USCCB Chairmen Welcome End of Ban Prohibiting Immigrants and Refugees from Certain Muslim Majority and African Countries Entering the United States

WASHINGTON—On January 20, 2021, President Biden issued a Proclamation reversing the Trump Administration’s policy prohibiting immigrants and refugees from several Muslim-majority and African countries. In response, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s (USCCB) Committee for Religious Liberty, and Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington and chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, issued the following statement:

“We welcome yesterday’s Proclamation, which will help ensure that those fleeing persecution and seeking refuge or seeking to reunify with family in the United States will not be turned away because of what country they are from or what religion they practice. This policy reversal signifies the United States’ renewed commitment to our vulnerable brothers and sisters around the world who are in need. It is important to remember that the United States has welcomed the newcomer and those suffering violence and religious persecution for more than 240 years. We look forward to working with this new Administration in accompanying immigrants and refugees and continuing the welcoming tradition, which has helped make the United States the diverse and prosperous nation it is today.”

For more information on the work of the USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services in assisting immigrants and refugees, please visit https://www.usccb.org/committees/migration/resettlement-services.

Please see the USCCB’s amicus curiae briefs on this issue, submitted to the Supreme Court of the United States in Trump v. International Refugee Assistance Project and Trump v. Hawaii.
 

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