The National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

The National Advocacy Center (NAC) of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd focuses primarily on issues around economic justice, immigration and human trafficking; it also considers root causes including racism, environmental degradation and violence. For 2023, program accomplishments included, primarily, an ongoing joint campaign with the Alliance to End Human Trafficking focused on the intersection of human trafficking and forced migration, as immigrants constitute more than 70% of the human trafficking victims in the U.S. AEHT and NAC began an 18-month journey of listening, analysis and action to address this nexus. NAC and AEHT held a briefing with other policy experts and identified three legislative solutions to promote. The three bills would: address root causes that lead people to migrate, assist unaccompanied children navigating the immigration system, and ease the process for asylum seekers looking for work. NAC and AEHT then co-organized an educational webinar on the findings. In addition, Alliance and NAC leadership lobbied Capitol Hill on the intersection. NAC continued its advocacy efforts focused on: food / economic security (protecting the WIC and SNAP programs, and urging a return of a more robust Child Tax Credit), a Faithful Budget that meets human needs, the Debt Ceiling, Equal Pay, and Special Drawing Rights for developing nations saddled by debt and other crises. In addition, NAC worked with coalition partners to prevent resumption of the Asylum Ban, and reject Border Wall funding. NAC assisted in holding back H.R. 2, Secure the Border Act, from full passage and succeeded in the redesignation and extension of Temporary Protected Status for vulnerable immigrants. NAC also called for (Immigrant) Family Reunification and the lifting of Title 42. Finally, NAC advocated for additional priorities of Good Shepherd agencies, celebrating the FY2023 Omnibus Bill that included important wins for Mental Health supports, and lifting up the success of Good Shepherd Services NYs Community Violence Interrupter Program.