Email from USCCB Justice for Immigrants Biweekly Review: March 31 - April 11, 2025 Updates and Resources The Potential Impact of Deportations on American Christian Families: A joint report by the USCCB and evangelical partners highlights that mass deportations could profoundly affect American Christian families, as one in twelve U.S. Christians, including one in five Catholics, are at risk or live with someone at risk of deportation. Read the full report and the USCCB’s press release about the report. Key findings: Over 10 million Christian immigrants in the United States are vulnerable to deportation, including those with temporary protections that could be withdrawn. 8% of all Christians (1 in 12 people) are impacted by deportations. Of those, 18% (1 in 5) are Catholic. Nearly 7 million U.S.-citizen Christians live in households with someone at risk of deportation. 80% of immigrants vulnerable to deportation identify as Christians, with 61% being Catholic and 13% identifying as evangelical Christians. The USCCB Plans to Withdraw from Government Programs: On April 7, the USCCB announced its decision not to renew the cooperative agreements with the federal government related to children’s services and refugee support. Citing the government’s cancellation of grants and the termination of the cooperative agreements related to resettling refugees, Archbishop Broglio explained how the government’s decisions have forced the Conference to reconsider the best way to serve the needs of those seeking safe harbor from violence and persecution. Read the USCCB’s press release about this decision and Archbishop Broglio's op-ed in the Washington Post. Introduction of Religious Workforce Protection Act: The USCCB urges Congress to pass the bipartisan Religious Workforce Protection Act, enabling foreign-born religious workers to continue their U.S. ministries amid visa backlogs. “We would not be able to serve our diverse flocks, which reflect the rich tapestry of our society overall, without the faithful men and women who come to serve through the Religious Worker Visa Program,” said Archbishop Broglio and Bishop Seitz in a letter to Congress this week. Read the USCCB’s press release, the full letter to Congress from Archbishop Broglio and Bishop Seitz, and an explainer on the bill. New Bilingual Resource: Immigration Registration A new informational resource is available from MRS Policy and Advocacy addressing immigrant registration, which the Trump Administration has announced it will begin fully enforcing after April 11. The resource is available in both English and Spanish. Catholic Organizations Express Support for Reauthorization of Anti-Trafficking Measure: The USCCB’s Committee on Migration recently joined with Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Relief Services, and the Catholic Health Association of the United States in expressing support for the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 1144), which was reintroduced in the House of Representatives last month. “As a Church committed to upholding the God-given dignity of every person,” stated the organizations in their letter, “we are grateful for Congress’ longstanding, bipartisan commitment to combatting the sin of human trafficking, both in the United States and around the world.” Read the joint letter. Pray with Us In this month's video, we highlight National Crime Victims' Rights Week in our series honoring Saint Josephine Bakhita: Missionaries of Hope In honor of this year's theme for the World Day of Migrants & Refugees, we will share hopeful articles and videos in each newsletter: "Missionaries of hope": Pope chooses theme for World Refugee Day 2025, Vatican News: Pope Francis has designated "Migrants, missionaries of hope" as the theme for the 2025 World Day of Migrants and Refugees.This event will be observed on October 4-5 during the Jubilee of Migrants and the Missionary World. Pennsylvania faith groups build altar at ICE office in protest of immigration arrests, National Catholic Register: Pennsylvania faith groups construct an altar outside an ICE office to protest immigration arrests, emphasizing moral opposition to policies. The church must risk all to support migrants, says Bishop Seitz, U.S. Catholic: Bishop Seitz asserts the church must risk everything to support migrants, following Jesus' call to serve the vulnerable. Jesus calls us to be heroes of hope, Angelus News: Archbishop Gomez encourages Catholics to be "heroes of hope," inspired by saints, during a seven-mile pilgrimage in Los Angeles. Catholics take a stand against Trump’s cruel anti-immigrant actions at the U.S. border, America Magazine: Bishop Seitz condemns Trump's immigration policies, urging the church to protect migrants despite potential persecution. Welcomer of the week: Heidi, a Maryknoll Lay Missioner and immigration attorney, shares her experiences living and working with migrants in El Paso, TX: Stay Connected As you can see, we're shortening and reformatting this newsletter. What did you like? What is missing? Please share your thoughts by replying to this message! 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