School educates youth, lifts community in Haiti

A two-year commitment and $225,000 from Jesuit Refugee Service/USA is enabling a new preschool here to provide education, and nutritious meals, to more than 195 students.

A group of Catholic nuns from the Carmelitas de La Caridad de Vedruna order had been providing the service to 60 children, but with the help of JRS they’ve been able to expand the educational program. Classes were once held in the community chapel, but the new school just outside of the town center opened last September. In addition to the classroom block, a latrine was built, and a well for fresh water.

Fond Parisien is located only about one and a half hours from the Haitian capital of Port au Prince, and saw an influx of displaced families from the capital following the January 2010 earthquake.

“When we began thinking about this project we realized there was no preschool; schooling began here at the elementary level. They were forgetting about the most basic education. We saw a gap,” said Sr. Nuria, one of the school founders.

Read the full story on the Jesuit Refugee Service/USA website.

Police chief: immigration enforcement should be a Federal responsibility

Montgomery County Maryland Police Chief J. Thomas Manger talks about the conflicts that arise when local police are tasked with enforcing immigration laws.

Chief Manger spoke during a one-day conference, Crisis at our Borders: The Human Reality Behind the Immigration Debate.

Kino Border Initiative responds to migrants in need

Fr. Sean Carroll, S.J., the Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative discusses how the KBI responds to the needs of deported migrants, who are often deported far from family and friends, and who may have suffered physical or emotional trauma.

Fr. Carroll spoke during a one-day conference, Crisis at our Borders: The Human Reality Behind the Immigration Debate.

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About Jesuit Refugee Service

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Jesuit Refugee Service/USA videos now on iTunes

The Jesuit Refugee Service/USA Video Podcast is now live on iTunes! Several videos have been added, and more will be added in the coming weeks. Visit and subscribe to download videos to your iPhone, iPod Touch, iPod or other iTunes-compatible device.

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The JRS/USA Video Podcast page in iTunes.

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Video Podcasts from Jesuit Refugee Service/USA

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA videos are now available for your iPhone or iPod.

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Video: Benefits of comprehensive immigration reform

In this video, religious leaders from different faith traditions answer the question: How will comprehensive immigration reform benefit our country and our lives?

Produced by Megan Grove and Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Video: What is Comprehensive Immigration Reform?

In this video, religious leaders from different faith traditions answer the following three questions: What is comprehensive immigration reform? Why is comprehensive immigration reform important to people of faith? What scriptures provide guidance for welcoming the stranger?

Produced by Megan Grove and Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

'Second Battle' facing immigrant spouses of war heroes

Michael Ferschke, Jr. served honorably in the U.S. Marine Corps and gave his life for our country. His widow, Hota, now faces a new battle to live in the U.S., even though she is trying to honor Michael’s wish to raise their son in his hometown. Unfortunately, Hota’s story is not unique. Army Spc. Jack Barrios returned home still coping with emotional trauma from Iraq to discover that his wife, Francis, is facing deportation.

Second Battle tells the story of the Barrios and Ferschke families, who now find themselves fighting through the tangled web of immigration laws to stay together with their families after already suffering the stresses of deployment to Iraq. The video brings to light yet another way in which the nation’s broken immigration system does injustice to our nation’s fundamental values.