WASHINGTON—The Most Reverend Joe S. Vásquez, Bishop of Austin and
Chair of the USCCB Committee on Migration, says that President Trump’s
latest Executive Order still puts vulnerable populations around the
world at risk. In a statement issued after the announcement of today’s
travel suspension, Bishop Vásquez says that while we seek to maintain
our values and safety, we must also exercise compassion in assisting and
continuing to welcome the stranger.

Bishop Vázquez’s full statement follows:

“We remain deeply troubled by the human consequences of the revised
executive order on refugee admissions and the travel ban. While we note
the Administration’s efforts to modify the Executive Order in light of
various legal concerns, the revised Order still leaves many innocent
lives at risk.

The removal of one of the original seven predominantly Muslim
countries temporarily barred from entering the United States is welcome,
but we are disappointed that the revised order maintains the temporary
shutdown of the U.S. refugee admissions program, continues the more than
60 percent reduction in the number of refugees who can be resettled
into the United States this year, and still temporarily bars nationals
from six predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States.

The U.S. Catholic Bishops have long recognized the importance of
ensuring public safety and would welcome reasonable and necessary steps
to accomplish that goal.

However, based on the knowledge that refugees are already subjected
to the most vigorous vetting process of anyone who enters the United
States, there is no merit to pausing the refugee resettlement program
while considering further improvement to that vetting process.

The United States has long provided leadership in resettling
refugees. We believe in assisting all those who are vulnerable and
fleeing persecution, regardless of their religion, including Christians,
Muslims, and all others. We believe that by helping to resettle the
most vulnerable, we are living out our Christian faith and “welcoming
the stranger” as Jesus has challenged us to do.

Today, more than 65 million people around the world are forcibly
displaced from their homes. Given this extraordinary level of suffering,
the U.S. Catholic Bishops reaffirm their support for, and efforts to
protect, all who flee persecution and violence, as just one part of the
perennial and global work of the Church in defense of vulnerable
persons. Resettling only 50,000 refugees a year, down from 110,000, does
not reflect the need, our compassion, and our capacity as a nation. We
have the ability to continue to assist the most vulnerable among us
without sacrificing our values as Americans or the safety and security
of our nation.”

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Keywords: Bishop Joe Vázquez, Executive Order, refugee admissions,
travel ban, U.S. refugee admissions program, justice for immigrants,
vetting process, refugee resettlement, Christian faith, welcoming the
stranger, U.S. security.

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Media Contact:

Judy Keane

202-541-3200

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops