lawful assembly podcast

Lawful Assembly – Episode 15: Home

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This is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of the DePaul University College of Law and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy.  This podcast links the loss of homes felt by many of the freed slaves after the Civil War, including George Floyd’s great-great grandfather, with the loss of home many refugees face when forced to flee their nations due to state sanctioned violence and the consequences of the breakdown of the rule of law.  We face challenges both at our borders, but also when we contribute to the conditions that force families to flee their homes.  We need to address ways to provide the rule of law and justice for all.  The story of George Floyd’s family history and the loss of his great-great grandfather’s 500 acres comes from Toluse Olorunnipa and Griff Witte, “Born with two strikes, How systemic racism shaped Floyd’s life and hobbled his ambition,” https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/george-floyd-america/systemic-racism/

Senn High School, located in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago, is one of the most diverse high schools in the nation.  Its students and their families speak over 80 languages and claim over 60 nations as their birth homes.  Congratulate its graduates and learn more about our neighborhood high school at:  https://www.sennhs.org

Frederick Douglass’ call for simple justice comes from David W. Blight, Frederick Douglass Prophet of Freedom, (N.Y., 2018), 558-59.

Rev. Garrison   Frazier and the black leaders’ activism in Savannah, Georgia comes from Eric Foner, Reconstruction, America’s Unfinished Revolution 1863-1877, (N.Y., 1988), 70.

 

Action Steps:

Information about the Community Renewal Society’s Juneteenth film screening of “Crawford: The Man the South Forgot,” can be found at:   https://www.communityrenewalsociety.org/events/juneteenth-film-amp-discussion   You can find some of the current programs CRS sponsors to seek simple justice toda at: https://www.communityrenewalsociety.org/platform?sectionscroll=just-economy

Information on the National Immigrant Justice center and the “We Are Home” campaign,  can be found at:  https://immigrantjustice.org/press-releases/civil-rights-groups-send-letter-dhs-secretary-calling-meaningful-opportunity-return

Information of the proposed Berta Caceres Human Rights Act of 2021can be found at:

https://soaw.org/BertaAct2021

 

 

Lawful Assembly – Episode 14:

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This is a podcast interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. President Biden recently responded to a national outcry protesting the limitation of refugee resettlement in this fiscal year to 15,000 refugees and reversed his decision, raising the goal to welcome 62,500 refugees.  This podcast encourages advocates to encourage the administration to achieve that goal and collaborate with resettlement agencies to revitalize the public-private partnership that will continue to benefit our communities.

President Biden’s announcement can be found at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/05/03/statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-refugee-admissions/

The specific numbers allocated for this fiscal year can be found at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/05/03/memorandum-for-the-secretary-of-state-on-the-emergency-presidential-determination-on-refugee-admissions-for-fiscal-year-2021-2/

Chicago refugee resettlement programs include:

Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago: www.ecachicago.org/project/give-clean-water/

Heartland Human Care Services: www.heartlandalliance.org/program/rics

RefugeeOne: www.refugeeone.org/

The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago Refugee Resettlement Program: https://www.catholiccharities.net/GetHelp/OurServices/RefugeeResettlementServices.aspx

World Relief Chicagoland Refugee Resettlement: https://chicagoland.worldrelief.org/resettlement/

Susan Gzesh’s article on an alternative allocations for refugee resettlement can be found at:  https://www.justsecurity.org/75799/why-must-central-american-asylum-seekers-risk-their-lives-to-reach-the-us-there-is-an-alternative/

Lawful Assembly Podcast – Episode 13: A Call to Resettle Refugees

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This is a podcast interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. In February, President Biden announced that he would restore the United States partnership in refugee resettlement by inviting up to 125,000 refugees to our nation in the next fiscal year.  He also said he would increase the number of refugees previously designated for resettlement in this fiscal year.  The Presidential Determination increasing refugee resettlement in this fiscal year to 65,000 has not been yet signed.  One workable response to rebuilding would be to resettle refugees to reach those numbers.  In the midst of the turmoil, this would be one significant step to protect the vulnerable. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) Report on the few refugees resettled in 2021 can be found at: https://www.rescue.org/sites/default/files/document/5783/ircmid-yearrefugeeadmissionsreport-april2021.pdf

Chaplain Abdul-Malik Ryan’s article on Ramadan can be found at: https://blogs.depaul.edu/dmm/2021/04/12/ramadan-and-the-vincentian-question-guidance-and-inspiration-in-times-of-challenge/

For ideas on how to respond, IRC offers this action: https://act.rescue.org/xv4TiDR

HIAS offers these actions:  https://www.hias.org/get-involved/take-action

You can find information on the Illinois resettlement agencies and their work at:

https://rcusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019IllinoisRCUSA.pdf

Chicago programs include:

