Nearly half of the world’s migrants are Christian
New research shows that nearly half of the world’s migrants are Christian
A new study by Pew Research Center found that approximately 47% of the 280 million migrants around the world identify as having a Christian faith. Mexico is the most common country that Christian migrants come from and the U.S. is their most common destination. Approximately 27% (37.5 million) of all Christian migrants are living in the U.S. Muslims make up about 29% of international migrants, followed by those who are not affiliated with a particular religion (13%), Hindus (5%), Buddhists (4%), and Jews (1%). However, Jewish migrants make up a much larger percentage of migrants than the world’s total Jewish population (0.2%).
The researchers also found in the groups analyzed in this study that migrants often go to countries where their religion is more commonly practiced. No matter their religion, “migrants often move from relatively poor or dangerous places to countries where they hope to find prosperity and safety.”
DHS watchdog found “urgent issue” with how ICE has handled the cases of unaccompanied children
The Department of Homeland Security’s internal watchdog group has reported that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) has lost track of more than 32,000 unaccompanied children (UAC) who have been released from its custody over the last 5 years. The report, obtained by ABC News, noted that these children did not appear for their immigration hearings and ICE agents were not able to account for their whereabouts. It also stated that as of May 2024 over 291,000 UACs have not been placed in removal proceedings because ICE has not sent them notices to appear or set court dates for them. Therefore, it is likely that the number of UACs who are unaccounted for is much larger than 32,000.
The report listed a number of challenges that ICE faces, including a lack of "adequate staffing, which can limit officers' time and ability to check the location or immigration case status of migrants,” and suggested that DHS officials "develop and implement an automated system to document court appearances and maintain address information of unaccompanied migrant children."
Written by Jenifer Wellman, our Advocacy Director at We Choose Welcome.
