Biden Admin. Has ‘No Choice’ But to Tackle Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Says Attorney

Currents News Staff

In Texas, a tent facility to hold immigrant teenagers who cross the border without a parent has just reopened.

It’s been closed since 2019, after the Trump administration was criticized for the poor conditions there.

Just last week, U.S. border agents encountered more than 15,000 migrant children. Earlier this month, the White House Press Secretary pleaded with migrants not to come, saying “the vast majority of people will be turned away.”

The administration has its hands full right now trying to control the pandemic and vaccine distribution, but President Biden is trying to get his immigration bill passed, confirming on Feb. 22 that it’s scrapping the Trump administration changes to the U.S. citizenship test.

Immigration attorney Steve Maggi joined Currents News to speak on U.S. immigration, and what he wants to happen for clients.

Catholic School Students Band Together to Lift Spirits of Classmate Who Lost Family Members to COVID

By Jessica Easthope

Johnathan Zuluaga thought he was coming back to school at Our Lady of Sorrows to watch a talent show, but it was all part of a surprise plan: a brand new puppy for him, a mini labradoodle and Johnathan’s new best friend.

“My old dog passed away,” said Johnathan. “I didn’t have a pet and I was really lonely, so it’s really nice to have him here and take him home with me today.”

Opting to do virtual learning, Johnathan hadn’t been back to his 8th grade class in months. His chair and his sadness were front and center. The pandemic took his dad and grandmother from him and most recently, he lost the dog who was his best friend.

“It’s because of their effort that he’s here,” he said, “so I really thank them and appreciate it.”

For months, students, parents and teachers at Our Lady of Sorrows raised money hoping to bring a little happiness back into Johnathan’s life after so much loss.

But the surprise wasn’t only for Johnathan.

“We just said, ‘Hey, we have a student in need, never mentioned a name,’” said Principal Cristina Tancredi-Cruz. “We just said we’re going to raise money to make someone feel good.”

The kids got to work, waking up early every day to sell coffee and donuts at school. They raised more than $2,000 dollars never knowing who it was for.

“It just shows all the effort you put in to making them a better person,” said teacher Lisset Condo. “It just shows that it’s working. It’s paying off.”

Principal Cristina had a simple question.

“What would Jesus do?” she asked. “This is exactly what He would want us to do. This is what Catholic school is all about. It’s about paying it forward and asking for nothing in return. That’s exactly what our students did.”

But that’s not exactly right – the students did want something in return.

“I want to see him smile,” said two of Johnathan’s classmates, Dandy Naranjo and Juely Duran. “I don’t want to see him sad or be in that hole. I just want to see him smile.”

It’s a smile you can see even through his mask. And as for his new puppy, well he seemed happy too!

Johnathan’s mom Ysabel says lately, her son has been a shell of the fun-loving kid he is, but now she can breathe a sigh of relief.

“The important thing in this is that he feels that God is good,” Ysabel said. “Not everything is lost and not everything is bad.”

Johnathan doesn’t know what he wants to name his new puppy yet, but what he does know is that his new addition is the start of a new, happy chapter.

“It’s a special moment of happiness after six, nine months of sadness and worries,” Ysabel said. “I see him happy and hope comes back.”

Hope came back all because of a kind gesture. Now, the Zuluaga family is bringing hope home.

Washington Law Enforcement Testifies to Senate on Security Failures During Capitol Attack

Currents News Staff

The possibility of violence — that’s what law enforcement officials expected on January 6.

Instead police officers were attacked by an angry mob as insurrectionists stormed the capitol.

On Feb. 23, the heads of security testified at the scene of the crime about what went wrong on that deadly day.

Unaware, unprepared and overwhelmed is how those in charge of protecting Congress described the day.

“These criminals came prepared for war,” said former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund. “I look at this as an intelligence problem that impacted this event”

“We now know that we had the wrong plan,” said former House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving.

“We had planned for the possibility of violence, the possibility of some people being armed, not the possibility of a coordinated military-style attack involving thousands against the Capitol,” said Sund.

The Chief of the Capitol Police, who resigned after the riot, said the FBI had information that warned war may be waged on the Capitol, but that message never made it to leadership or the officers on the front lines, some of whom continue to suffer

“I received chemical burns to my face that still have not healed to this day,” U.S. Capitol Police Captain Carneysha Mendoza said.

Washington’s acting Metro Police Chief Robert Contee also pointed to the Defense Department for not quickly sending in the National Guard, saying, “the response was more focused on, in addition to the plan, the optics…I was just stunned. I have officers that were out there literally fighting for their lives”

In addition to the colossal communication breakdown, security officials said some police forces weren’t trained to handle the magnitude of violence and didn’t have the proper gear to respond.

“The focus going forward, needs to be on the efforts to improve intelligence and the coordination of security measures between all involved agencies,” said Sund.

‘Keep Us in Prayer’ Says Austin Pastor as Texans Face Aftermath of Winter Storm

Donations to assist families recovering from Winter Storm Uri can be made to Catholic Charities USA at www.CCUSA.online/weather.

Currents News Staff

Parishes in the thousands in Texas are still without power and drinking water. Churches have stepped up to help.

Joining Currents News with an update on how the storm has impacted his parish and the work he and others do in assisting immigrants at the Texas border is Father Bruce Nieli, pastor at St. Paul the Apostle in the Diocese of Austin.

As Iraq ICU Sees Wave of COVID Infections, Families Fight to Stay Together

Currents News Staff

Iraq is seeing another devastating wave of COVID infections, averaging more than 3,000 a day this past week.

While ICU units are filled, it seems many others are reluctant to seek hospital care.

The constant beeping of the machines is mind-numbing, but at least there is something rarely seen inside a COVID-19 intensive care unit: those struggling for each breath are not alone.

Amne Abdulridha’s weak laugh is muffled, as an inside joke is shared with the doctors about how her daughter, Naba’a, is constantly hovering over her.

The family went to a wedding, no masks, no social distancing — a decision they all bitterly regret.

“I also have COVID, but I’ve forgotten about it with the state my mother is in.” Naba told Currents News as her voice started to crack. “We filled the house with oxygen tanks, but it wasn’t enough. and then we brought her here.”

Amne is doing much better now.

The family of Wafa Riyadh, another patient, also tried to treat her using oxygen at home. They did not want to bring her to a hospital, not an uncommon occurrence in Iraq.

We asked, “Why do you think people are reluctant to come to the hospital initially?”

“Maybe because of culture, Iraqi culture,” Dr. Hassan Alaa, Chief Resident at the hospital, explained.

For some it’s a fear of being stigmatized, having caught a virus that has brought the world to its knees.

“There are people even now who say, ‘What is this corona,” Wafa’a daughter Niran explained. “They don’t believe the virus exists until it hits them.”

But, it’s also a misunderstanding that oxygen and vitamins are enough to treat the symptoms of the virus.

There’s also a lack of faith in Iraq’s health care systems, which have yet to fully recover from sanctions dating back to the Saddam Hussein-era and then non-stop war.

“But this is a very bad thing to keep patients in a home, at home, treatment at home,” Dr. Alaa said.

Iraq’s first COVID-19 wave devastated the country. Hospitals were overwhelmed.

One infectious diseases hospital in Baghdad that the government facilitated Currents News access to saw its patient numbers triple in the last two weeks.

On whether they’re ready for maximum capacity or more patients, Dr. Alaa had this to say:

“We have beds, we have doctors, we have nurses.”

But, they do not have a choice.

“Two months ago the virus was nearly deleted from all of Iraq,” Dr. Alaa explained. “So all the people leave face masks, leave sterilization, leave everything, neglected everything, neglect all protection.”

This makes him stressed and worried.

“Sure we are afraid for our family, ourselves from this new virus. But we should do what we can to the benefit for the patients,” he said.

By a new virus, Dr. Alaa means a new variant. Iraq’s ministry of health recently stated that 50% of the new infections are of the highly contagious B-117 variant first identified in the U.K.

The government only just made face masks mandatory and reimplemented stricter restrictions like nighttime and weekend curfews.

“It should have happened before, not now at the end,” Niran said of the government’s measures as her mother’s chest heaved with each labored breath.

She won’t leave her mom’s side — no matter the risk, no matter the circumstances, In Iraq, a country whose history has resulted in a distorted relationship with death, no one stays in a hospital alone.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday, 2/22/21

Despite a difficult year, many people are one step closer to becoming Catholic.

More vaccination sites open in the city as the country passes 500,000 deaths due to the disease.

Bishop DiMarzio is speaking out against sexual abuse allegations after a lawsuit is filed against him.

Power is being restored after winter storms in Texas – but some are seeing sky-rocketing energy bills.

Elderly Brooklyn Man Facing Winter Cold Says Gift of Free Boiler Replacement Is a Blessing

By Jessica Easthope

When the freezing winter air came creeping into Edgar Ballance’s home, he had nowhere to turn.

“I called my brother up and told him to come light the heater in the basement. The flame went out and he came here checking it out and when he left I couldn’t get it on. You press something at the top but I couldn’t get it on,” Edgar told Currents News.

Edgar asked someone to look at his boiler that was 40-years-old, but he felt like he was being scammed.

“He said the boiler’s too old or something, I told him that I had it running but it’s not running now. He acted like he didn’t care,” Edgar explained.

Edgar doesn’t know exactly how long he sat in his home, before his luck changed.

“One of my supervisors went out and he found the man to be in real dire need. It was very cold, freezing in his home, he had been for several weeks without heat or hot water,” said Anthony Vigilante, the CEO of Vigilante Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning.

When one of his technicians was called out to Edgar’s home by a neighbor, he came back shaken.

“He had six sweaters on. IIt was sad to see someone living that way, and we felt it was the right thing to do unto others and help this man get his heat back on,” Anthony said.

It would have cost more than $12,000 to replace Edgar’s boiler and hot water heater. Knowing how desperately he needed it, Vigilante did it for free. The equipment was installed the next day.

“I thank God for that, it was a blessing, and I felt real good, believe me. And I still feel the same way. I can’t even express it,” said Edgar. “If I was a millionaire, I’d show them my appreciation. It meant more to me than the whole world.”

It might come as a surprise, but Anthony says in his line of work, faith comes into play every day.

“Jesus is an example, I’ll never be anywhere near it, but I always try to do as much as I can to follow in His footsteps and do things the way He would do,” he said.

Edgar says he prays every day for protection.

“You see that little cross in the hallway on the steps? Every time I walk out I put my hand on that and ask God to take me and bring me safely and I pray for other people too,” he said. “And when I come home I say, ‘Wow it did me some good.'”

And when Edgar needed it most, his prayers were answered.

Despite the Pandemic, Rite of Election Marked a Big Step in the Faith Journey of Hundreds

By Emily Drooby and Paula Katinas

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Jasmin Zuniga, a student at Rachel Carson High School, Coney Island, wants to own her own hairstyling business someday. She also wants to become a Catholic. The latter dream is now within her grasp.

“I’m very excited. It’s something I’ve been working for,” she said.

Jasmine was one of the hundreds of people, called catechumens, who are enrolled in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) in the Diocese of Brooklyn and have been busy studying in their local parishes to be baptized into the Catholic Church.

On Feb. 21, Jasmine and her fellow catechumens took part in the Rite of Election, where Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio officially accepted them.

The Rite of Election is a time-honored ritual marking the church’s election, or choice, of catechumens who have been judged to be fit and ready to take part in the next and all-important step — receiving the sacraments.

This year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the catechumens showed remarkable dedication to their goal, officials said. Bishop DiMarzio marveled at the determination of the students who faithfully kept up with their studies, despite the raging pandemic.

“They’re stormtroopers in a sense,” he said. “They have taken a lot of time and effort. These people really wanted to have their baptism.”

Most RCIA classes were conducted on Zoom this year, according to Father Joseph Gibino, vicar for evangelization and catechesis for the diocese. Father Gibino said RCIA coordinators at parishes went above and beyond the call of duty.

“We Catholics are a very creative people and sometimes we forget that. It takes a whole team of parish spiritual leaders to nurture the candidates along.”

The catechumens will be baptized at the Easter Vigil in their home parishes on Holy Saturday, April 3.

The Rite of Election kicks off a period of intense spiritual preparation as the catechumens get ready to take the major step in their lives.

Catechumens are people who were never baptized into any Christian faith but wish to receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. There is another group of people, called candidates, who have been baptized into the Catholic Church or were baptized into another Christian faith and are now seeking full communion with the Catholic Church.

Jasmine is a catechumen on track to be baptized at Holy Cross Church in Flatbush.

“I can’t wait. This means so much to me,” she said excitedly as she awaited the start of the Rite of Election ceremony at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on Sunday.

It’s not as if religion has been absent from her life all these years. “I would go to church with my mom and her friend,” she said. But joining the Catholic Church is important to her so that she can receive the Eucharist. “I’m very excited to receive the body of God,” she said.

Becoming a Catholic is to “know that they’re taking care of you from on high,” she said.

The Rite of Election was markedly different this year.

The ceremony at which Bishop DiMarzio presided was one of four held in the diocese on the same day. Auxiliary Bishop Neil Tiedemann led the ceremony at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto presided over the event at the Immaculate Conception Center. There was also a ceremony at Queen of Martyrs Church, presided over by Auxiliary Bishop Paul Sanchez.

“We had to do it this way this year to make sure we could socially distance. We had to be creative,” Father Gibino said.

Normally, the catechumens gather together for the Rite of Election, and the bishop personally greets each.

Normally, there are more than 1,000 catechumens and candidates, but this year, there were 252 catechumens, according to the diocese. The number of candidates — baptized Catholic but never received the other sacraments and now wish to do so — is 285. Besides, 22 people were baptized into non-Catholic Christian churches and are now converting to Catholicism.

During the ceremony, the catechumens’ names were contained in a book that Father Gibino presented to the bishop. “They have found strength in God’s grace,” Father Gibino said.

There are all sorts of ways people come to the Catholic Church. For Cory Mendenhall, a catechumen at St. Patrick’s Church, Bay Ridge, it was the artwork in churches that drew him in.

“I used to come to church and look up at the beautiful stained glass windows and statues and wonder who made those?” he said.

The beauty of the church’s art unveiled in Mendenhall a desire to learn more about the church and its traditions: “It kind of led me eventually to the church.”

Mendenhall, who is in the U.S. Coast Guard and has been stationed at various sports around the country, entered an RCIA program two years ago in San Francisco.

“It’s been a long journey for me,” he said.

He is happy to be completing his journey of faith at St. Patrick’s.

“It’s a wonderful parish, and we have a great RCIA leader who makes us feel comfortable and that we can ask anything,” he said.

Bishop DiMarzio told the catechumens and candidates that they are reaching a turning point in their lives.

“You will follow God’s will for the rest of your life,” he said.

Airplane Debris Falls Over Denver Neighborhoods Following United Flight’s Engine Failure

Currents News Staff

A Honolulu, Hawaii bound flight was forced to make a return landing after an engine failure on Feb. 20.

Debris from United Airlines flight 328 is now scattered around the greater Denver, Colorado area.

“There was a giant black cloud of smoke high up in the sky immediately followed by, you know, what looked like pieces of the aircraft really just coming off,” Kieran Cain, an eyewitness, told Currents News.

The craft suffered engine failure shortly after take-off from Denver International Airport.

“A lot of people said they heard that really loud explosion and it startled a lot of people, and then they started seeing basically what they thought was a plane falling from the sky,” explained, Rachel Welt, Broomfield Police PIO.

The plane returned to the airport about 20 minutes after the failure.

According to United, none of the passengers or crew members on the plane suffered any injuries.

There’s also no reports of injuries from the fallen debris.

“This park on a day like today, when it’s not as cold as it was last weekend, we could have hundreds of people here,” said Welt. “And the fact that we are still not getting reports of any injuries is absolutely shocking at this point. It’s amazing.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.

Investigation Underway, 777s Grounded Following United Airlines Flight’s Engine Failure

Currents News Staff

An investigation is now underway into the cause of a shocking mid-air engine failure aboard a United Airlines flight over the weekend.

Boeing is recommending suspending some 777s from service over safety concerns after a terrifying flight for passengers aboard United 328 on Feb. 20.

Travis Loock, a passenger onboard the flight, described it as “the kind of sound you don’t want to hear when you’re on an airplane”

The Boeing 777’s engine caught fire in mid-air, 20 minutes into the Denver-to-Honolulu flight.

“I grabbed up my rosary, I was scared,” passenger Brenda Dohn told Currents News.

Thousands of feet below, debris rained down on Colorado neighborhoods as the flight returned to Denver International Airport

“The stuff started showering down on the neighborhood,” Kieran Cain, an eyewitness, explained.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board says a preliminary investigation shows two fan blades in the plane’s Pratt and Whitney pw4-0-7-7 engine were fractured, and the remaining blades also showed signs of damage.

Although the findings are not yet conclusive, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency order stepping up inspections, as United Airlines grounded 24 777s equipped with the same engines.

Experts say this is drawing attention to an overlooked problem following similar incidents in recent years.

“We have been playing Russian Roulette with this problem for years now, and it’s finally catching up with us. It’s time to do something about it,” said Alan Armstrong, a pilot and aviation attorney.