Email from USCCB "I will keep defending immigrants" Justice for Immigrants Biweekly Review: May 9-22, 2026  "The enforcement of immigration laws cannot truly advance the common good without reasonable conditions that ensure respect for the God-given dignity of each person, inherent in which is the exercise of certain fundamental rights.”  –Archbishop Paul Coakley & Bishop Brendan J. Cahill Updates and Resources NEW LETTER – Letter to Congress on Fiscal Year 2026 Reconciliation Bill On May 15, 2026, Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the USCCB, and Bishop Brendan Cahill, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, urged Republicans and Democrats alike to reject partisan appropriations funding in response to an ongoing effort to provide regular, annual appropriations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection through the reconciliation process. This effort marks the first time in history that Congress is abandoning the standard appropriations process to provide a federal agency’s ordinary yearly funding through reconciliation. The bishops referenced the USCCB’s earlier calls for reasonable conditions that align immigration enforcement more closely with the moral order. “Rather than pursuing such measures through a bipartisan process,” they said, “Congress now risks setting a concerning precedent—one in which furthering the common good is undermined for the sake of political expediency.” Read the letter here. ICYMI – USCCB and CLINIC Defend Already Limited Access to Work Authorization for Asylum Seekers Together with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), the USCCB submitted a regulatory comment opposing the Trump Administration’s proposal to further limit asylum seekers’ ability to receive employment authorization while awaiting the adjudication of their claims. Not only would the proposal extend the general waiting period from 180 days to 365 days before those with pending asylum applications can request and receive work authorization, the proposed regulatory changes would result in an immediate and indefinite suspension of initial employment authorization requests for asylum seekers, based on the government’s current processing time for those applications. The USCCB and CLINIC cited among their concerns the coercive pressure this would exert on asylum seekers to abandon legitimate claims in order to sustain themselves and their families, contrary to domestic and international law, as well as the increased potential for asylum seekers to become victims of labor trafficking. Read the comment here. ICYMI – Urge Your Representative to Support Anti-Trafficking Legislation At the beginning of the 119th Congress, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 1144) was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. In April 2025, the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration joined with national partners in calling on the House to pass H.R. 1144. This bipartisan measure now has the potential to reach the House floor in the coming weeks. Send a message to your representative in support of the bill here. ICYMI – Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act In a letter to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions leadership, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, Chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, Chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, urged passage of the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act (S. 2241 / H.R. 4307). They praised the measure’s bipartisan sponsorship and said the bill would strengthen the U.S. Department of Labor’s role in identifying and stopping human trafficking—especially of children. Pointing to the Church’s own ministry to survivors, they called for "eradicating the sin of human trafficking” that undermines God-given dignity. Read the letter here. ICYMI – Catholic Current America 250: Immigration In this episode of Catholic Current, historians Maria Mazzenga and Julia G. Young, both of the Catholic University of America, reflect on the different immigrant communities who have made the Catholic Church in this country what it is today. This conversation is part of a series highlighting the significant contributions of Catholics to the United States as we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary. Watch the video here. ONGOING INITIATIVE – You Are Not Alone Please reflect on what kinds of support your diocese can provide affected communities and reach out with questions to [email protected]. Check out our flier for the initiative: English; Spanish. Please share widely and help others learn about it. We are also collecting information on ministry accessibility in detention centers and on events and initiatives occurring in dioceses that are aimed at supporting migrants and their families. If you have relevant experience or information, please share it in this form. Missionaries of Hope In honor of the 2025 theme for World Day of Migrants and Refugees, "Migrants, Missionaries of Hope," here are recent hopeful articles, homilies, and videos. The 2026 theme is "Even just one of these children," a reference to Matthew 18:5, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me." Archbishop Coakley Expresses Sorrow and Prayerful Solidarity With Muslim Community Following San Diego Islamic Center Shooting, USCCB: “On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I extend our profound sorrow and prayerful solidarity following the tragic shooting at the San Diego Islamic Center. We stand with Chief Imam Taha Hassane, the entire Muslim community, and all who mourn in the wake of this senseless violence, affirming our shared commitment to the dignity of every human life and the rejection of hatred in all its forms. In moments such as these, we are reminded of the call to be instruments of peace; as Pope Leo XIV has said, ‘Where violence wounds the human family, compassion and unity must be our steadfast reply.’ May God console the grieving, strengthen the injured, and guide us all toward greater understanding, justice, and peace.” On immigration, Americans must examine their conscience: Catholic tradition can help, National Catholic Reporter: "Inspired by these values, Pope Leo XIV and the American Catholic bishops have sharply criticized the vilification of immigrants and the practice of family separation associated with the mass deportation and detention policies undertaken in the name of the rule of law by the Trump Administration. Drawing on the law of love, our aim is to apply the demands of truth, dignity and justice to an examination of conscience, which is a time-honored Catholic practice to evaluate moral action. Surely, the arguments we make here may resonate more with Catholics. We also hope what we say will appeal to all believers and nonbelievers alike." What is Freedom of Religion? Public Discourse: "A second example concerns the current administration’s increased buildup of detention centers for undocumented immigrants, together with the denial of ministers’ and priests’ access to such centers for the religious and sacramental care of those detained. The recent bishops’ report notes the confusion occasioned by such an arbitrary and voluntaristic approach: In the absence of long overdue reform of the U.S. immigration system by policymakers, religious organizations addressing people’s spiritual and corporal needs without discriminating on the basis of immigration status become convenient scapegoats. Meanwhile, these very organizations which have been essential in encouraging the successful integration of immigrants, helping combat their exploitation, and in the process supporting the development of American communities, somehow become the ones accused of acting against the national interest." Regular pastoral visits resume at ICE facility near Chicago after judge’s order, OSV News: "Clergy and religious have begun ministering daily to those being held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in suburban Chicago — for now — after almost a year of trying to have regular visits. The Chicago-based Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership called the pastoral visits “unprecedented” in its May 19 announcement about a court-ordered agreement being carried out." ‘I will keep defending immigrants’: new bishop, who was smuggled into the US as a teen, joins pope’s resistance to Trump, The Guardian: “'The church bases its teaching, its social doctrine, on the Holy Scriptures and the Gospel. The defense of immigrants’ rights is … grounded in the Gospel and the Holy Scriptures. The prophets denounce the mistreatment of the poor, foreigners, widows and orphans,'” he said. Quoting the Bible, he went on: 'In Matthew 25, Jesus identifies himself precisely with the poor, with prisoners, and with immigrants, and then says ‘Whatever you did for one of these least ones, you did for me.’ I won’t stop talking about what matters to people today because I am committed to everyone. I’ll keep talking about things that have to do with people’s reality. I’ll keep standing up for immigrants, I’ll keep fighting to ensure they’re treated fairly, humanely and with compassion.'” Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala talks Pope Leo, migrants and bluegrass music, Washington Post: "My approach defending human dignity will not change because that is embedded in the social Catholic teaching. So that is essential in our faith. But my focus will change in the sense that I need to see the realities of the people there. … There are great opportunities in West Virginia, but of course many people live under poverty. … Immigration will be important because it’s part of who I am as well, it’s part of my personal story. But I’ll have to open wide my ears and eyes to the needs of the people." Migration Viewed by Religious Preference, The Tablet: "Because migration is such a complex social phenomenon, people of goodwill can have diverse opinions. Some argue prudential judgments are needed to address complex social issues. Prudential judgments, however, need to be based on facts that enjoy general support. That has been my task in these articles — to present fact-based information on this complex social issue that confronts our nation... As informed Catholics and citizens of our great nation, our first duty is to know what the issues are, and, secondly, to do whatever is possible to influence positive outcomes that conform to our faith’s understanding of the many social issues of our day." Welcomer of the Week Bishop Menjivar-Ayala describes his calling to become a priest: "There was a moment when I said 'I have to do something about my vocation' and it was great to find all the support I needed... The process was long but I had great support from the Archdiocese of Washington." Bishop Menjivar-Ayala shares his experience applying for political asylum in the US: "I was scared because...you are reporting yourself... Obviously that creates a little bit of fear, of anxiety." 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 20017-1194 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice