WASHINGTON—Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, Texas, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, expresses his opposition to the Administration’s decision to end refugee processing for individuals in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala who apply to enter the U.S. through the Central American Minors (CAM) program. Bishop Vasquez notes that the elimination of this program puts the lives of vulnerable children at risk for greater harm and represents a step backwards in the prevention of irregular migration.
Bishop Vásquez’s full statement follows:
“I am deeply disappointed by the Administration’s decision to terminate the entire CAM program. I have previously expressed disappointment when the parole option of the program was cancelled, and now disapprove all the more of the decision to eliminate the whole program. Especially troubling is the short cutoff date for accepting CAM applications, which is barely 24 hours advance notice to service providers. This decision of the Administration unnecessarily casts aside a proven and safe alternative to irregular and dangerous migration for Central American children.
Already, the end of the CAM parole program has caused heartbreaking family separation for families who have learned that their child has no safe means of arriving to the United States. The end of the overall CAM program will sadly perpetuate more of the same family breakdown.
Pope Francis has called on us to protect migrant children, noting that “among migrants, children constitute the most vulnerable group.” The CAM program, which included both refugee and parole options, should have been maintained precisely because it provided a legal and organized way for children to migrate to the United States and reunify with families. Terminating the entire CAM program will neither promote safety for these children nor help our government regulate migration.
We continue to pray and express our support for parents who endure anxiety and emotional hardship knowing their children will continue to languish in violence; and to the children themselves, who will not be able to reunite and embrace their parents.”