David Peinado Romero, Shutterstock.com
CV NEWS FEED // The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently released a statement rejecting claims that Catholic nonprofits on the U.S.-Mexico border support or facilitate illegal immigration, human trafficking, or child exploitation.
“Catholic doctrine distinguishes between persons and their actions,” the bishops wrote. “Each person— whether native-born or immigrant, documented or undocumented—is imbued by God with equal dignity. Catholics are compelled by Sacred Scripture and Church doctrine to recognize all as brothers and sisters and serve them accordingly.”
“At the same time,” the bishops added, “the Church works to alleviate the root causes of forced migration, such as war, persecution, and poverty, so that people can remain in their homelands.”
According to the National Catholic Register, “public officials in Texas and elsewhere have scrutinized Catholic nonprofit organizations about their activities to assist migrants entering the United States through the border with Mexico.”
The bishops stated that Catholic nonprofits on the border “cooperate” with local, state, and federal officials to help provide humanitarian aid, noting that several government agencies like Customs and Border Protection often rely on the nonprofits “for their expertise and as trusted partners within local communities.”
“Catholic organizations provide a range of spiritual, social, and legal services to newcomers throughout the country,” the bishops stated. “These programs are frequently designed to assist newcomers with navigating legal obligations placed upon them by the U.S. immigration system and to protect vulnerable persons from trafficking and other forms of exploitation.”
The bishops also addressed claims that the nonprofits are complicit in child exploitation, saying that the allegations are “completely antithetical” to the nonprofits’ true efforts, “which focus on decreasing opportunities for children to be exploited.”
“Catholic organizations do not decide if or when unaccompanied children are placed with a sponsor in the United States, but they do serve as a vital layer of defense against abuse by providing home studies prior to a potential placement and post-release services to children placed with a sponsor,” the bishops added.
The bishops also responded to claims that the Church is acting in a self-serving manner, taking advantage of its tax-exempt status, or “betraying the United States” by providing aid to immigrants.
“Anti-Catholic bias, political motivations, and misinformation have long undergirded these claims,” the bishops wrote. “Assisting newcomers, however, is one of the Corporal Works of Mercy and integral to Catholic identity.”
The bishops noted that the federal government does offer funding to support humanitarian aid efforts, which some Catholic organizations have applied for and received. They do not profit from the funds, as the money has stipulated and specific uses.
