USA: Bishop thanks Catholics for key role in record refugee resettlement

“Catholics across the country have been a visible sign of Christ’s love by accompanying refugees for decades,” pointed out Bishop Mark Seitz, chair of the Committee on Immigration of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), expressed his gratitude for the contributions of the Catholic community in resettling refugees in the country.

This week, President Joe Biden signed the FY 2025 Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissionssetting the limit at 125,000 people. In 2024, 100,000 refugees will be resettled, a figure that has not been reached since 1994, despite the progressive crisis of forced displacement worldwide, with more than 120 million people affected according to the UN.

Bishop Seitz, who also heads the Diocese of El Paso, Texas, located on the border with Mexico, highlighted that the joint effort of the Catholic community through the Department of Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) and local Catholic agencies Catholic Charities has been essential to this achievement, helping refugees successfully integrate into their new communities. The MRS is one of ten national agencies working in partnership with the federal government on the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).

“My brother bishops and I could not be more grateful for the witness of faithful Catholics throughout our country, who for many decades have committed themselves to accompanying refugees as a visible sign of the love of Christ in the world,” he declared.

Bishop Seitz, reflecting on the broader context of this work, highlighted: “Having marked, together with our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and the Universal Church, World Migrant and Refugee Day, what better time to give thanks? to God for the reciprocal blessings that these efforts generate? From the vital protection for refugee families to the economic renewal they offer to the communities that host them, this is part of what it means to ‘love your neighbor.'”

Furthermore, the bishop stressed the coherence of these efforts with the fundamental principles of the Church: “As we enter the Month of Respect for Life, we recognize this as one of the many ways in which the Church’s concern for the sanctity of life human life is manifested.”

Regarding current challenges, Bishop Seitz acknowledged that the achievement of resettling 100,000 refugees has not been easy. “Resettling 100,000 refugees is a significant achievement, given the historically low numbers we saw in 2021 and some of the challenges American communities face right now, including the national affordable housing shortage,” he said.

Likewise, the bishop expressed his appreciation for the government support: “We appreciate the efforts made by the Biden Administration in recent years to reaffirm and grow our nation’s proud tradition of welcoming refugees. “This would not have been possible without the bipartisan support of Congress, which has played a vital role in the success of the resettlement program since its inception.”

Finally, Bishop Seitz reiterated the continued commitment of the Catholic community in this humanitarian work: “Guided by the Gospel and faithful to our national values, the Catholic community in the United States will continue to do its part to carry forward this effort.”