The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago Refugee Resettlement Program: https://www.catholiccharities.net/GetHelp/OurServices/RefugeeResettlementServices.aspx

Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago: https://www.ecachicago.org/project/give-clean-water/

RefugeeOne: www.refugeeone.org

Heartland Human Care Services: www.heartlandalliance.org/program/rics

World Relief Chicagoland Refugee Resettlement: https://chicagoland.worldrelief.org/resettlement/

Lawful Assembly Episode 12: Shared Values

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This is a podcast interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, founder and former Director of the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center and an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy.  As the United States begins to reform immigration law in the midst of a multitude of developments at the nation’s borders, the podcast encourages us to respond to our shared values of living under the rule of law.  When our debate focuses on naming individuals as illegals prior to adjudication, it leads to gridlock.  By focusing on why we have established a refugee law and the importance of fair and just procedures, we may instead build upon those shared values.  The podcast also explains how criminal and civil law addresses those who seek to cross the border without authorization.

For information on the Border Patrol budget, see “The Cost of Immigration Enforcement and Border Security,” provided by the American Immigration Council at:  https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/the-cost-of-immigration-enforcement-and-border-security  (January 21, 2021).

For information on ways to address refugees at the border without simply relying on detention, see the report by the National Immigrant Justice Center, “A Better Way: Community-Based Programming As An Alternative To Immigrant Incarceration” at https://immigrantjustice.org/research-items/report-better-way-community-based-programming-alternative-immigrant-incarceration  (April 22,2019).

For more information and sources on the impact of the Title 42 regulation closing much of our border allegedly on public health concerns, see “Health Inequity and Tent Court Injustice,” at:  https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3777549

Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or Spotify.

Lawful Assembly 11: Building a Welcoming City

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This is a podcast interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, founder and former Director of the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center and an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy.  The podcast celebrates the thirty-sixth anniversary of former Mayor Harold Washington’s Executive Order 85-1 that prohibited city agencies, including the police, from cooperating with the enforcement activities of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.  After the Chicago City Council enacted an ordinance sharing Mayor Washington’s goals twelve years ago, the City Council recently added new amendments to Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance, signed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot on February 23, 2021.   The podcast commends the activism of the Chicago Immigration Working Group for its efforts to build a truly welcoming city.  To that end, that Group reminded all that “to be a true welcoming city, Chicago must start to divest from criminalization, begin to invest in our communities, and ensure true police accountability.” (press release celebrating the new amendments which includes the list of the diverse groups that constitute the Chicago Immigration Working Group):  https://www.icirr.org/News/Welcoming-City-Ordinance-is-a-win-by-and-for-our-communities%2C-but-work-remains-to-be-done

For more information on Chicago’s response to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and Mayor Harold Washington’s issuance of his Executive Order 85-1, see “A Clear View from the Prairie: Harold Washington and the People of Illinois Respond to Federal Encroachment of Human Rights,” 29 S. Ill. L. J. 285 (Fall, 2004/Winter, 2005):

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2997657

 

Lawful Assembly 10: Rebuild Refugee Resettlement

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This is a podcast interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, founder and former Director of the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center and an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. President Biden announced that he would restore the United States partnership in refugee resettlement by inviting up to 125,000 refugees to our nation in the next fiscal year while also exploring increases in the number of refugees previously designated in this fiscal year.  This podcast describes the leadership Illinois demonstrated over the four decades since the enactment of the Refugee Act of 1980.  It encourages us to rebuild our local community support for refugee resettlement by strengthening the public-private collaboration that has benefitted our communities.  You can find information on the Illinois resettlement agencies and the work they do at: https://rcusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019IllinoisRCUSA.pdf

Chicago programs include:

The Catholic Charities of  the Archdiocese of Chicago Refugee Resettlement Program: https://www.catholiccharities.net/GetHelp/OurServices/RefugeeResettlementServices.aspx

Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago: https://www.ecachicago.org/project/give-clean-water/

RefugeeOne:  http://www.refugeeone.org/ 

World Relief Chicagoland Refugee Resettlement: https://chicagoland.worldrelief.org/

Heartland Human Care Services:  https://www.heartlandalliance.org/program/rics

HIAS recently invited individuals to urge the new administration to sign a Presidential Determination for resettling refugees and begin the work of rebuilding these programs.  You can sign the letter by following this link:  https://us.e-activist.com/page/email/click/10027/783130?email=ctK6n2%2BsCqhOiO4f8OZ0W8LMtSVFLyox&campid=JsUx9s5d%2B2Q=.

 

Lawful Assembly 9: To Do A Blessing

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This is a podcast interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, founder and former Director of the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center and an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy.  Inspired by the Rev. Dr. Silvester S. Beaman’s benediction from the inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on January 20, 2021, this podcast urges those seeking to reform immigration law to seek our common humanity.  Recognizing the whirlwind of changes in immigration and refugee law from 2017 to the present, the podcast suggests we have to consider what we owe to those who have contributed to the growth of our nation as we reconsider how best to reform our nation’s laws.  To listen to the benediction of the Rev. Dr. Silvester S. Beaman, Pastor of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Wilmington, Delaware, see:  https://bethelwilmington.org

To read more of how Abraham Lincoln understood his motivation for the Emancipation Proclamation, see, Garry Wills, Lincoln at Gettysburg, The Words That Remade America, (Simon & Schuster, New York, N.Y., 1992) pp. 143-44.

For a compilation of the many changes that occurred within immigration law and policy since 2017 and some of the projected proposals for change, see:  https://www.aila.org/advo-media/issues/all/first-100-days

Honor World Children’s Day

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This episode is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy.  On November 20, 2020, the designated World Children’s Day, Rev. Mousin discusses what can be done in response to the thousands of children detained, deported, and excluded from applying for remedies permitted under the Refugee Act of 1980.  In addition, he invokes the ten immediate priorities recommended by a coalition of several national organizations including among others, The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights and the American Academy of Pediatricians to correct United States immigration and refugee law and policy regarding children.

The Immediate Priorities for the Protection of Immigrant Children can be found at:  https://www.theyoungcenter.org/stories/2020/11/10/immediate-priorities-for-the-protection-of-immigrant-children-november-2020?rq=Immediate%20Priorities.  Amnesty International offers one way to take immediate action to protest the proposed deportation of the 28 children and their families through this link: https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/59764/action/1?ea.tracking.id=vxd8hcs1&ac=W2011EARMR1&ea.url.id=5018432&forwarded=true

The podcast refers to an On Being interview with the late Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks which can be found at: https://onbeing.org/programs/remembering-rabbi-lord-jonathan-sacks/    Rev. Mousin’s article “You Were Told to Love the Immigrant, But What if the Story Never Happened? Hospitality and United States Immigration Law” provides additional information on Rev. Theodore Conklin’s description of the hospitality offered Mary, Joseph, and Jesus when they fled into Egyptian exile in the text at footnote 128.  St. Vincent DePaul’s call to not abandon the children can be found in the same article in the text at footnote 172.  See:  https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2784951

For more information on World Children’s Day see:   https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-childrens-day  In addition, for a discussion on the Convention of the Rights of the Child and the United States’ failure to adopt it and its impact on asylum-seeking children, see Rev. Mousin’s article on “Rights Disappear When US Policy Engages Children as Weapons of Deterrence,” at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3317913

Episode 7: Can It Be Fair Process?

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Can It Be Fair Process Without a Fair Process to File an Asylum Application?

This episode is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. He responds to the federal government’s proposed regulations that would change the time limit for filing an asylum application before an Immigration Judge. These proposed rules will hinder the ability of individuals to pursue cases without lawyers and increase the difficulty of pro bono representation by volunteer lawyers.   We encourage you to file your own comments opposing part or all of the proposed procedures and asking the government to withdraw the entire proposed rule.  To assist you in obtaining a link to the proposed procedures or in filing your comment, you may incorporate your remarks into one of the templates provided by the following:

Our colleagues at the National Immigrant Justice Center have provided sample comments and a link to file comments at:   https://immigrantjustice.salsalabs.org/protectasylum/index.html?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=4dcbbfd7-b673-4263-9b92-abc70008cc18

You may also find the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s template at: https://www.aila.org/takeaction#/89

Both websites provide additional information on how the proposed regulations prevent bona fide applicants from litigating their cases.  To be accepted by the government, please ensure your comments are filed on or before 11:59 p.m. EDT, Friday, October 23, 2020.

The critical point remains that you choose at least one element of the proposed rules that you believe is incompatible with our nation’s commitment to fair process to achieve justice and make your voice heard.

If you are curious about the details necessary to file a complete asylum application, you can view the ten-page form and the instructions at:  https://www.uscis.gov/i-589

 

Please note, American Baptist Churches v. Thornburgh,  760 F.Supp. 796 (N.D. Ca. 1991), was actually settled on January 31, 1991 instead of 1990 as stated in the podcast.    

 

 

Ombuds Day 2020: What’s an Ombuds To Do in a Polarized Society?

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This episode is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, DePaul’s University Ombudsperson.  Craig is founder and former Executive Director of the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center and an Adjunct Faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Law and The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. In recognition of Ombuds Day 2020, Craig talks about the role of an Ombuds in a polarized society.  Ombuds not only serve their institution, but their skills and experience can model practices and provide guidance in addressing polarization and conflict outside the walls of our institutions as well.  For another example of how an Ombuds can serve an institution’s ability to live out its mission, see Craig’s article in the Vincentian Heritage Journal, “Vincentian Leadership:  Advocating for Justice,” at https://works.bepress.com/craig_mousin/5/