Catholic bishops say they will no longer partner with US on refugee work and children's services
Migrants seeking asylum in the United States wait for humanitarian assistance and relief at Catholic Charities in McAllen, Texas, January 18. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, file)
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops announced Monday that the bishops would not seek to renew agreements with the federal government for refugee resettlement and children’s services.
The announcement comes after months of uncertainty about reimbursing Catholic agencies for their work with refugees, exacerbated in part by Vice President JD Vance’s allegation, in his first television interview as vice president in January, that the bishops’ true concern was for their “bottom line.”
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s suspension of the refugee resettlement program in late February, but at least a dozen local Catholic Charities agencies across the country have had to lay off hundreds of employees because the administration has not restarted payments.
