Faith Leaders to Visit Immigrant Families at Dilley Detention

Media Advisory
March 20, 2015
Press contacts:
Miji Bell, LIRS, mbell@lirs.org, 410-230-2841
Norma Montenegro Flynn, nmontenegro@usccb.org, 202-541-3202
Faith Leaders to Visit Immigrant Families at Dilley Detention Center
When:
Friday, March 27, 2015
12:30 p.m. (CT) Press availability (following tour of facility)
Where:
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
114 East Frio St.
Dilley, Texas 78017
Who:
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio
Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, auxiliary bishop of Seattle, and chairman, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’
(USCCB) Committee on Migration
Bishop James A. Tamayo of Laredo, Texas, a consultant for USCCB Committee on Migration
Bishop H. Julian Gordy, Southeastern Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Chairperson of the
Conference of Bishops Immigration Ready Bench
Bishop Michael Rinehart, Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and
Member of the Board of Directors, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Moderator: Linda Hartke, President and CEO, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
What: This press conference will offer perspectives from faith leaders from the Catholic and Lutheran church
bodies who will tour the Dilley Family Detention Center on the morning of March 27, to visit with families – young
mothers with children – from Central America being detained there. The leaders will listen to their stories of the
journey north and their concerns and fears for the future. Last year, more than 68,000 families from Central
America fled violence in their home countries. Many are being detained in order to deter further migration,
causing them more trauma and emotional pain. These families can be released into alternative to detention
programs which provide them case management and community support, a more humane option. The faith
leaders will highlight these concerns and call upon the U.S. government to halt the practice of family detention.
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