In January 2026, Annika Hinze and Sarah Lockhart traveled to Miami for the Jesuit Migration Network (JMN) annual meeting of the US and Canada. The JMN brings together individuals from Jesuit-affiliated institutions who are working with migrants or migration-related issues. These include parishes, direct service providers, advocacy groups, and universities; about 35 people attended this year’s meeting. The annual gathering had four goals: (1) to learn about the realities of migration across the US and Canada and the ways the Jesuit network is responding to these realities; (2) to build relationships and network with colleagues from across the US and Canada; (3) to discuss ways to increase collaboration and continuity among Jesuit works in the region to enhance the Jesuit network’s response to the realities faced by migrants; and (4) to learn more about the migrant reality in South Florida.

The first day and a half of the meeting involved quick updates about migration realities on the ground, across the US and Canada, along with time to meet in “dimensional groups” to discuss current priorities and identify potential collaborations. The three dimensional groups were: (1) social-pastoral; (2) research and teaching; and (3) advocacy.

On day two, JMN members attended a Mass at Gesù Church, Miami’s oldest Catholic Church, and then processed with community members and local students to a vigil in front of immigration court in support of migrants. Afterwards, the group met with immigrants at the Gesù Hope Center, a new immigrant-serving project at the Church.

On the third day, the group visited the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, where participants learned about their model of “worker driven social responsibility” and the current challenges facing migrant workers in agriculture.

They also met with WeCount! about their new “Planting Justice” initiative, focused on improving working conditions in houseplant growing nurseries, where immigrant workers (many of whom are indigenous women from Central America) labor in extreme heat, without access to even basic rights like sufficient water breaks. The trip wrapped up with a presentation by Catholic Legal Services of the Archdiocese of Miami and a meeting with Archbishop Thomas Wenski of the Archdiocese of Miami. The group met with Archbishop Wenski, who earned his MA in Sociology from Fordham in 1993, at Notre Dame d’ Haiti, which adjoins the Pierre Toussaint Haitian Catholic Center. The center provides daycare, English classes, legal services, and job referrals to Haitian immigrants.