Immigration Reform Initiative Kicks Off

August 15, 2025
BVM Sisters

Director of Mission Engagement Patrick Maddux, Senior Director of Mission and Message Angie Connolly, Catholic Charities immigration attorney Ry Meyer, Director of Presentation Lantern Center Megan Ruiz, and Executive Director of Catholic Charities Tracy Morrison.

Sisters of Charity, BVM hosted an event in June to kick-off the BVM’s year-long Immigration Reform Initiative.

Carol Marie Baum, BVM opened the event with a message that called for speaking up and speaking out.

“There is a place for everyone to join in this year-long endeavor,” she says. “To find our voice for the voiceless, marginalized, and not seen in our country. There is hope because of each of you. Your voice is important.”

The impact of the immigrant experience, and the issues faced by many, were shared by speakers Megan Ruiz, executive director of Presentation Lantern Center, and Ry Meyer, an immigration attorney with Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Dubuque.

Megan and Ry spoke about their work with area immigrants and refugees.

In several South American countries, Megan shared that the crisis of food insecurity has reached astronomical level—$10 for a gallon of milk or $9 for a loaf of bread is not unheard of. The economic collapse of has forced many people to make the decision to leave their homelands.

The journey, most of it on foot, is often through treacherous terrain, including fast-moving rivers, mountains and dangerous animals. And that is just the beginning. Receiving asylum and authorization to work in the U.S. can take months or even years.

Megan and her staff at the Lantern Center assist immigrants and refugees with language tutoring and citizenship test preparation, as well as serving as advocates and supportive community members in helping them navigate the now near-impossible feat of citizenship.

*Presentation Lantern Center Executive Director Megan Ruiz at Sisters of Charity, BVM’s kick-off event for its Immigration Reform Campaign.*

“Imagine that you are vetted and approved for asylum,” Megan says. “You’ve got work authorization and get a job that provides a living wage. You begin to want to give back to your community. Doesn’t that sound like quite an upstanding citizen and someone we’d want to be our neighbor?”

But a May 30 court ruling changed the life of many area immigrants who were doing just that. More than 530,000 immigrants in the U.S. were affected by the ruling, which stripped them of their work authorizations. The court order made them instantly illegal.

“The rug was pulled out from under them,” she says. “They received notification that their case was closed, but not much else.”

Megan said people were never notified that they no longer had authorization to work.

“It’s pure cruelty and pure evil,” she says. “We know about 15 families locally who were affected by this.”

*Immigration attorney Ry Meyer, of Catholic Charities, explains just some of the obstacles facing immigrants who want to attain citizenship in the U.S.*

Ry offered his thanks to the BVMs for their support of Catholic Charities’ Immigration Legal Services Program.

“The program has really benefited from your guidance, your ongoing support, and your donations,” he says. “Our client’s needs are not met cheaply. You’re really a powerful force in this community.”

Ry spoke about the historic change in immigration issues.

“I believe that immigration is one of, or perhaps the biggest, civil rights question of our age” he says. “People are beginning to feel that they can’t live safely here. Whether it’s because of race or gender or sexuality issues or age, it seems we’re at a point where the temperature is rising, the tension is building, and the divisions are starting to show.”

Ry says being a voice for those who are often voiceless is important.

“One of the things that is important to me is being on the front lines where people really need help,” he says. “If you’re a U.S. citizen, you have a channel through which to make your voice heard. But immigrants? Not so much. The barriers are high, the laws are convoluted, and you really need an attorney to get a lot of that straightened out.”

The BVM Community recognizes that our country was established by the talents, skills, and contributions of generations of immigrants and migrants. The Immigration Reform Campaign is planning a year of events to support that rich history, to encourage changes in immigration policies, and to show solidarity with our immigrant and refugee brothers and sisters.

You can write letters or make phone calls supporting and encouraging changes in immigration policy to our elected government officials: