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US bishops commend Supreme Court’s 2020 census decision

July 3, 2019 CNA Daily News 6

Washington D.C., Jul 3, 2019 / 04:18 pm (CNA).- The US bishops on Tuesday applauded the Supreme Court’s recent decision blocking the inclusion of a citizenship question on the 2020 census under the reasons proffered by the Commerce Department.

“We affirm last week’s decision by the Supreme Court that the inclusion of a citizenship question must ensure genuine reasons for such inclusion,” Bishop Frank Dewane of Venice and Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin, chairs of the USCCB’s domestic justice and migration committees, said July 2.

“We reaffirm that all persons in the United States should be counted in the Census regardless of their immigration status and reemphasize our judgment that questions regarding citizenship should not be included in the Census. We hope that this view will prevail, whether by administrative action or judicial determination.”

In its June 27 decision in Department of Commerce v. New York, the court found that the Trump administration’s reason for seeking to include a citizenship question on the census seemed “contrived”. The ruling was 5-4.

The administration agreed July 2 to start printing the questionnaire without the question.

The decennial census is used in districting for elections, and helps determine the allocation of federal funding to the states.

A question about whether the respondent is a citizen has not appeared on the census questionnaire since 1950.

The administration had argued for its inclusion under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, saying it could strengthen protections for minorities.

But some researchers at the Census Bureau had found that including the citizenship question could lower the response rate of minority and immigrant households, lowering the quality of the census data.

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No Picture
News Briefs

Are economic sanctions on Iran just?

July 3, 2019 CNA Daily News 0

Washington D.C., Jul 3, 2019 / 03:00 pm (CNA).- Economic sanctions are often seen as a more humane alternative to military conflict. But as some observes warn that sanctions on Iran are beginning to restrict the availability of daily necessities, quest… […]

The Dispatch

Icons on ammo boxes

July 3, 2019 George Weigel 4

Throughout the 20th century — the greatest period of martyrdom in history — persecuted Christians used the dross of this world to make religious artifacts. Rosaries were constructed from bits and pieces of this-and-that. Crucifixes […]

No Picture
News Briefs

Chilean diocese announces solidarity campaign for migrants at border

July 2, 2019 CNA Daily News 0

Arica, Chile, Jul 3, 2019 / 12:03 am (CNA).- The migration ministry in the Diocese of Arica, Chile has announced an aid campaign for the hundreds of migrants facing desperate conditions at a border crossing in the northern part of the country.

The diocese pledged to “redouble our efforts in this humanitarian emergency we are experiencing now.”

While Catholic institutions are present along the border and are providing humanitarian aid, the Diocese of Arica said more is needed to alleviate the crisis. It encouraged donations of bottled water, diapers and wipes, fruit juice and milk. Donations are being collected at San Marcos School in Arica.

The diocese also warned that the migrants are receiving insufficient medical care and face poor sanitary conditions. It noted “an increase in respiratory illnesses because of the difference between the daytime desert heat and the nighttime cold. They have gotten sick again and again without the hope of being able to continue their journey.”

An estimated 200 migrants – mostly Venezuelans fleeing a severe economic crisis – are currently stranded at the Chacalluta border crossing between Chile and Peru, Reuters reported recently.

Many of the migrants were turned away from entering Chile due to failure to meet stricter legal requirements that were recently enacted.

Chile recently imposed stricter controls on those entering its territory, as the number of Venezuelan emigrants swells. Facing violence, social upheaval and hyperinflation under Venezuela’s socialist government, more than 4 million people have fled the country since 2015.

Some 1.3 million Venezuelan emigrants are currently living in Colombia, and some 800,000 are in Peru.

On June 22, Chile enacted a policy requiring immigrants to have a passport and visa, proof of money to support their stay, and a hotel reservation or letter of invitation from a resident.

Last year, new residency requirements were introduced, including a temporary residency visa, valid for one year and renewable for the same period, a clean criminal record, and other identifying documents.

Peru has also moved to restrict the flow of migrants. The nation mandated June 15 that Venezuelans must have a passport and visa to enter the country; previously, only a national ID card was needed.

The Diocese of Arica argued that a solution to the crisis can only be found by addressing the complexity of the underlying issues and approaching migrants with a sense of accompaniment.

“The situation of the mostly Venezuelan migrants now held up on the Chilean border is certainly not going to be resolved by simply allowing or barring their entry,” the diocese said in its statement. “That’s only the first step in a complex process which requires accompaniment and solidarity.”

“If a Venezuelan family succeeds in entering our country, that will be the first step in a new life from being uprooted from their country to another where there is no certainty that their basic needs and assimilation would be guaranteed,” said the Vicar General of the Diocese of San Marcos in Arica, Fr. Mauricio Cáceres.

 

This article was originally published by our sister agency, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

 

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