World Refugee Day Webinar – No Safe Place? Refugee Protection

in a Fractured World

In honor of World Refugee Day, this virtual panel on June 18 at 2pm ET will explore the local, national, and international challenges facing refugee protection efforts.

Register here!

USCCB Press Release and Letter: U.S. Bishops Encourage Lawmakers to Protect Human Life and Dignity and Uphold the Common Good in Reconciliation Legislation

While the House of Representatives was able to pass its version of the massive budget reconciliation bill known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, the overall prospects for the bill, including its chances of becoming law, remain uncertain. As consideration of the bill moves to the Senate, where significant changes are expected to be made, Archbishop Broglio encouraged lawmakers to protect human life and dignity and uphold the common good. Read the USCCB's press release and the comprehensive letter several USCCB chairmen sent to Congress prior to the House vote, which asserted:

"Many provisions in this package also double down on an unsustainable enforcement-only approach to immigration, while unjustly placing immigrant and mixed-status families at a profound disadvantage. Among these are provisions that penalize families who go to painstaking lengths to comply with the law, including those fleeing persecution. We are also deeply concerned about the unprecedented levels of mandatory funding that would escalate enforcement far beyond the legitimate goals of promoting public safety and bringing to justice those who commit crimes. These provisions are contrary to the common good."

USCCB Press Release: Protecting Pregnant Mothers and their Children Can Never be Considered “Obsolete”

Bishop Mark Seitz, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, and Bishop Daniel Thomas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committe on Pro-Life Activities, issued a statement responding to the Trump Administration’s recent rescission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) guidance for addressing the heightened needs of pregnant and postpartum women and their newborn children while in CBP custody. They stated:

“The U.S. bishops have spoken plainly and clearly about the proven harms that immigration detention is known to inflict on families and especially on young children, opposing its use for these populations unless absolutely necessary. It is deeply troubling and inexcusable that measures intended to ensure the basic safety of pregnant mothers and their young children while in government custody could be rescinded with such indifference toward the vulnerability of those involved. . . .Let us be clear: protecting pregnant mothers and their children can never be considered ‘obsolete.’. . .We urge the Administration to reissue guidance that adequately reflects and affirms the increased standard of care due to this vulnerable population while in government custody.”

Read the Bishops' full statement in the USCCB's press release.

RCUSA Press Release: As Trump Administration Resettles Afrikaners, Refugee Council USA Calls for Restoration of U.S. Leadership as a Beacon of Freedom for all Eligible Refugees

Refugee Council USA, of which the USCCB is a participating member, urges the U.S. to restore its refugee resettlement program, emphasizing nondiscrimination and humanitarian values, and to support all vulnerable refugees, not just selected groups like Afrikaners. Read the press release.

"As the first group of Afrikaners who received refugee status arrived in the United States on Monday, Refugee Council USA (RCUSA) urges our national leaders to restore our nation’s commitment to resettle other vulnerable populations — regardless of where they come from, the color of their skin, or what faith they practice. RCUSA is deeply troubled that the Trump administration persists in its delayed compliance with multiple court orders to resume the life-saving refugee resettlement program and process the thousands of refugees who had been rigorously vetted and scheduled for travel to the U.S. as of January 20."

ICYMI – Resource Summarizes First 100 Days of the Second Trump Administration

MRS Policy and Advocacy published an informational resource detailing the migration-related actions taken by the Administration during the first 100 days of President Trump's second term.

Bishop Mark Seitz Statement on the Election of Pope Leo XIV:

Bishop Seitz reflects in a video statement on the election of Pope Leo. Watch the full video below:

"If you ask [Pope Leo], I think he would tell you he's from Latin America, because that's what a missionary is; he goes from his own place, and he becomes a part of that place, of that community...I feel pretty confident that he will be very supportive of my ministry here and my ministry nationally with the Committee on Migration. I know that he will be supportive of that."

Pray with Us

Please pray with us as we highlight the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Mariners and People of the Sea on May 22 in this series honoring Saint Josephine Bakhita. Here is the USCCB's press release for this day.

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:

• Bishops Encourage Young People to Lead the Way as “Catalysts of Hope” in Care for Our Common Home, USCCB: In a letter to young people written during the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, the bishops recognize the impact the climate crisis has on young people and applaud their strong witness for a better future.
• “You have the capacity to organize and create change that will endure for generations to come,” said Archbishop Borys Gudziak and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan

• 'We Need to Talk About People,' Commonweal Magazine: In this interview, Bishop Seitz reflects on Pope Francis’s powerful legacy on immigration, the Church’s cross-border efforts, the challenges of media influence, and the urgent moral responsibility to humanize migrants.
• “The Church, fundamentally, is not limited by borders.”
• “Once people realize that these policies affect their neighbor... we’ll see a changing of the tide in this country.”
• “We’re fighting for the soul of this nation, for the bedrock principles of this country.”

• Broglio: As Successor of Peter, Pope Confirms Us 'In Faith,' Calls Us 'Back to the Gospel,' OSV News: The USCCB's President Archbishop Broglio recalled childhood memories and emphasized Pope Leo XIV’s role in guiding the Church in truth, love, and unity, urging faithfulness amid worldly distractions and proclaiming the Gospel globally.
• "We are on a journey together. The gloom of this world will pass away. It is life with almighty God that we seek...On Earth, we are pilgrims and travelers. We realize we need a guide for our way home."

• Utah diocese’s Catholic refugee program gets helping hand from greater community, OSV News: After federal refugee funding ended, Catholic Community Services of Utah faced crisis, but over $1.5 million in community donations allowed them to continue aiding hundreds of refugee families and youth.
• "I want to assure the community that every donation that they give, it will be put to good use...People trust Catholic Community Services, and we will make sure that donations go to support the refugee families that are already here"

• God’s love is generous, not calculating, pope says at first audience, Catholic News Service: At his first general audience, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the parable of the sower as a symbol of God’s unconditional love and called for peace in Gaza and remembrance of Pope Francis:
• "We are used to calculating things -- and at times it is necessary -- but this does not apply in love"



• Pope Leo XIV Appoints Most Reverend Michael Pham as Bishop of San Diego, USCCB: From his bio:
• "Auxiliary Bishop Pham fled Vietnam as a 13-year-old refugee in 1980, accompanied by his older sister and a younger brother, arriving first at a refugee camp in Malaysia, before being sponsored a year later in 1981 by an American family and relocating to Blue Earth, MN."

• Pope Leo’s Style of American Leadership Is a Hopeful Opportunity, Time: Pope Leo XIV's pastoral identity, shaped by his missionary work in Peru, emphasizes service to the marginalized and offers a hopeful contrast to divisive political leadership.
• From Pope Leo's address to the diplomatic corps: “My own story is that of a citizen, the descendant of immigrants, who in turn chose to emigrate...All of us, in the course of our lives, can find ourselves healthy or sick, employed or unemployed, living in our native land or in a foreign country, yet our dignity always remains unchanged: it is the dignity of a creature willed and loved by God.”

Welcomer of the week:

Bishop Menjivar-Ayala shares his experience applying for political asylum in the US: "I was scared because...you are reporting yourself."

Bishop Menjivar-Ayala says the gospel invites us "to see in others the very face of Jesus" and the "great test" will be "I was a stranger, and did you welcome me?"

As you can see, we're reformatting this newsletter. What did you like? What is missing? Please share your thoughts by replying to this message!

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