Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)

10/20/2026

When immigrants walk through the doors of Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio, they carry questions about what comes next, worries about providing for their families, or the uncertainty about building a life in a new place. Catholic Charities fill these needs with practical assistance, legal guidance, and — perhaps most important — staff who understand that behind every case are real people and families. One such person is Marc Joseph. His journey from Haiti to the United States, along with profound personal loss and U.S. military service, shaped the way he aids immigrant families and gave him a firsthand understanding of what it means to walk alongside someone facing difficulties.

When people walk through the doors at Catholic Charities, they often carry more than paperwork. They carry questions about what comes next, worries about providing for their families, or the uncertainty that comes with building a life in a new place. Sometimes, they carry experiences that are diffic...

10/19/2026

When a Florida Christian organization started providing backpacks full of necessities and comfort items to children of detained or deported parents, its goal was twofold. The first was to aid children in need. The second was to activate Christians — especially white and/or English-speaking evangelicals — who have been on the sidelines regarding aid to immigrants. Since May, people from eight churches in Florida's Orlando area have purchased items for the backpack drive. The initiative originated with Kristy Ortega, member of the interdenominational Summit Church. Groups helping immigrants "often feel really helpless because of the lack of funding and the overwhelming need," she said. Ortega got the idea from reading about volunteers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, giving similar kits to immigrants leaving detention in the freezing cold.

(RNS) — Beyond supporting families in distress, the group hopes to activate Christians, especially white or English-speaking evangelicals, to help immigrants as deportations have ramped up.

10/19/2026

In Texas, a 7-year-old agreed to voluntarily leave the country without a lawyer present to explain the legal consequences of the decision. In Arizona, an immigration judge ordered a 1-year-old baby appearing without a lawyer to file an asylum application, according to court filings. The baby's mother, a 17-year-old who is an unaccompanied minor herself, appeared with the child in court. Overall, unaccompanied minors went without legal representation in about 55 percent of nearly 50,000 immigration cases completed as of August this year, the highest percentage since 2019.

For years, the government has helped secure lawyers for minors who arrive at the southern border. But a contract dispute has forced many children to face immigration judges on their own.

10/19/2026

In late September, Giovanna Perez and her four kids drove from their home to Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas. She had a 9:30 a.m. appointment to pick up the ID cards that would allow them to access military medical insurance, facilities, and commissary stores. Her husband, Pedro Gutierrez, had recently enlisted in the Army and left a month earlier for basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia. Gutierrez is a U.S. citizen, but marriage does not give legal status to someone like Perez who is in the country without authorization. At her appointment, she learned that Navy personnel had reported her to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when the family arrived at the base. She now has an upcoming immigration court date and her future is more uncertain than ever.

When a soldier’s wife went to pick up her military ID at a base in Texas, ICE officers showed up.

10/19/2026

On Sunday, the Trump administration said that people from Ukraine and Sudan would be able to keep Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for now. TPS for both countries was set to expire today, but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the future of both programs would be "made at the appropriate time" and that people covered by them would be protected until then. DHS made a similar announcement for people from El Salvador last month. Typically, DHS announces an official extension or termination of a TPS designation. These unusual announcements from DHS have forced TPS recipients to live in limbo as they wait for more information about their long-term future. "The lack of clarity about the decision — including for how long TPS will last — creates incredible instability for TPS holders and the employers who rely on them," said Royce Murray, an assistant secretary at DHS during the Biden administration.

Temporary Protected Status for the two countries was set to expire on Monday. The Trump administration said an announcement would be made “at the appropriate time.”

10/19/2026

Migrants From Ukraine and Sudan to Keep TPS for Now, But Long-Term Status Left in Limbo

10/18/2026

It is important for all of us to seek justice on behalf of our immigrant neighbors. Let us be creative and courageous as we take action to uphold their dignity and protect their rights.

10/17/2026

Our toolkit provides immediate steps that communities can take to promote the safety and security of their members and to accompany and support immigrants threatened by detention or deportation.

10/17/2026

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10/17/2026

Since the beginning of the second Trump administration, many police chiefs across the country have been signing lucrative 287(g) agreements that deputize local police officers as deportation agents. Many police leaders have done so without approval from local elected officials — with some then finding themselves facing a wall of public resistance. The contracts have brought to city halls the national debate over the Trump administration's aggressive immigration patrols, with some residents expressing fears that the agreements could lead to their neighborhoods being the scenes of the next social media videos of masked agents using force. "Someone signs, then everyone else says: Wait, what did you just do?" said Alana Greer, an attorney in Florida who runs a group called the Community Justice Project.

They are getting funds in exchange for enforcing federal immigration laws — and an earful from locals.