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ACCCA Sends Bishops a Listing
of
ACCCA member Chris Reuter, O.F.M., working with
a fresh Freedom of Information disclosure from the Dept. of Homeland
Security, recently completed a "Directory of Immigrant Detention Facilities
in the United States. The 44 page booklet is being mailed to all the U.S.
bishops during November.
Much of the information was already known by
immigrant rights groups, but it is also constantly changing. "What is new
about this version," commented Reuter, "is its user-friendly format. Each
facility is listed with its telephone number and actual street address (you
can't visit a P.O. box!). The detention sites, additionally, are arranged by
their locations in the Catholic dioceses coast to coast."
In their 2000 statement on criminal justice the
U.S. bishops stated that "the special circumstances of immigrants in
detention centers is of special concern". In a cover letter ACCCA President
Mark Schmieder urged the bishops to be solicitous for the pastoral care of
these detainees and to monitor for violations of justice and human rights.
Bishop Gerald R. Barnes of San Bernardino CA,
Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, also provided his endorsement.
The actual distribution is being handled by the USCCB's office of Migration
and Refugee Services.
ACCCA members can view the entire document
here.
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