For nearly a half century, the Catholic Church in the United States has celebrated National Migration Week. This year's theme, "Creating a Culture of Encounter," is drawn from Pope Francis' homily given at his first Pentecost as pope. The Holy Father emphasized the importance of encounter in the Christian faith: "For me this word is very important. Encounter with others. Why? Because faith is an encounter with Jesus, and we must do what Jesus does: encounter others."
On July 1, 2016, approximately 17,000 low-income, lawfully-residing immigrant children became eligible to participate in Florida's KidCare insurance program. Passed by the legislature during the 2016 legislative session and signed by Governor Scott, the law eliminates the five-year waiting period previously required to qualify for the program.
HB 89 (Diaz, J.), which eliminates the five-year waiting period for low-income, lawfully-residing immigrant children to participate in the KidCare insurance program, unanimously passed (118-0) the full House on Thursday. The proposal maintains the exclusion of eligibility for undocumented immigrants of any age.
HB 1095 (Ray), which prohibits the state and persons receiving state funds from assisting certain refugees and immigrants with entry or resettlement in Florida, was passed (9-6) by its final House committee, State Affairs, on Thursday. FCCB staff indicated opposition to the bill during the committee meeting and a letter to the bill sponsor from FCCB executive director Michael Sheedy cited concerns with the proposal.
On Thursday, the House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee unanimously (12-0) approved HB 89 (Diaz, J.) that eliminates the five-year waiting period for low-income, lawfully-residing immigrant children to participate in the KidCare insurance program. The proposal maintains the exclusion of eligibility for undocumented immigrants of any age.
HB 675 (Metz), which requires that local law enforcement agencies enforce federal immigration policy, passed (11-4) its final House committee, Judiciary, on Thursday. FCCB Executive Director Michael Sheedy outlined concerns in a letter to the bill sponsor noting:
HB 9 (Trujillo), which creates a state felony and increases the penalty for the illegal reentry of undocumented persons, was passed (8-3) by its second committee of reference, House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, on Wednesday.
The House Health Innovation Subcommittee on Wednesday unanimously approved (13-0) HB 89 (Diaz, J.) that would eliminate a five-year waiting period before qualified children of legal immigrants are eligible for the KidCare health-insurance program.
Most Reverend Thomas G. Wenski, D.D., Archbishop of Miami and President of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, has written to Governor Scott regarding refugee services for Syrians.
On November 17, 2015, Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Migration, issued a statement on Syrian refugees and the terrorist attacks in Paris:
