i just found out that i will get to hang out with the pope when he is visiting the US in april. and by i will get to hang out, i mean myself and the entire rest of my office. this is cool and funny to me at the same time.

it is national migration week here at usccb. this means that there is a lot of focus on our migration and refugee services (mrs) department. a small write up was done about what i do, so i thought i would share it, because it explains my job better than i usually do probably. :)



"Did you know...

In many war torn countries children, whose parents were lost to them due to death or separation, often find themselves alone and without any source of comfort or support. Another population of unaccompanied children are those who try to find passage to the United States. As many as 100,000 unaccompanied, undocumented children enter the United States every year with the hope of reuniting with their family or finding work that will enable them to send money back home. Approximately 10,000 of these are detained by the federal government and may be released to family in the United States or returned to their country of origin. Alone in the United States or in a refugee situation overseas, undocumented children are in a very vulnerable situation; it is in this context that the problem of human trafficking can easily intersect broader refugee crises and immigration.

Through its Safe Passages program, MRS ensures that children traveling without adult relatives and without legal travel documents are provided a safe haven, and receive appropriate child-welfare standards of care while in the custody of the U.S. government. For children smuggled in and at risk from organized crime, MRS works with more than 30 diocesan offices to determine whether family reunification is a suitable option, and follows up with children to ensure their well-being."