Annual Appeal 2024

Grateful for Family

As Ellis Walker, a naturalized citizen from Jamaica, was packing his bags for Iraq for his 2nd deployment with the U.S. Army, he took a moment to send this family photo and a note thanking Catholic Migration Services for all we have done for him and his family.

Our Naturalization team helped Ellis become a U.S. citizen. He joined the military to serve his new country but between deployments, his mother Lucinda and 2-year-old brother Owen were facing deportation. Ellis did not know if his family would be there to welcome him home when he returned from his tour of duty, and worried about the danger they would encounter if they were forced to return to Jamaica. So, he once again turned to Catholic Migration Services for help.

With advocacy from our Removal Defense team, the Immigration Judge granted a motion to terminate Lucinda and Owen’s deportations. Now Lucinda can lawfully remain with all of her children in the U.S. and both Lucinda and Owen now have a pathway to U.S. citizenship. Because Lucinda and Owen are not allowed to reside on the military base with Ellis, they have been staying in a shelter. Due to our advocacy, Lucinda and Owen avoided eviction from the shelter during a critical time when Owen was recovering from surgery.

This holiday season, the family is grateful to gather for a videocall with Ellis, who is serving his country knowing that his family is together and safe at home in the United States.

This Giving Tuesday, please make a donation to support our urgent work helping families like the Walkers who turn to us for help. Catholic Migration Services is a 501(c)3 registered charitable not-for-profit, so any financial contributions are tax-deductible.

“Welcoming the stranger” is a tenet of many faiths that celebrates the practice of hospitality and charity to newcomers, and has been the guiding principle of Catholic Migration Services for over fifty years. Throughout changes to the political landscape, Catholic Migration Services continues to honor this message through our dedication to serving low-income and immigrant New Yorkers.

This giving season, we are sharing the stories of just a few of the thousands of people who turn to Catholic Migration Services for help, including:

  • Servicemen like Ellis, whose mother and little brother were facing deportation as he prepared for deployment with the U.S. Army,
  • Youth like Julian, who was abandoned by his parents and unable to attend school, instead having to work in unsafe conditions in Colombia,
  • Workers like Anselmo, whose employer was not paying him and threatened him when he complained, and
  • Elderly tenants like Lionel, who was fighting eviction from his home of over 20 years as he battled cancer.

In these uncertain times, immigrant communities will increasingly rely on Catholic Migration Services. Please help us meet this need by giving generously this holiday season.

Make your tax-deductible donation today here.