Email from USCCB "You are not alone." Justice for Immigrants Biweekly Review: October 27-November 7, 2025 Celebrating 20 years of JFI! "Wherever our brothers and sisters are, Jesus wants to be. And not only through me but through the representation and the faith and the kindness of every single person coming this morning, is Jesus coming to our brothers and sisters to let (those detained) know, ‘You are not alone,'" –Bishop Garcia-Maldonado, November 1, 2025  Updates and Resources NEW RESOURCE & WEBSITE – You Are Not Alone The first months of the Trump Administration have been marked by an increased focus on immigration enforcement and the removal of noncitizens from the United States, which is part of its strategy to carry out a promised 1 million deportations in the first year. Consequently, migrants in the U.S. face ongoing challenges related to the threat and fear of detention and deportation, family separation, social and economic vulnerability, and isolation and trauma that undermine family unity and community stability. In response to the growing fear and instability caused by increased immigration enforcement and the threat of mass deportations, the Catholic Church has launched the You Are Not Alone initiative to assure migrants and their families that the Church stands with them, offering pastoral support and accompaniment during this difficult time. “You Are Not Alone” is an initiative of the Catholic Church which provides a set of guidelines on the following themes: Emergency and Family Support Accompaniment and Pastoral Care Communications and Church Teaching Prayer and Public Witness Together, these resources will equip parishes to welcome and accompany immigrants in times of need. Please reflect on what kinds of support your diocese can provide affected communities and be sure to let us know what you are doing at [email protected]. NEW STATEMENT – “Refugee Resettlement Must Remain a Safe and Secure Legal Pathway, Says Bishop Seitz” Bishop Seitz’s remarks follow the Administration’s formal publication of the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2026, which allows up to 7,500 refugees to be resettled over the next year. This is the lowest ceiling since the program was created by Congress in 1980. "For over 45 years, the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program has been, and continues to be, a safe and secure legal pathway for people from around the world who meet the requirements for humanitarian protection. It is a vital mechanism through which our nation can exist as a beacon of hope for those facing persecution and promote respect for the sanctity of human life... With the Administration signaling a severely limited continuation of this historically bipartisan program, we urge due consideration for all those who have long awaited their opportunity for relief. We also pray for the broad, indefinite suspension of refugee admissions to be lifted, and we implore the President to make the program available to those truly in need." Read the full statement here. ICYMI – DACA Update As the DACA program remains the subject of litigation, a court order is expected soon that is expected to have a significant impact on the program and who can benefit from its protection, as well as related work authorization. Under this forthcoming order, residents of Texas are likely to be impacted in unique ways. A new explainer is available from the USCCB in both English and Spanish. ICYMI – Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic exhortation: Dilexi Te (I Have Loved You) Dilexi Te is an invitation to contemplate Christ’s love, that we may be inspired to become attentive to the suffering and needs of others, and to share in the work of liberation that flows from his love (no. 2). Dilexi Te is an exciting opportunity to be once again challenged and consoled by the call of Christ in the Gospel to love our neighbors. Pope Leo recognizes this work as “tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God” (no. 26). The USCCB’s Secretariat of Justice and Peace welcomes the exhortation from the Holy Father and offers new resources to help your community unpack its rich message. Resources include a webpage, a four-page reflection guide and a prayer card inspired by Dilexi Te. This page will be updated as more resources become available to help your community respond to the call of Dilexi Te. Access the resource here. ICYMI – One Church, One Family, Catholic Public Witness for Immigrants Catholics across the U.S. will join in a national day of public witness for our immigrant brothers and sisters on November 13, Mother Cabrini's feast day. Register public witness here. Missionaries of Hope In honor of this year's theme for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees we will share hopeful articles, homilies, and videos in each newsletter. Click here to read Pope Leo's message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. More immigrants are dying in ICE detention, America Magazine: Speaking on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in a statement emailed to America, spokesperson Chieko Noguchi said U.S. bishops “are of course concerned with any deaths in detention facilities and disturbed by the recent reports of the increase in the rates of death. The USCCB has repeatedly discouraged unnecessary detention in favor of more humane, community-based alternatives for nonviolent detainees,” she wrote. “At the very least, the USCCB insists that detainees are consistently provided with their basic needs including regular access to medical care, as well as pastoral and spiritual care, and religious services.” ICE again prevents Chicago Catholics from bringing Eucharist to immigrant detainees, National Catholic Register: "For the second time in less than a month, federal immigration officials have refused to allow Catholic leaders to administer Communion to immigrants held inside the Broadview ICE Detention Center near Chicago — even as more than 2,000 faithful gathered outside the facility on Saturday morning, Nov. 1, to pray, sing and demand access for clergy." ICE bars Chicago bishop from giving detained Catholics holy Communion on All Saints, OSV News: "After the Mass, Bishop Garcia-Maldonado, 46, told OSV News that there was consolation for those detained Catholics. 'Wherever our brothers and sisters are, Jesus wants to be. And not only through me but through the representation and the faith and the kindness of every single person coming this morning, is Jesus coming to our brothers and sisters to let (those detained) know, 'You are not alone,' he said." Texas Catholic bishops respond to court’s decision on status of DACA recipients in Texas, Texas State Catholic Conference: "A federal court decision is imminently expected to change nearly 90,000 Texans’ presence in our country from lawful to unlawful. This decision will impact virtually every community in Texas by removing the lawful presence for DACA recipients who live in Texas. We, the Catholic bishops of Texas, firmly resolve to respond with compassion and a call for justice for those who, through no fault of their own, are now being forced to abandon their homes, their livelihood and their communities... We want to say unequivocally to all our immigrant sisters and brothers, and in a particular way to those who arrived as children: We have heard your cries. We are with you in these difficult days." Pope answers questions about migrants, Venezuela, Rupnik trial, Catholic News Service: "'Jesus says very clearly that at the end of the world, we're going to be asked, you know, 'How did you receive the foreigner? Did you receive him and welcome him or not?' And I think that there's a deep reflection that needs to be made in terms of what's happening' with how immigrants in the United States are being treated today, the pope said." Pope: ‘Spiritual rights’ of migrant detainees must be respected, Vatican News: Pope Leo has called for “deep reflection” on the treatment of migrants in the United States. Speaking to journalists in Castel Gandolfo, just outside Rome, the Pope said that “many people who have lived for years and years” in the US, “never causing problems”, are “deeply affected” by the government's policy of mass deportations... 'I would certainly invite the authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs' of detained migrants, he said. 'Many times they've been separated from their families for a good amount of time. No one knows what's happening … but their own spiritual needs should be attended to.'” Welcomer of the week Bishop Tyson shares the story of Nico, a seminarian who was kidnapped in Guatemala: "He talked about how angry he was because he had to leave Guatemala to come to the United States in order to earn money to pay off the debt of the ransom. He felt like he lost everything, his friends, his family, his country." Bishop Tyson reflects on root causes of migration to the U.S.: "Many [immigrants] have immigrated to leave hard situations south of the border. Even in terms of my clergy and seminarians, I've have priests who've been extorted, priests who've lost loved ones due to the drug wars, families who have come north to escape violence."   Share & Stay Connected Visit the JFI website, follow us on X and Instagram, or email us! For more frequent news, sign up for CLINIC's daily updates.   USCCB | 3211 Fourth Street NE | Washington, DC 20017 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice