Rhina Guidos

Thousands took to the streets of Washington, making a stop at an ICE facility before heading to the U.S. Capitol, urging that Congress and the president take action on immigration reform.

Immigration advocates were dealt a blow at the beginning of a week that many believed would bring about history. They had hoped to include an immigration provision in the $3.5 trillion budget bill that would have granted legal status to 8 million farmworkers and essential workers, young adults brought to the U.S. illegally as minors, and recipients of a temporary program for migrants.

The Biden administration has reinitiated and expanded an immigration program aimed at reuniting some immigrant parents in the U.S. with their children left behind in Central America.

Venezuelan Americans in Florida are sending a message to GOP politicians: They can be persuaded to switch political sides for those who favor a path toward citizenship for those with Temporary Protection Status.

Without naming the president, the Salvadoran bishops' conference criticized an array of actions led by him and his loyalists, from an interpretation of El Salvador's constitution aimed at allowing his reelection bid to proposals that could legalize abortion, as well as a recent law that turned Bitcoin into legal tender in the country.

Residents of homes run by archdiocesan ministry, left without power after storm, were not evacuated earlier because there was no mandatory order, officials said.

After a top court in El Salvador ruled that a president can seek a second term, even though it's against the constitution, the country's only cardinal called on the world to help preserve democracy.

Dioceses close schools as they assess damage and prepare to help those affected by one of the most powerful storms to hit the continental U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

El Salvador has set a Jan. 22, 2022, date for the beatifications of Jesuit Fr. Rutilio Grande, Franciscan Fr. Cosme Spessotto and two laymen, the Salvadoran bishops' conference announced Aug. 27.

The record number of encounters between Customs and Border Protection agents and people attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border doesn't tell the full story of how some migrants, desperate to enter, are increasingly making multiple attempts. They also don't tell the full story of the added dangers of making the journey in the age of COVID-19.

Even before news of a devastating Aug. 14 earthquake in Haiti arrived, U.S. churches such as the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee, were already lamenting the lack of visits between their parish communities and the people of Haiti. 

A U.S. bishop charged with addressing immigration issues has raised objections to a July 26 announcement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that it would begin "expedited removal" proceedings, or fast-tracking deportations, of some immigrant families who entered the U.S. illegally and do not qualify for asylum.

On the eve of the country's national feast, Salvadoran Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez urged peace and unity, while voicing worries that increasing political polarization is causing aftershocks caused by a "political earthquake" in the Central American nation.

The Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services is investigating allegations of abuse at a Texas camp for unaccompanied migrant minors.

A federal judge Aug. 3 temporarily blocked an order issued by the governor of Texas to halt transportation of migrants by anyone other than local or federal authorities following an incident involving a Catholic nonprofit.

To the dismay of immigration advocates, the Biden administration announced Aug. 2 it would continue implementing a public health rule enforced by the Trump administration, saying migrants at U.S. border crossings would be turned away to keep COVID-19 at bay. 

Many migrants still are convinced the Biden administration is their best shot at getting a chance to stay or enter into the U.S., even as his administration seems increasingly moving toward a policy of deterrence — at least when it comes to Central America.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced July 26 it would begin "expedited removal" proceedings, or fast-tracking deportations, of some immigrant families who entered the U.S. illegally and do not qualify for asylum. 

With a surge in the first few months of 2021 of minors entering the United States without a parent or guardian, figures from fiscal year 2020 already have surpassed the total of unaccompanied minors who made border entries during the previous year.