Explanation

• Immigrants are part of all communities, whether they be defined by geography, ancestry, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, language, or other characteristics.

• Episcopal Migration Ministries is currently located in The Episcopal Church’s structure as a “Mission Beyond the Episcopal Church” and the Church lacks comprehensive data and a holistic approach for migration-related ministries, immigrant communities, and migration-related opportunities and challenges already existing within the Church.

• Increasing numbers of people around the world live as “forced migrants” or “forcibly displaced persons”: at the end of 2022, 108.4 million people had been compelled to flee from their home countries or regions as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing the public order, compared with 89.3 million at the end of 2021.[1]

• Forced migrants seeking safety in the United States are overwhelmingly people of color. In federal year 2022 (the most recent year for which data are available) approximately 54% of refugees admitted to the U.S. were from Africa, 37% were from Asia, 10% were from Latin American or the Caribbean, and 9% were from Europe or Central Asia. In that same year the countries of origin of people granted asylum were from the following countries, in rank order: P.R. China, Venezuela, El Salvador, Guatemala, India, Honduras, Afghanistan, Turkey, Russia, and Mexico, with a remaining 39.5% from countries not listed.[2] In 2021,  Undocumented immigrants were most likely to be from Mexico and Central America (66%), Asia (11%), South America (9%), Europe/Canada/Oceania (7%), the Caribbean (4%), and Africa (3%).[3]

• “As climate change makes some parts of the earth uninhabitable, a climate migration crisis looms that international law is not prepared to address.”[4] Climate change fuels forced migration in many ways: For example, by increasing the likelihood and frequency of natural disasters, increasing extreme poverty and conflict over dwindling resources, and exacerbating social tensions that can lead to scapegoating and warfare.[5]

• The Episcopal Church has repeatedly affirmed its call to aid migrants, regardless of their formal legal status, for example by recommending that Episcopal Church “institutions and congregations become places of welcome, refuge, healing, and other forms of material and pastoral support for those targeted for deportation due to immigration status...” (2018-C009).[6] A broad assessment of migration-related ministries, opportunities, and challenges within the Episcopal Church will help Episcopal Migration Ministries and all Ministries of the Church to more fully live out this call.

• Through the Christian Principles to Guide Responses to Human Migration (2018-C009) General Convention acknowledged the need to view and act on migration holistically rather than in isolation from other areas of concern. [7] For example:

  • Principle #4: “We commit the church to learning and engaging migration issues as part of the Jesus Movement, sacredly holding the voices and leadership of migrants themselves and honoring their leadership in this process;

  • Principle #5: “We will endeavor to learn and address root causes of migration and advocate for just solutions with Anglican/Episcopal, ecumenical, and interfaith partners.”

  • Principle #6 highlights “the connection between U.S. policies, and the policies of other states, and the root drivers of migration, including climate change, armed conflict, and disruption of local economies through global trade policies.”

  • Principle #12 states that “In the event that people are forced to migrate, we insist that our governments address the drivers holistically, without racial, ethnic, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental ability, health status, or religious practice.”

  • Principle #16 states that “We recognize that displacement due to climate change already happens and will increase.”

 

[1] Cf. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Global Trends Reports for 2021 (https://www.unhcr.org/media/global-trends-report-2021) and 2022 (https://www.unhcr.org/global-trends-report-2022).

[2]Gibson, Irene. (November 2023). Refugees and Asylees: 2022, Annual Flow Report. Office of Homeland Security Statistics, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Pp. 2, 23. Accessed March 15, 2024: https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2024-02/2023_0818_plcy_refugees_and_asylees_fy2022_v2_0.pdf

[3] Van Hook, Jennifer, Julia Gelatt, and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto. (September 2023). A Turning Point for the Unauthorized Immigrant Population in the United States. Migration Policy Institute. Accessed March 15, 2024: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/turning-point-us-unauthorized-immigrant-population

[4] Prange, Mia. (December 19, 2022.) Climate Change Is Fueling Migration. Do Climate Migrants Have Legal Protections? Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed March 19, 2024: https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/climate-change-fueling-migration-do-climate-migrants-have-legal-protections

[5] IOM International Organization for Migration. (2008). Migration and Climate Change. IOM Migration Research Series No. 31. Accessed March 19, 2024: https://publications.iom.int/books/mrs-no-31-migration-and-climate-change

[6] 2018-C009: Urge Church to Become a Sanctuary in Support of Immigrants. Accessed February 27, 2024: https://episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/acts/acts_generate_pdf.pl?resolution=2018-C009

[7] 2018-D009: Set Forth Christian Principles to Guide Responses to Human Migration. Accessed February 27, 2024: https://episcopalarchives.org/cgi-bin/acts/acts_resolution.pl?resolution=2018-D009

 

Support Documents:

Migration Policy Institute Article

Article on climate-related migration

 

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