Media Advisory March 20, 2015 Press contacts: Miji Bell, LIRS, [email protected], 410-230-2841 Norma Montenegro Flynn, [email protected], 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. ###