Statement from Archbishop Coakley about USCCB decision

Over the years we Catholics in Oklahoma have been privileged to help resettle thousands of migrants and refugees from around the world and have always seen this as an expression of our faith commitment and the Gospel mandate to care for the least of our brothers and sisters.

Though the federal government has suspended the cooperative agreement through which we were partners in this work, we will continue to seek ways to accompany and support these vulnerable brothers and sisters. I am grateful for all who have labored on their behalf for so many years, especially those who will lose their livelihoods as a result of these decisions.

Read the USCCB statement here: 

The Government’s decisions have forced USCCB to reconsider how to serve the needs of those seeking safe harbor from violence and persecution, says Archbishop Broglio

WASHINGTON – On April 7, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced its decision not to renew the cooperative agreements with the federal government related to children’s services and refugee support. Citing the government’s suspension of the cooperative agreements to resettle refugees, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the USCCB explained how the government’s decisions have forced the Conference to reconsider the best way to serve the needs of those seeking safe harbor from violence and persecution.

From its very founding, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has been concerned with helping families who are fleeing war, violence, and oppression find safe and secure homes. What would eventually become the USCCB was founded in 1917 as the National Catholic War Council to support the war effort and care for Catholics in the military. In 1920, it established a Bureau of Immigration to help displaced families find new opportunities in the United States. Many of us can trace our own parents, grandparents, or great grandparents to these very families.

Over the years, partnerships with the federal government helped expand lifesaving programs, benefiting our sisters and brothers from many parts of the world. All participants in these programs were welcomed by the U.S. government to come to the United States and underwent rigorous screening before their arrival. These are displaced souls who see in America a place of dreams and hope. Some assisted American efforts abroad at their own risk and more seek a place to worship and pray safely as they know God calls them. Our efforts were acts of pastoral care and charity, generously supported by the people of God when funds received from the government did not cover the full cost.

On April 7, the USCCB makes the heartbreaking announcement that we will not be renewing existing cooperative agreements with the federal government related to children’s services and refugee support. This difficult decision follows the suspension by the government of our cooperative agreements to resettle refugees. The decision to reduce these programs drastically forces us to reconsider the best way to serve the needs of our brothers and sisters seeking safe harbor from violence and persecution. 

As a national effort, we simply cannot sustain the work on our own at current levels or in current form. As USCCB cooperative agreements for refugee resettlement and children’s programs end, we will work to identify alternative means of support for the people the federal government has already admitted to these programs. We ask your prayers for the many staff and refugees impacted.

While this marks a painful end to a life-sustaining partnership with our government that has spanned decades across administrations of both political parties, it offers every Catholic an opportunity to search our hearts for new ways to assist. The USCCB will continue advocating for policy reforms that provide orderly, secure immigration processes, ensuring the safety of everyone in our communities. We remain steadfast in our commitment to advocating on behalf of men, women, and children suffering the scourge of human trafficking. 

For half a century, we have been willing partners in implementing the government’s refugee resettlement program. The Gospel’s call to do what we can for the least among us remains our guide. We ask you to join us in praying for God’s grace in finding new ways to bring hope where it is most needed.