The Bishops Are Right to Sue the Federal Government over Refugee Resettlement

Talk about no good deed going unpunished. For 45 years, the Catholic Church in the United States has been helping the U.S. government resettle legally admitted refugees — not immigrants who have entered illegally — in this country. In fact, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and its subsidiaries and subrecipients (generally local branches of Catholic Charities) have assisted more than 930,000 refugees on the path to a new life of stability in America. That’s almost a million good deeds. And, for all that, the Trump administration halted refugee resettlement funding. The result: Catholic bishops took the rare and reluctant step of filing a lawsuit against the federal government.

Good for them.

What’s important to remember is that the Catholic Church and other nonprofit organizations have been doing this work under the 45-year-old, bipartisan Refugee Act of 1980. The act declared “that it is the historic policy of the United States to respond to the urgent needs of persons subject to persecution in their homelands, including, where appropriate, humanitarian assistance for their care.” The law specifically provides for monetary grants to private nonprofits and that “payments may be made for activities . . . in advance or by way of reimbursement.”

It should come as no surprise that the government partnered with the USCCB to serve refugee populations. The Catholic Church is the largest private provider of social services to men, women, and children in the United States. It simply made sense. Refugees who are acclimated into the country through programs supported by the Church are less likely to be dependent on the government and more likely to be self-sufficient — because they are offered a “hand up” rather than a “hand out.” A life of dignity and independence is the goal.

It also made good dollars and cents. The Church has always acted as a good steward; it is well known for its ability to stretch a dollar. In Maryland, for example, the average cost per student in public school classrooms is $19,820. In Catholic elementary/middle schools? The cost per student is less than half — $8,762. That same cost-effectiveness applies to ministry to migrants.

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