After receiving assistance from the Catholic Charities RGV Humanitarian Respite Center, migrant families from Mexico and Central America who have been granted asylum in the United States are processed for their transport to various destinations across the United States from the at the Central Station Bus Terminal on June 19, 2018, in McAllen, Texas. / Credit: Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 3, 2025 / 18:10 pm (CNA).
The Catholic Church’s service to migrants and refugees has come under scrutiny after Vice President JD Vance criticized the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in a televised interview as the administration continues to crack down on illegal immigration.
“I think that the [USCCB] needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognize that when they receive over $100 million [from the federal government] to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns or are they actually worried about their bottom line?” Vance asked rhetorically in a Jan. 26 interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Without directly referencing Vance, the USCCB issued a statement that same day defending its partnership with the federal government on resettling refugees, noting that the people they serve through the refugee resettlement program are “vetted and approved … by the federal government while outside of the United States.”
“In our agreements with the government, the USCCB receives funds to do this work; however, these funds are not sufficient to cover the entire cost of these programs,” the statement read. “Nonetheless, this remains a work of mercy and ministry of the Church.”
In light of this debate, here’s an explainer to shed light on the USCCB’s efforts to serve migrants and its partnership with the federal government.
How much taxpayer money does the USCCB receive?
In recent years, the USCCB has received more than $100 million annually from the federal government to support migration and refugee services.
A large portion of funding comes from grants through the federal U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) to help resettle refugees who have been vetted by the federal government. This is the program the bishops referenced in their statement.
The USCCB also gets federal funding through other programs. These include the Refugee and Entrant Assistance program, which is meant to support migrants and help them attain self-sufficiency. The bishops’ conference also receives federal money from the Unaccompanied Alien Children program, which is meant to support migrant children who enter the United States without a parent or guardian or are separated from their parents or guardians.
The amount of money the USCCB receives fluctuates from year to year and from administration to administration, but the conference has partnered with the federal government on the issue for four and a half decades.
According to the USCCB’s audited financial statements, federal funding covered more than 95% of what the conference spent on refugee and migrant programs in recent years. The USCCB has spent slightly more on these services than what is covered by federal funding, according to the financial statements.
In 2023, the most recent year reported, the USCCB spent more than $134.2 million on these services with federal grants covering more than $129.6 million of the spending. In 2022, the USCCB spent nearly $127.4 million after getting nearly $123 million from the government.
Federal funding in those two years was much higher than it was in President Joe Biden’s first year in office and throughout most of President Donald Trump’s first term.
The USCCB received just over $67.5 million in federal funds in 2021, about $47.8 million in 2020, slightly more than $52.7 million in 2019, and a little under $48.5 million in 2018. Each year, the conference spent about $5 million more than what was covered by the grants. During Trump’s first year in 2017, the grant funding was higher — at just over $72.3 million — and the USCCB spending on these services was more than $82.2 million.
During President Barack Obama’s tenure, federal grant funding for the USCCB’s programs that support refugees and migrants fluctuated from below $70 million to above $95 million.
Where does the money go?
The USCCB directs the bulk of its federal grant funding to affiliate organizations that provide migration and refugee services, such as Catholic Charities.
According to the USCCB Committee on Migration, the Catholic refugee resettlement network includes more than 65 affiliate offices throughout the United States. The bishops self-report that the USCCB and its Migration and Refugee Services help resettle about 18% of refugees who enter the country every year.
Numerous affiliates are located near the border with Mexico, where many people seeking legal refugee status cross into the United States. The committee’s website states, however, “there is no evidence or research to support the claim that … services provided by Catholic organizations incentivize unlawful migration.”
Some of the services provided through the funding include food, clothing, shelter, employment, and assistance in assimilating to their new community, including lessons in English as a second language. Some organizations also offer legal services to migrants to provide free assistance with legal issues related to immigration status and travel for refugees accepted into USRAP.
Apart from refugee resettlement, the USCCB also uses federal grants to assist unaccompanied refugee minors through work with its affiliates. This includes foster care services for migrant children and family reunification programs that work to reunite children who are separated from their families during migration.
The USCCB also operates several programs with the help of its affiliates that are intended to combat the human trafficking of migrants, which includes initiatives focused on preventing forced labor and sexual exploitation.
Although a significant portion of this work is supported by federal grants, the committee website emphasizes the USCCB “does not profit from its participation” in these programs, noting that the conference spends more money on these initiatives than it receives from the government. Both the USCCB and Catholic Charities are nonprofit organizations.
Policy disputes and federal funding
Enhancing border security and deporting immigrants who entered the country illegally are two of the top issues on which the newly inaugurated President Donald Trump focused his campaign and presidency.
Officials in the new administration have not only focused on changing federal immigration policy but have also criticized nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that provide migrant services, which include Catholic nonprofits affiliated with the USCCB.
One of Trump’s first-day executive orders was to suspend refugee admission through USRAP. The following week, the White House ordered the heads of federal departments and agencies to halt federal funding to NGOs that could be implicated by the executive orders.
Although it is still unclear to what extent this will affect funding for Catholic NGOs, Catholic Charities USA President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson issued a statement that urged the president to reconsider the freeze.
“The millions of Americans who rely on this life-giving support will suffer due to the unprecedented effort to freeze federal aid supporting these programs,” Robinson said. “The people who will lose access to crucial care are our neighbors and family members. They live in every corner of the country and represent all races, religions, and political affiliations.”
Patrick Raglow, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, told “EWTN News In Depth” on Friday that “our approach is to be present to those that come our way, so we are [supportive of] the individual that finds their way to Catholic Charities.”
Discover more from Scottish Catholic Guardian
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
