Immigration and Migration

Religious leaders, migrant advocates and migrants gathered in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, for a news conference in which they denounced attacks on the right to asylum and pledged to continue supporting those who face long waits to seek asylum in the United States.

The Biden administration is reportedly weighing whether to reinstate a policy of detaining migrant families who cross the border without authorization, a practice President Joe Biden condemned and ended when he took office. Catholic immigration advocates have vocally opposed the policy as well.

The Biden administration Feb. 21 proposed its most restrictive border control measure to date, announcing it plans to issue a temporary rule blocking asylum-seekers who cross the border without authorization or who do not first apply for protections in other nations before coming to the United States.

Catholic organizations applauded the announcement of a new State Department program that allows groups of private individuals to directly support refugees resettling in the U.S.