Statement from Catholic Charities USA on USCIS Public Charge Final Rule
Alexandria, Va. (August 12, 2019)–Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) is deeply concerned with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) final rule on public charge, scheduled for formal publication in the Federal Register on August 14, 2019.1 The rule will harm vulnerable immigrant communities and families by limiting access to social safety net programs and further impact them by removing access to basic needs services, diminishing public health & increasing the risk of death, and threatening family unity and stability, among other concerns.
We implore DHS to conduct additional consideration of the plethora of comments that are in opposition to this rule and rescind it in its entirety. We encourage the reconsideration of this rule to be completed in good-faith, focused on the reality of the actual harm described in the submitted comments and devoid of the harsh and divisive rhetoric used to support and justify this rule and similar policies.
Statement from Catholic Charities USA on immigration raids in Mississippi
Alexandria, Va. (August 12, 2019)–Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) voices its strong concern regarding the Jackson, Mississippi immigration raids that resulted in family separations and traumatized children. The raid occurred on the community’s first day of school, resulting in children arriving home fearful as to why their parents were not there to greet them. Reports describe chaotic scenes where children relied on neighbors and strangers to pick them up outside their homes to be dropped off at community center shelters. The depraved focus on immigration enforcement with scant consideration for the humane treatment of migrant families is chilling. We continue to encourage Congress and the Administration to respond with compassion towards our migrant brothers and sisters via Comprehensive Immigration Reform and humane immigration policies. Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Charities Jackson stand ready to serve the vulnerable populations of Mississippi, regardless of immigration status.