Email from USCCB Happy World Refugee Day! Justice for Immigrants Biweekly Review: June 9-20, 2025 Happy World Refugee Day! Updates and Resources   NEW STATEMENT – Archbishop Broglio reflects on the surge in immigration enforcement actions “As your shepherds, your fear echoes in our hearts and we make your pain our own. Count on the commitment of all of us to stand with you in this challenging hour,” said the USCCB President Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio. Read the full statement: In English En Español NEW STATEMENT – World Refugee Day 2025: A Call to Compassion, Welcome, and Witness “Solidarity with refugees and migrants is not optional; it’s a living testimony of the Gospel,” said Bishop Mark J. Seitz. On World Refugee Day, the Catholic Church stands in prayerful solidarity with refugees around the globe to recognize and honor the courage, resilience, and dignity of those forced to flee their homes. Click here to read the full statement. Click here to use the toolkit. NEW RESOURCE – Refugee Resettlement & the Catholic Church For decades, the USCCB has worked with and supported Catholic dioceses and communities across the country with well-established expertise in “welcoming, protecting, promoting, and integrating” newcomers, consistent with the Gospel, Catholic social teaching, and applicable laws. Click here to read the explainer. ICYMI – Action Alert: Urge Senators to Address Unjust Immigration Provisions in the Reconciliation Bill Ask your senators to remain consistent in protecting human life and dignity and promoting the common good by addressing these harmful provisions before moving the reconciliation bill forward. Click here to send or share the action alert. Pray with Us Please pray with us as we highlight the World Day Against Child Labor in this series honoring Saint Josephine Bakhita. Felicitas Brugo Onetti, MRS' Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, traveled to Ogdensburg, NY and Harrisburg, PA to raise awareness about human trafficking. Read about her listening session in Ogdensburg and her presentation in Harrisburg. Missionaries of Hope In honor of this year's theme for the World Day of Migrants & Refugees, we will share hopeful articles, homilies, and videos in each newsletter: Cardinal Cupich's homily in Chicago at the archdiocese’s celebration of Pope Leo XIV: "Humanity is diminished whenever the unborn or the undocumented, the unemployed or the unhealthy, are excluded, uninvited or unwelcome, or whenever we tell ourselves they are of no concern to us." Archbishop Gomez: Why we need a new conversation on immigration, Angelus News: "We should reform legal immigration policies to ensure that our nation has the skilled workers it needs while continuing our historic commitment to uniting families through our immigration policy. We should restore our moral commitments to providing asylum and protective status to genuine refugees and endangered populations. Finally, and most importantly, we should find a way to offer legal status to those who have been in our country for many years, beginning with the Dreamers." Archbishop Lori’s Homily: Mass for the Preservation of Peace & Justice: "Recent immigration raids have left many families shaken, not because they were hiding wrongdoing, but because the enforcement actions were carried out in ways that provoked fear and anxiety among ordinary, hard-working immigrants – our neighbors, our parishioners, our friends. While governments have the right to enforce laws, they must do so with humanity and prudence. It is never necessary to instill fear in order to ensure order. The peace we are called to build cannot be reconciled with tactics that sow division and dread in our communities." Archbishop Weisenburger: Immigrants are–and always have been–the lifeblood of America, America Magazine: "Any legitimate starting point for a new approach to immigration policy must begin by recognizing the humanity of the immigrant. A just, effective and authentically American immigration system will entail an orderly and fair pathway to legal status for those who have long contributed to our communities. It will ensure the protection and unity of families. Finally, it will balance a true respect for the sovereignty of nations with the moral obligation to care for the stranger in our midst." Archbishop Wenski: 'One Big Beautiful Bill’ harms more than it helps, Miami Herald: "Rather than spend billions on mass deportation efforts targeting people who are already contributing positively to our nation, it would be both more financially prudent and morally just to halt enforcement-only policies and expand legal pathways to permanent status for non-criminal immigrants." CLINIC Condemns Escalation of Mass Deportation Tactics: "We Should Not Be Afraid of Our Neighbors." "'We should not be afraid of our neighbors and friends,' said Bishop Jaime Soto, Chair of CLINIC's Board of Directors and Bishop of Sacramento. 'Mass deportation threatens neighborhoods and families. This is not who we have pledged to be as one nation under God with liberty and justice for all. Catholic social teaching affirms that our common human dignity is found in the social bonds that makes us good neighbors and good friends, regardless of legal status. These actions disrupt the rhythm of commerce, schooling, and prayer in many neighborhoods. It tears at the fabric of families, businesses, and churches. We must remain resolute in fostering the social bonds that make us thrive together as brothers and sisters, children of the one God who loves us all.'" Seeing Christ in the Immigrant: The Michigan Catholic Conference created a new resource with educational materials on the Church's teachings on migration and the role migrants play in the Church. Communicate hope with gentleness, Catholic Review: 1. Disarm communication and purify it of aggressiveness 2. Tell stories of hope 3. Care for your heart Pope Leo XIV encourages young people to be ‘beacons of hope’ at Chicago event, Catholic News Agency: "I’d like to conclude this brief message to all of you with an invitation to be, indeed, that light of hope. 'Hope does not disappoint,' Saint Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans (5,5). When I see each and every one of you, when I see how people gather together to celebrate their faith, I discover myself how much hope there is in the world." Read the full address here, and watch it below: Welcomer of the week: Bishop Menjivar-Ayala describes why he left El Salvador and applied for asylum in the US: "I was a catechist in El Salvador, which was an added reason to fear staying there...many catechists got killed" due to religious persecution. Bishop Menjivar-Ayala describes the need for immigration reform and affirms that "the presence of people from all over the world is a blessing for our nation."   Share & Stay Connected Click here to retweet Archbishop Broglio's statement. Click here to share it to your story on Instagram. Click here to retweet the USCCB's World Refugee Day Statement. Click here to share it to your story on Instagram. Visit the JFI website, follow us on X and Instagram, or email us!   USCCB | 3211 Fourth Street NE | Washington, DC 20017 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice