Refugee program in the US is a “work of mercy” say bishops

The United States Catholic Bishop Conference (USCCB) argued on Sunday that its refugee program, which has been operating for a long time, is a “work of mercy”, after vice president JD Vance criticized the Positions of bishops on immigration issues.

Vance made these statements during an interview, Sunday, January 26with Margaret Brennan in the program Face the Nation de CBS News.

Brennan asked Vance, who is Catholic, about the criticism of the USCCB last week to the various directives of the Trump administration on immigration, specifically the termination by the government of the policy that restricted the arrests by immigration in “sensitive places “Like the churches.

Vance replied that “as a practical Catholic” was “disconsolate” by the criticisms of the bishops.

“And I think (USCCB) needs to look a little in the mirror and recognize that when they receive more than $ 100 million to help reassure illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian issues?” Vance said. “Or are they really worried about their results? We will enforce the immigration law. We are going to protect the American people, ”he added.

When asked if he believed that US bishops are “actively hiding the criminals of the forces of order,” Vance argued that the USCCB “has not been a good partner in the sensible application of the immigration laws for which the American people, and I hope, again, as a devout Catholic, to do it better. ”

Brennan also asked Vance about the reduction of refugee admissions in the United States by the Trump administration. Vance replied that not all refugees have been “properly examined.”

“In fact, we know that there are cases of people who were supposedly investigated properly and then literally planned terrorist attacks in our country,” Vance argued. “So, clearly, not all of these foreign citizens have been properly investigated,” he added.

Bishops: the refugee program is a “Church Ministry”

The USCCB argued on Sunday that its own work with refugees is part of a “long history” of Catholic defense in favor of vulnerable migrants.

“In 1980, US bishops began to associate with the federal government to carry out this service when Congress created the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP),” The bishops said in a statementthat Vance did not mention.

“All people resettled through USRAP are examined and approved for the Federal Government program while they are outside the United States,” they said.

“In our agreements with the government, the USCB receives funds to carry out this work; However, these funds are not enough to cover the total cost of these programs, ”added the bishops.

“However, this remains a work of mercy and a ministry of the Church,” they said.

Although the American bishops praised some of Trump’s directives last week, as his order that affirms the “biological reality of sex”, the president of the USCCB, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, said in a statement last week he disagreed with other orders of the White House, such as immigration directives and the withdrawal of the White House of the Climate Agreement of the Paris Agreement.

These orders “are deeply worrisome and will have negative consequences, many of which will harm the most vulnerable among us,” Broglio argued.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.