VP Vance spars with US bishops over immigration
January 28, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: Asked by CBS News to comment on the US bishops’ statements on immigration, Vice President JD Vance said that “I think that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognize that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line?”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops responded:
Faithful to the teaching of Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church has a long history of serving refugees. In 1980, the bishops of the United States began partnering with the federal government to carry out this service when Congress created the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
Every person resettled through USRAP is vetted and approved for the program 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. Nonetheless, this remains a work of mercy and ministry of the Church.
Last summer, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published its audited financial statements for 2023. 53% ($129.6 million) of the USCCB’s operating revenue in 2023 came from government grants and contracts, all of which were for migration and refugee programs (pp. 4, 14). Likewise, 53% ($130.6 million) of the USCCB’s operating expenses in 2023 were devoted to migration and refugee services.
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