Written and read by: Edward R. Udovic C.M., DePaul University

Two sides of one Vincentian Mission coin: Personalism and Professionalism

This podcast, “Rights Disappear When US Policy Engages Children as Weapons of Deterrence” was written and read by Rev. Craig B. Mousin.  It originally appeared in the AMA’s Journal of Ethics (AMA J Ethics. 2019;21(1):E58-66).  

This podcast was recorded with the permission of the ABA Journal of Ethics.   All references are footnoted in the Journal article which can be found at: 
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3317913 

That entire issue of the AMA Journal of Ethics addressed immigration and refugee issues from a medical or ethical perspective.  You can find the full journal at:  https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/issue/health-care-undocumented-immigrants

Rights Disappear When US Policy Engages Children as Weapons of Deterrence

A podcast written by Rev. Robert Maloney, C.M.

To read the text go here: http://blogs.depaul.edu/dmm/2020/04/01/covid-19-some-wisdom-from-the-past-the-experience-of-st-vincent-de-paul/

COVID-19: Some Wisdom from the Past – the Experience of St. Vincent de Paul

Rev. Craig B. Mousin founder and former Executive Director of the  Midwest Immigrant Rights Center  and an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law talks about the  June, 2020 18, DACA ruling by the United States Supreme Court and what DACA means for the Vincentian Community and DePaul Students.

For more information visit:  National Immigrant Justice Center: https://immigrantjustice.org/issues/daca-and-dreamers

We reference this previous episode in this podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bcicirel/it-is-more-than-just-the-dreamers?in=bcicirel/sets/vincentian-heritage-podcast

Supreme Court DACA Ruling and the Vincentian Mission

This is a podcast interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin founder and former Executive Director of the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center and an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. He talks about responding to the federal government’s proposed regulations entitled “Procedures for Asylum and Withholding of Removal; Credible Fear and Reasonable Fear Review.”

We encourage you to file your own comments opposing part or all of the proposed procedures and asking the government to withdraw the entire proposed rule.  To assist you in obtaining a link to the proposed procedures or in filing your comment, you may incorporate your remarks into one of the templates provided by the following:
The National Immigrant Justice Center offers this template for any community member concerned about access to asylum: 
https://immigrantjustice.salsalabs.org/asylumcomment-community/index.html?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=d78349f2-cad4-443c-a2bf-e8477db23171

If you are concerned about unaccompanied minors or children refugee issues, you might find the template of the Young Center helpful: https://www.theyoungcenter.org/defend-asylum

Both websites provide additional information on how the proposed regulations restrict access to the courts and prevent bona fide applicants from presenting their cases for asylum.  Please make sure your comments are filed on or before 11:59 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

Please share this podcast and links with members of your community or faith organizations, family members and friends.  Encourage them to file comments to help ensure that our nation continues to offer shelter for refugees in need.  Thank you for your consideration of this request.

If you would like more information about the documentary, “Brightness of Noon, the Intersect of Faith, Refugees and Immigrants, Part II,” see:  https://www.divacommunications.com/documentaries/brightness-of-noon-2/

Your Opportunity to Respond to Proposed Changes Restricting Asylum in the United States

In this episode Rev. Craig B. Mousin discusses the deployment of federal officers to Portland in reaction to the ongoing protests. He discusses the problem of relying on  federal immigration  officers for local law enforcement and links some of Chicago’s responses to federal interference in local matters. 

 

He references a previous podcast about DACA recipients and their families and communities. It is available here: 

 

https://soundcloud.com/bcicirel/it-is-more-than-just-the-dreamers?in=bcicirel/sets/vincentian-heritage-podcast


For more insight into the distinction between the constitutional constraints on Customs And Border Enforcement and local law enforcement, see a blog co-authored by a former colleague at DePaul College of Law’s Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic, Linus Chan, now  an Associate Clinical Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School:  “Trump’s Paramilitary Unites Trained at the Border for the Assaults on Portland Moms,” by Linus Chan and Carrie L. Rosenbaum. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/07/trump-cbp-units-border-portland-moms-attacked.html

Lawful Assembly Podcast - Episode 1: Portland - What Border are we Defending?

This is a podcast interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin founder and former Executive Director of the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center and an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. He talks about responding to the federal government’s proposed regulations that would make asylum seekers ineligible for asylum and related remedies based on purported public health considerations.   We encourage you to file your own comments opposing part or all of the proposed procedures and asking the government to withdraw the entire proposed rule.  To assist you in obtaining a link to the proposed procedures or in filing your comment, you may incorporate your remarks into one of the templates provided by the following:
The National Immigrant Justice Center’s template is at:
 https://immigrantjustice.salsalabs.org/asylumregsphcomment/index.html 
If you are concerned about unaccompanied minors or children refugee issues, you can find the Young Center’s template at:
https://www.theyoungcenter.org/stand-with-asylum-seekers
Both websites provide additional information on how the proposed regulations restrict access to the courts and prevent bona fide applicants from presenting their cases for asylum.  To be accepted by the government, please make sure your comments are filed on or before 11:59 p.m. EDT, Monday, August 10 2020.
For additional information on the pretext of the public health need for these proposals, see:  https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/resource/new-asylum-ban-recycled-pretext-proposed-rule-would-illegally-unjustly-bar-many-asylum

Please share this podcast and links with members of your community or faith organizations, family members and friends.  Encourage them to file comments to help ensure that our nation continues to offer shelter for refugees in need.  Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Episode 2: New Opportunity to Oppose Proposed Regulations Precluding Asylum Eligibility

Repair the Breach: Help All in Your Community Be Counted in the 2020 Census

This episode is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin founder and former Executive Director of the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center and an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy.  He discusses how the Census, by counting all those residing in the United States every ten years, if done well, helps the nation repair past breaches to our body politic.  In the wake of a pandemic, civic unrest and the long road to healing our nation from the consequences of slavery and racism, the Census offers an opportunity for all of “We the People” to be counted and leading to a fairer representation.  The government will stop counting residents in this Census on September 30, 2020, thus necessitating that we all use our resources to ensure a fair count.  You can go to www.census.gov  for information on how to encourage greater participation.  If you would like to participate in a phone bank sponsored by the Urban League of Chicago on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 to encourage participation in the City of Chicago, you can volunteer by emailing kbutler@chiul.org (Kareem Butler, Director of Learning and Evaluation, Chicago Urban League).  The quotation from Professor Akhill Reed Amar can be found in American’s Constitution, A Biography,” (Random House, N.Y., 2005), 87.  For a description of rotten districts / rotten boroughs  see P.84. 


Please share this podcast and links with members of your community or faith organizations, family members and friends.  Encourage them to assist all members of their communities to file their Census form to  generate a fair count of all.  Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Episode 3: Repair the Breach

Ken Butigan, DePaul Professor talks about Non-violence

This episode is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, founder and former Executive Director of the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center which later became the National Immigrant Justice Center (www.immigrantjustice.org), and an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. He responds to the federal government’s proposed regulations that would limit the discretion of Immigration Judges and change the procedure for appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals.  These proposed rules will hinder the ability of individuals to pursue cases without lawyers and increase the difficulty of pro bono representation by volunteer lawyers.   Cumulatively, if implemented, they will harm our communities and undermine our system of justice.  We encourage you to file your own comments opposing part or all of the proposed procedures and asking the government to withdraw the entire proposed rule.  To assist you in obtaining a link to the proposed procedures or in filing your comment, you may incorporate your remarks into one of the templates provided by the following:

Our colleagues at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. have provided sample comments and a link to file comments at:  https://cliniclegal.org/resources/federal-administrative-advocacy/clinic-template-comment-eoir-proposed-rule

You may also find the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s template at: 
https://www.aila.org/takeaction#/88
Both websites provide additional information on how the proposed regulations restrict access to the courts and prevent bona fide applicants from litigating and their cases.  To be accepted by the government, please ensure your comments are filed on or before 11:59 p.m. EDT, Friday, September 25, 2020.

The critical point remains that you choose at least one element of the proposed rules that you believe is incompatible with our nation’s commitment to fair process to achieve justice and make your voice heard.

Justice Ginsburg’s law review article, “In Pursuit of the Public Good: Access to Justice in the United States,” 7 Washington University Journal of Law & Policy 1, 8 (2001) can be found at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1534&context=law_journal_law_policy

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals case can be found at page 8 of Meza Morales v. Barr, 2020 WL 5268986, (7th Cir.).

The TRAC Immigration report from Syracuse University on “The Life and Death of Administrative Closure” can be found at:  https://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/623/ (September 10, 2020).

Please share this podcast and links with members of your community or faith organizations, family members and friends.  Encourage them to file comments to help ensure that our nation continues its commitment to a fair process and access to justice.  Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Episode 4: Help Our System of Justice Work Best

Join Ombuds and friends from around the world to celebrate the peacemaking work of Ombuds.  Sponsored by the American Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Committee (https://www.americanbar.org/groups/dispute_resolution/).  Ombuds Day will meet virtually, but intentionally, on Thursday, October 8,2020 to raise up the work of Ombuds and seek ways to address resolution of conflict and miscommunication.  Craig B. Mousin, DePaul University’s Ombudsperson (https://offices.depaul.edu/mission-ministry/programming-and-services/ombudsperson/Pages/default.aspx)  provides an introduction to Ombuds Day and the work of Ombuds in this Lawful Assembly podcast.  You can find additional information as well as the link to register for events on Thursday at:  https://www.americanbar.org/groups/dispute_resolution/events_cle/ombuds-day/

Episode 5: Celebrate Ombuds Day--October 8, 2020

Can It Be Fair Process Without a Fair Process to File an Asylum Application?

This episode is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. He responds to the federal government’s proposed regulations that would change the time limit for filing an asylum application before an Immigration Judge. These proposed rules will hinder the ability of individuals to pursue cases without lawyers and increase the difficulty of pro bono representation by volunteer lawyers.   We encourage you to file your own comments opposing part or all of the proposed procedures and asking the government to withdraw the entire proposed rule.  To assist you in obtaining a link to the proposed procedures or in filing your comment, you may incorporate your remarks into one of the templates provided by the following:

Our colleagues at the National Immigrant Justice Center have provided sample comments and a link to file comments at:   https://immigrantjustice.salsalabs.org/protectasylum/index.html?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=4dcbbfd7-b673-4263-9b92-abc70008cc18

You may also find the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s template at: https://www.aila.org/takeaction#/89

Both websites provide additional information on how the proposed regulations prevent bona fide applicants from litigating their cases.  To be accepted by the government, please ensure your comments are filed on or before 11:59 p.m. EDT, Friday, October 23, 2020.

The critical point remains that you choose at least one element of the proposed rules that you believe is incompatible with our nation’s commitment to fair process to achieve justice and make your voice heard.

If you are curious about the details necessary to file a complete asylum application, you can view the ten-page form and the instructions at:  https://www.uscis.gov/i-589

Please note, American Baptist Churches v. Thornburgh,  760 F.Supp. 796 (N.D. Ca. 1991), was actually settled on January 31, 1991 instead of 1990 as stated in the podcast.

Episode 7: Can It Be Fair Process

This episode is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy.  On November 20, 2020, the designated World Children’s Day, Rev. Mousin discusses what can be done in response to the thousands of children detained, deported, and excluded from applying for remedies permitted under the Refugee Act of 1980.  In addition, he invokes the ten immediate priorities recommended by a coalition of several national organizations including among others, The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights and the American Academy of Pediatricians to correct United States immigration and refugee law and policy regarding children.

The Immediate Priorities for the Protection of Immigrant Children can be found at:  https://www.theyoungcenter.org/stories/2020/11/10/immediate-priorities-for-the-protection-of-immigrant-children-november-2020?rq=Immediate%20Priorities.  Amnesty International offers one way to take immediate action to protest the proposed deportation of the 28 children and their families through this link: https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/59764/action/1?ea.tracking.id=vxd8hcs1&ac=W2011EARMR1&ea.url.id=5018432&forwarded=true


The podcast refers to an On Being interview with the late Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks which can be found at: https://onbeing.org/programs/remembering-rabbi-lord-jonathan-sacks/    Rev. Mousin’s article “You Were Told to Love the Immigrant, But What if the Story Never Happened? Hospitality and United States Immigration Law” provides additional information on Rev. Theodore Conklin’s description of the hospitality offered Mary, Joseph, and Jesus when they fled into Egyptian exile in the text at footnote 128.  St. Vincent DePaul’s call to not abandon the children can be found in the same article in the text at footnote 172.  See:  https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2784951


For more information on World Children’s Day see:   https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-childrens-day  In addition, for a discussion on the Convention of the Rights of the Child and the United States’ failure to adopt it and its impact on asylum-seeking children, see Rev. Mousin’s article on “Rights Disappear When US Policy Engages Children as Weapons of Deterrence,” at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3317913

Lawful Assembly 8: Honor World Children’s Day

This is a podcast interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, founder and former Director of the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center and an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy.  Inspired by the Rev. Dr. Silvester S. Beaman’s benediction from the inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on January 20, 2021, this podcast urges those seeking to reform immigration law to seek our common humanity.  Recognizing the whirlwind of changes in immigration and refugee law from 2017 to the present, the podcast suggests we have to consider what we owe to those who have contributed to the growth of our nation as we reconsider how best to reform our nation’s laws.  To listen to the benediction of the Rev. Dr. Silvester S. Beaman, Pastor of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Wilmington, Delaware, see:  https://bethelwilmington.org

To read more of how Abraham Lincoln understood his motivation for the Emancipation Proclamation, see, Garry Wills, Lincoln at Gettysburg, The Words That Remade America, (Simon & Schuster, New York, N.Y., 1992) pp. 143-44.

For a compilation of the many changes that occurred within immigration law and policy since 2017 and some of the projected proposals for change, see:  https://www.aila.org/advo-media/issues/all/first-100-days

Lawful Assembly 9: To Do A Blessing

This is a podcast interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, founder and former Director of the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center and an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. President Biden announced that he would restore the United States partnership in refugee resettlement by inviting up to 125,000 refugees to our nation in the next fiscal year while also exploring increases in the number of refugees previously designated in this fiscal year.  This podcast describes the leadership Illinois demonstrated over the four decades since the enactment of the Refugee Act of 1980.  It encourages us to rebuild our local community support for refugee resettlement by strengthening the public-private collaboration that has benefitted our communities.  You can find information on the Illinois resettlement agencies and the work they do at: https://rcusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019IllinoisRCUSA.pdf

Chicago programs include:

The Catholic Charities of  the Archdiocese of Chicago Refugee Resettlement Program: https://www.catholiccharities.net/GetHelp/OurServices/RefugeeResettlementServices.aspx

Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago: https://www.ecachicago.org/project/give-clean-water/

RefugeeOne:  http://www.refugeeone.org/  

World Relief Chicagoland Refugee Resettlement: https://chicagoland.worldrelief.org/

Heartland Human Care Services:  https://www.heartlandalliance.org/program/rics

HIAS recently invited individuals to urge the new administration to sign a Presidential Determination for resettling refugees and begin the work of rebuilding these programs.  You can sign the letter by following this link:  https://us.e-activist.com/page/email/click/10027/783130?email=ctK6n2%2BsCqhOiO4f8OZ0W8LMtSVFLyox&campid=JsUx9s5d%2B2Q=.

Lawful Assembly 10: Rebuild Refugee Resettlement

This is a podcast interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, founder and former Director of the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center and an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy.  The podcast celebrates the thirty-sixth anniversary of former Mayor Harold Washington’s Executive Order 85-1 that prohibited city agencies, including the police, from cooperating with the enforcement activities of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.  After the Chicago City Council enacted an ordinance sharing Mayor Washington’s goals twelve years ago, the City Council recently added new amendments to Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance, signed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot on February 23, 2021.   The podcast commends the activism of the Chicago Immigration Working Group for its efforts to build a truly welcoming city.  To that end, that Group reminded all that “to be a true welcoming city, Chicago must start to divest from criminalization, begin to invest in our communities, and ensure true police accountability.” (press release celebrating the new amendments which includes the list of the diverse groups that constitute the Chicago Immigration Working Group):  https://www.icirr.org/News/Welcoming-City-Ordinance-is-a-win-by-and-for-our-communities%2C-but-work-remains-to-be-done

For more information on Chicago’s response to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and Mayor Harold Washington’s issuance of his Executive Order 85-1, see “A Clear View from the Prairie: Harold Washington and the People of Illinois Respond to Federal Encroachment of Human Rights,” 29 S. Ill. L. J. 285 (Fall, 2004/Winter, 2005):
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2997657

A new development: Justice Dept. asks Supreme Court to dismiss 'sanctuary' immigration suits - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/justice-dept-asks-supreme-court-to-dismiss-sanctuary-immigration-suits/ar-BB1efXl7?ocid=msedgntp

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