Catholic Diocese Tucson

12 CATHOLIC OUTLOOK DECEMBER 2019 By RHINA GUIDOS Catholic News Service BALTIMORE — In a wide-ranging report on immigration Nov. 12, US bishops heard a grim landscape facing immigrants and refugees trying to find shelter in the US. tThey also heard of the wide network of Catho- lic organizations trying to help, even as they, too, face challenges. Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, president-elect of the US Conference of Catho- lic Bishops, spoke of how the reduction in the number of refugees allowed into the US had led to the closing of 18 Catholic Charities programs around the country that had been serving refugees for over 40 years. That’s because the cap on how many refugees are allowed to enter the US keeps being cut by the Trump administration. The administration approved just 18,000 refu- gees to be admitted for fiscal year 2020, when the average number allowed under other admin- istrations, Republican and Democrat, was about 95,000, Archbishop Gomez said. “What is going on here is truly a great reduc- tion in our commitment to refugees,” Arch- bishop Gomez said. “What is concerning is that we are cutting these numbers at a time when the need is greatest.” The report focused on refugee resettlement, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Temporary Protected Status and the humanitarian crisis at the southern border with Mexico - pro- grams widely backed by the body of bishops, financially and through policy efforts. “We remain extremely concerned about this sit- uation and our nation’s commitment to providing safety and refuge for those facing life-threatening persecution along with the reduction in refugees,” Archbishop Gomez said. “We also face an execu- tive order there that allows state and city officials to turn away refugees from their communities.” It’s creating “a confusing patchwork across the country,” where some localities welcome refugees and others refuse them, Archbishop Gomez said. Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, pro- vided an update about policies at the US-Mexico border and their implications on human life and dignity. He said this year saw one of the highest volumes of apprehensions at the border. “There certainly have been years where more people have attempted to come across the US border,” he said, but “the proportion of vulnerable children and families migrating were unusually higher. Our Catholic charities and dioceses have been assisting families at the border by providing humanitarian respite and care and have been widely recognized for this work.” The administration has responded to the high number of arrivals with policies that greatly cur- tail their chances of getting in, namely the Mi- gration Protection Protocols, known popularly as the “Remain in Mexico” policy that requires almost all individuals seeking asylum in the US to wait in Mexico while they have their immi- gration claim reviewed, Bishop Vasquez said. “While this policy may seem reasonable, in theory, the practical impact of the policy is that asylum-seekers, including many families, must wait in very dangerous and unsafe conditions for long periods of time in order to exercise their legal rights,” he added. CNS photo by Bob Roller Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president-elect of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, and outgo- ing president, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, embrace during the fall general assembly of the USCCB in Baltimore Nov. 13. Bishops listen to grim landscape of policy on the immigration front It’s creating “a confusing patchwork across the country,” where some localities welcome refugees and others refuse them, Archbishop Gomez said.