July 1, 2022

Inside this issue

• CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly
• Faith and the Common Good
• Trivia
• Connections

  CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly  
 
Overview: The tragic deaths of 53 migrants remain uppermost in our minds. We pray for the repose of their souls and the consolation of their families and friends in the resurrection of Christ. We also commit to continuing our efforts at welcoming newcomers and advocating for comprehensive immigration reform. We are grateful to Catholic Charities San Antonio for providing care and services to survivors.

A crucifix, before which a person prays silently, is seen at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Pheonix May 10, 2022. (CNS photo/courtesy Diocese of Phoenix)

The Supreme Court has released several decisions since the last Washington Weekly was published two weeks ago (an unforeseen interruption caused by staff illness). 

Last Friday, the Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade. Read CCUSA's response here which welcomed the decision by reiterating CCUSA's commitment to walk in solidarity with those who come to our doors, whether girls or women in crisis pregnancies or families facing social, economic or housing challenges. 

Yesterday, SCOTUS released two other decisions closely aligned to the Catholic Charities ministry: (1.) In West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, SCOTUS ruled that the EPA has limited authority to regulate carbon dioxide from power plants. The decision will make the Biden administration's efforts to address climate change more difficult. The U.S. bishops released a statement on the case that you can read here. (2.) In Biden et al. v. Texas et al., the justices rejected challenges to the Biden administration's decision to end the Migrant Protection Protocols, otherwise known as the "Remain in Mexico" policy instituted by the Trump administration. See more about the MPP decision in the "Biden v. Texas" paragraph below.

Child Nutrition: Last week, the president signed into law the "Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022" (S.2089), a bill that provides $943 million in funding for school nutrition programs and extends pandemic-era waivers that provide higher reimbursement rates for school meals and meals provided at child care centers.

Economy: In the week ending June 25, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial [unemployment] claims was 231,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 4,000 from 229,000 to 233,000.

Appropriations: The House Appropriations Committee approved the funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security's FY 2023 operations totaling $85.67 billion to invest in various DHS missions, including border security, cyber security infrastructure, FEMA disaster recovery efforts, as well as the administration of immigration laws. The House bill also proposes a provision to keep Title 42 in place 180 days after the COVID-19 emergency is terminated. The Senate Appropriations Committee still has to go through its funding allocation process, and it could decide to exclude the provision on Title 42 in their proposal. Currently, DHS is implementing Title 42 at the southern border in compliance with a court order. CCUSA joined in a letter with USCCB earlier this year to urge Congress to end Title 42 in a humane and orderly manner. 

Biden v. Texas: The Supreme Court decided that the Biden administration acted lawfully in reversing the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). Therefore, the administration does not have to detain all those who apply for asylum as their cases are pending. The case is now returned to a lower court to rule on whether the process by which the administration ended the policy violated administrative law. CCUSA, along with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., issued a statement welcoming the court's decision. You can read the statement here. Learn more about the Migrant Protection Protocols (or "Remain in Mexico" policy) here.
 
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  Faith and the Common Good  
 
For more than 100 years, the Catholic Charities ministry in the United States has provided essential services to immigrants and newcomers. The reason transcends particular time periods, exigencies or politics. Catholic Charities affirms the inherent, God-given dignity of immigrants and refugees, as well as every human person, and works to honor that dignity by helping those in need to live a healthy and fruitful life.

In the first decades of the 20th century, Catholic Charities served many immigrants and refugees from northern and western Europe, including Great Britain and Ireland, as well as from Italy in the south. Later, the U.S. experienced a wave of people coming from Latin America and the Philippines. CCUSA advocated for legislation and policies that protected these newcomers and Catholic Charities agencies provided housing, job training, and English classes, among other services.

The people who came have assimilated into the U.S. culture and added to the many strengths of our country. Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to say that the United States is a nation of immigrants, a phrase President John F. Kennedy used to title a book on immigration that he wrote.

Jesuit Father Brian Strassburger blesses a migrant at Mass in Reynosa, Mexico, May 24, 2022. The migrants attending the Mass were waiting at the U.S.-Mexico border for the United States to lift a health provision known as Title 42 and allow them to make asylum claims. (CNS photo/David Agren)

More recently, the source of migration has come increasingly from below our southern border, particularly the countries of the Northern Triangle: El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Many people fleeing these lands do so out of fear or economic necessity, not because they want to leave their homes. They are fleeing violence and corrupt governments, and they are looking to protect and provide for their families.

As in the previous century, Catholic Charities continues to serve immigrants and refugees, welcoming them as if they were Christ himself. In addition to the basic necessities of food and housing, Catholic Charities provides medical and dental services, services for victims of human trafficking, immigration and legal services, and family reunification services.

At the same time, CCUSA also continues to advocate for comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the United States and policies that seek to resolve issues in the countries people are fleeing. It's good to remember that people should have the right not only to emigrate but also to remain in their homeland, safe and secure from harm.

According to the 2021 CCUSA annual report, Catholic Charities assisted 608,000 individual migrants or refugees, including 12,000 Afghans resettled in 36 states. We have seen people coming from many other places, including Haiti, Ukraine, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and from some African countries, to name a few.
 
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  Trivia  
 
Q. What event with world-wide significance took place on July 1, twenty-five years ago?

Please send your answers to [email protected].

Last week's question and answer:

Q. Who is Juliana of Liege and what does she have to do with the feast of Corpus Christi?

A. Thanks to Mary O'Brien for being first with the correct answer: Juliana was a 13th century Belgian nun who had a devotion to Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament. She "devoted much of her life to preaching about the importance of the feast of Corpus Christi" and Eucharistic processions.
 
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  Connections  
 
Please share the weekly with your friends, family and networks so that we can build a movement of solidarity for those most in need!

Be sure to text "CCUSA" to #50457 to receive our action alerts! 

You can also access advocacy opportunities through our advocacy and policy page.

Stay connected with our work to end poverty: Follow us on Twitter: @CCharitiesUSA.   

If you would like to help further Catholic Charities' commitment to alleviating, reducing, and preventing poverty, you can contribute here.
 
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