USCCB Migration Chairman Deeply Disappointed by Administration’s Decision to Terminate the Central American Minors Parole Program

August 21, 2017
By Ss. Peter & Paul

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
parole 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, who is currently in El Salvador, says that the elimination of
this program puts the lives of vulnerable children at risk for greater harm.

Bishop Vásquez’ full statement follows:

“My brother bishops and I are deeply
disappointed by the Administration’s decision to terminate the critical parole
option of the CAM program. In
terminating the parole option, the Administration has unnecessarily chosen to cut
off proven and safe alternatives to irregular and dangerous migration for
Central American children, including those previously approved for parole who
are awaiting travel in their home countries. Pope Francis has called on us to
protect migrant children, noting that “among migrants, children constitute the most
vulnerable group.” We supported the CAM
program, which included both refugee and parole options, precisely because it
provided a legal and organized way for children to migrate to the United States
and reunify with families. Terminating the parole program will neither promote
safety for these children nor help our government regulate migration.

In El Salvador, we have seen first-hand
the very real problems that these children face. The Church, with its global
presence, learns of this violence and persecution every day, in migrant
shelters and in repatriation centers. We know that children must be protected.
They must be given the ability to remain in their home countries and find
opportunities, but they must also be able to leave and migrate safely to find
protection when there are no alternatives. The CAM parole program offered part
of that solution – a legal way to migrate for the most vulnerable of children.”

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:
Norma Montenegro Flynn
202-541-3200

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops