WASHINGTON—Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, Texas, chair
of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, expresses
his opposition to the Administration’s decision to end refugee processing for
individuals in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala who apply to enter the U.S.
through the Central American Minors (CAM) program. Bishop Vasquez notes that
the elimination of this program puts the lives of vulnerable children at risk
for greater harm and represents a step backwards in the prevention of irregular
migration.

Bishop Vásquez’s full statement follows:

“I am deeply disappointed by the Administration’s
decision to terminate the entire CAM program. I have previously expressed disappointment when the parole option of the
program was cancelled, and now disapprove all the more of the decision to
eliminate the whole program. Especially troubling is the short cutoff date for
accepting CAM applications, which is barely 24 hours advance notice to service
providers. This decision of the Administration unnecessarily casts aside a proven
and safe alternative to irregular and dangerous migration for Central American
children.

Already, the end of the CAM parole program has caused
heartbreaking family separation for families who have learned that their child
has no safe means of arriving to the United States. The end of the overall CAM
program will sadly perpetuate more of the same family breakdown.

Pope Francis has called on us to protect migrant
children, noting that ‘among migrants, children constitute the most vulnerable
group.’ The CAM program, which included both refugee and parole options, should
have been maintained precisely because it provided a legal and organized way
for children to migrate to the United States and reunify with families.
Terminating the entire CAM program will neither promote safety for these
children nor help our government regulate migration.

We continue to pray
and express our support for parents who endure anxiety and emotional hardship
knowing their children will continue to languish in violence; and to the
children themselves, who will not be able to reunite and embrace their
parents.”

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Keywords: U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Bishop Joe S. Vásquez, Committee on Migration, MRS,
Central American Minors program, CAM, violence, persecution, migrants, migrant
children, parole program, migration.

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Media Contact:
Judy Keane
202-541-3200

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops