Sean Casten

Military VOTE Act

in committee

DPA Workforce and Skilled Labor Needs Act of 2026

in committee

Energy Bills Relief Act

in committee

“Mr. CASTEN. Mr. Speaker. I missed Roll Call No. 167. Had I been present, I would have voted YES on Roll Call No. 167. ____________________”

2026-05-19 · Government Reform

“Mr. CASTEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the remarkable advocacy of Sister JoAnn Persch. For over four decades, Sister JoAnn has been on the ground helping migrants and asylum seekers in Chicagoland. Sister JoAnn, along with Sister Pat Murphy, opened Su Casa Catholic Worker House, a sanctuary for survivors of torture from Central America in 1990. Sister JoAnn, Sister Pat, and several Franciscan priests all lived and worked at Su Casa. The house welcomed its first family, a widower and his three children from Guatemala as they sought asylum in Canada. Throughout the 1990's, approximately 160 women, men, and children received temporary residence at Su Casa as they coped with trauma rooted in experiences of war, torture, and political persecution in their home countries in Central America. As the flow of refugees from Central America slowed, Su Casa grew in its service to single mothers who had survived domestic violence. Su Casa committed to one-year residencies for families rebuilding their lives after domestic violence and homelessness. Since 1996, over 350 people have called Su Casa home. The Su Casa Catholic Worker House continues to welcome three to six families at a time. The families live in community with residential volunteers who are committed to simplicity, freedom from violence, and love. Fueled by the horrific family separations at the Broadview Immigration Staging Center in 2007, Sister JoAnn and Sister Pat started weekly prayer vigils on Friday mornings at the facility. They were met with resistance from inside the facility but knew they had to keep fighting to get inside to pray with the detained migrants. With the help of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the two Sisters helped pass an Illinois law that mandates access to provide spiritual care for immigrants in detention. This led Sister JoAnn and Sister Pat to work with religious leaders to establish the Illinois Community of Displaced Immigrants, which helps migrants and asylum seekers with wrap-around services, including case management, transit assistance, and housing. To date, the organization has helped over 400 families. In 2022, Sister JoAnn and Sister Pat founded Catherine's Caring Cause. This organization helps asylum-seeking families pay rent and utilities for a year, offers food assistance, and provides connections to legal aid. The organization has set up eight apartments to house people in need in Chicago. Sister JoAnn continues her work on the front lines as well. She hosts weekly and Zoom prayer vigils at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement staging and processing center in Broadview. She also frequently visits families whom she has helped throughout the years. Our county greatly benefits from the incredible work Sister JoAnn does every day. Immigrants make our country better, and we're very fortunate to have heroes like Sister JoAnn fighting for human rights in our community. ____________________”

2025-09-15 · Immigration