Said Bishop Joe Vásquez of the Catholic Diocese of Austin, representing the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, “We reject the premise that persons who are merely suspected of being undocumented immigrants should be rounded up by state and local police agents.”

TMO leader Rev. Fred Clarkson, with the Network of Texas IAF Organizations, spoke in opposition to Senate Bill 4 which would punish so-called ‘sanctuary cities’ by withholding state funding and forcing law enforcement to act as immigration agents.

“This bill requires local police and sheriff’s deputies to enforce federal immigration laws as if their job of maintaining public order and the public safety weren’t difficult enough as it is,” said John Elford, senior pastor of University United Methodist Church and member of Austin Interfaith.

[In photo, Austin Catholic Bishop Joe Vasquez speaks, surrounded by religious leaders of the Network of Texas IAF Organizations.]

Texas Interfaith Leaders Take a Stand Against SB4, KXAN

Press Release, Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops

At a statewide convening of the Network of Texas IAF Organizations, leaders developed an agenda of issues to tackle in the upcoming legislative session.  The top two issues will be immigration (stopping anti-immigrant legislation) and the ACE Fund (promoting full funding for investments in long-term workforce development).  Several organizations plan on additionally tackling local control as it impacts local rental housing, property tax and bail reforms.

IAF Celebrates 40 Years Making Texas Better, El Paso Times [pdf]

Grassroots Grows Up, Texas Observer [pdf]

Ordinary People Acting Extraordinarily, San Antonio Express News [pdf]

Austin Interfaith, COPS and the Big Bang, Austin American Statesman [pdf]

Austin Interfaith Celebrates 30 Years of Building Power, Austin American Statesman [pdf]

De los Santos: My Life-Changing Work with Valley Interfaith, Rio Grande Guardian [pdf]

Organizacion Que Ayuda a la Comunidad Inmigrante en Texas Cumple 40 Anos y se  Marca Nuevos Objetivos, La Voz [pdf]

Interfaith Dialogue: Austin Group Celebrates 30 Years of Faith in Action, Catholic Spirit

TMO Focuses on ‘People Power’, Houston Chronicle

Faith Groups Joining in Larger Networks Celebrate 40 Years of Reducing Poverty in Texas, National Catholic Reporter

Grassroots Grows Up by the Texas Observer, Quorum Report

Noting that for “more than 40 years, the network’s organizing efforts have had a profound impact on the lives of countless families” and that it is “truly fitting that its exceptional achievements receive special recognition” the Texas Senate issued Proclamation No. 332 to “commend the Network of Texas Industrial Areas Foundation Organizations on its commitment to helping families, developing leadership, and promoting conversation on the issues facing our state.”

See below for proclamations from the US House of Representatives, Texas Senate, and City of Houston.

Statement of the Honorable Gene Green, US Congressional Record

Proclamation No. 332, Texas Senate

Proclamation, City of Houston

As the 40+ anniversary of the Texas IAF approaches, religious judicatories have begun congratulating the network for over four decades of leadership development and transformation.  Descriptions of the work of the network range from “virtuous” to “transformative” and “a force for change.”

Click below to read letters from:

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo,Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Bishop Daniel E. Flores, Diocese of Brownsville

Bishop Joe S. Vasquez, Diocese of Austin

Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly, Diocese of Dallas

Bishop Michael F. Olson, Diocese of Fort Worth

COPS / Metro Alliance, Austin Interfaith and Border Interfaith & EPISO are at the forefront of public sector living wage fights in San Antonio, Austin and El Paso.

After increasing the wages of the lowest paid workers for Alamo Colleges, COPS / Metro quickly turned its focus to wage increases for the lowest paid workers of Bexar County and the City of San Antonio.  Thanks to COPS / Metro’s hard work, both entities are expected to vote in support of increasing the wages of their lowest paid workers to $13 / hour in early September.  Leaders also expect that Bexar County Commissioners will vote to establish a wage floor of $9.50 / hour for contracted workers, boosting their bottom wage by $2.25 / hour.

In Austin, the local IAF organization helped form a Living Wage Stakeholder Group which recommended that the City of Austin increase their lowest wages to $13.03 / hour for adult full-time, part-time and temporary workers.  Austin Interfaith leaders are urging the council to adopt this proposal; council will vote on the proposed increase in early September.

In El Paso, leaders of Border Interfaith and EPISO succeeded in getting El Paso County Commissioners to increase the wages of their lowest paid workers by 50 cents to $10 / hour.  Commissioners have pledged to work with the organization to increase wages even higher over the next two years.  The City of El Paso has followed suit, raising the wages of their lowest paid to $10.35 / hour.

In Dallas, Skill QUEST — the long-term job training program created by Dallas Area Interfaith —  celebrated its 400th graduate.  Leaders are working to expand the impact of Skill QUEST by leveraging additional public sector dollars into the job training program.  Skill QUEST is one of six IAF labor market intermediaries working to train people out of poverty and into living wage careers.

[Photo Credit: Maria Luisa Cesar, Texas Observer]

Texas Cities Leading the Way on Living Wages, Texas Observer

Skill QUEST Curbs Dallas Poverty by Helping Workers Move Into New Careers, Dallas Morning News

Luckless at Capitol, Wage Advocates go Local, Texas Tribune

Following up on its $5 million win from the last legislative session in 2013, Texas IAF leaders succeeded in ensuring that the Adult Career Education (ACE) Grant program (and its $5 million in funding) stayed on the Texas budget.  This means that Texas IAF workforce development programs like Capital IDEA, Project ARRIBA, VIDA, Project QUEST, SkillsQuest and Capital IDEA-Houston can apply again for these funds, to expand the training they already offer.

Leaders from Texas IAF organizations across the state drove into Austin for the bi-annual legislative session to fight Senate bill 185, which would have outlawed sanctuary cities in Texas and threatened local efforts to build better relations between police and communities.  The intervention of Texas IAF leaders and allies succeeded in killing the bill.

In photo, Fr. Carlos Zuniga of Valley Interfaith and Rev. John Ogletree of TMO testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Border Security.

Texas IAF faith leaders across the state arrived at the Capitol to fight Senate Bill 185, which would outlaw sanctuary cities in Texas and threaten local efforts to build better relationships between police and communities.  Sponsored by State Senator Charles Perry, from Lubbock, the bill would prohibit cities from forbidding police to enforce immigration laws.

South Texas Groups to Oppose ‘Show Us Your Papers’ Legislation, Rio Grande Guardian

Religious Leaders Urge Senators to Protect Local Communities, Network of Texas IAF

Asserting that anyone under 18 should have an attorney and never be subjected to expedited processing, hundreds of bishops and clergy from every major religious denomination in Texas denounced proposed changes to the Trafficking Victims Act of 2008 and called on the White House for a better approach to the humanitarian crisis at the border.

In El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, Austin, Fort Worth and Dallas, religious leaders preached about the crisis at the border, organized relief efforts and held press conferences reminding the White House and Congress of the Judeo-Christian admonishment for nations to “not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner or the poor (Zechariah 7:10).”

Texas IAF organizations are spearheading an effort to ensure that the 2008 Trafficking Victims Protection Act not be weakened, that expedited deportations of children be halted and that religious congregations be granted access to attend to the spiritual needs of the children currently detained in detention facilities.  [In photo, El Paso Catholic Bishop Mark Seitz delivers joint statement.]

Border Interfaith & EPISO (El Paso):

KFOX14
Univisión El Paso
El Diario

COPS / Metro Alliance (San Antonio)

San Antonio Express News
Univisión San Antonio

TMO (Houston):

Houston Chronicle

Allied Communities of Tarrant (Fort Worth):

Fort Worth Star Telegram

Dallas Area Interfaith:

Dallas Morning News
WFAA
New York Times

Austin Interfaith:

KXAN
FOX 7 News
Time Warner Cable News
KEYE TV
Austin American Statesman
Telemundo Austin
Univisión Austin