Features
ICE enforcement impacts immigrant priests, seminarians and religious in the US
Written by Kate Scanlon
The badge of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official is seen in this illustration photo. (OSV News photo/Lucy Nicholson, Reuters)
WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Immigrant priests, seminarians and religious in the U.S. are among those impacted by immigration enforcement policy, advocates and analysts told OSV News.
Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of the Diocese of Yakima in central Washington wrote in a recent newsletter that several seminarians in the diocese were among them, including one who was born in the U.S. but left to be with his parents, who had self-deported to Mexico.
In an interview with OSV News, Bishop Tyson said many of the priests and seminarians in his diocese come from immigrant backgrounds.
“I know how hard it is to keep my priests and my seminarians in status,” he said. “I can only imagine what it’s like for parishioners who don’t have a fleet of lawyers.”
Joint report found many vulnerable to deportation are Christians
Bishop Tyson cited a joint report released earlier this year by the National Association of Evangelicals, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops‘ Migration and Refugee Services, the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and World Relief, which found many of those vulnerable to deportation themselves — or those who have a family member vulnerable to deportation — are Christians.
More than 10 million Christians living in the U.S. would be vulnerable to deportation under Trump administration policies implemented in 2025, the report said. Christians account for approximately 80% of all those at risk of deportation, it added, and the Christians most at risk of deportation were Catholics, 61% of the total. The report found one in six Catholics (18%) are either vulnerable to deportation or live with someone who is.
In the Diocese of Yakima, the bishop said, that number is probably higher.
Priests and religious “are in a challenging situation”
J. Kevin Appleby, senior fellow for policy at the Center for Migration Studies in New York and former director of migration policy for the USCCB, told OSV News, “I think priests and religious from other nations are in a challenging situation, caught between looking after their flock here and perhaps also being a target of enforcement, even if they have legal status.”
“They can play an important role, however, in ministering to immigrants and their families, as they have a shared experience with them and understand the fear they are feeling,” Appleby said. “When push comes to shove — and loyal to their ministry — they will stand with their immigrant brothers and sisters and be a great asset to the church in the U.S. at this troubling time.”
The National Study of Catholic Priests — released in 2022 by The Catholic University of America’s Catholic Project — indicated 24% of priests serving in the U.S. are foreign-born, but the study didn’t record visa or green card status.
Of these priests, 15% were ordained outside the U.S., while others are foreign-born priests who came to the U.S. as seminarians, were ordained in the U.S. and are also subject to visa renewals, it said.
The consequence of immigration enforcement to the maximum degree, Bishop Tyson said, would mean “we have parishes without priests immediately.”
Bipartisan legislation may ease religious worker immigration restrictions
The U.S. bishops have offered their support to bipartisan congressional legislation that would ease some immigration restrictions on religious workers from other countries. The legislation, titled the Religious Workforce Protection Act, would permit religious workers already in the U.S. on temporary R-1 status with pending EB-4 applications to stay in the U.S. while waiting for permanent residency.
An April letter from the USCCB to lawmakers about the Religious Workforce Protection Act said, “Simply put, an increasing number of American families will be unable to practice the basic tenets of their faith if this situation is not addressed soon. Likewise, hospitals will go without chaplains, schools will go without teachers, and seminaries will go without instructors.”
Catholic groups are among those urging the Trump administration to address the backlog in the R-1 visa category.
Bishop Tyson said that legislation would help ease some of the challenges presented by ensuring his priests’ legal status remains in good order.
“Foreign-born religious workers play a vital role in serving immigrant communities in the U.S., often providing services in the languages people know best and offering a sense of home and support,” Miguel Naranjo, director of religious immigration services at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, commonly known as CLINIC, told OSV News.
“With the end of the protected locations policy, we have seen growing fear in immigrant communities about ICE presence in houses of worship — and even greater risks to the religious workers themselves,” Naranjo said. “Many now carry proof of status at all times, aware of the heightened enforcement climate. Immigrants are increasingly afraid to leave home, attend services, or risk being separated from their families. Yet, despite these challenges, foreign-born religious workers remain steadfast. Their courage and commitment to their ministry have only deepened, knowing their role in serving immigrant communities is more critical than ever.”
Pope Leo XIV’s recent comments for bishops’ unified voice
Asked about Pope Leo XIV‘s recent comments calling on the U.S. bishops to speak with a unified voice on migration issues, Bishop Tyson said, “I think we’ve got to somehow find a way of reclaiming the pulpit, because I think there’s voices outside the bishops’ conference that are very loud on this, and we have Catholics in public life that teach things that are incorrect about the human person.”
“I think that’s kind of where we the bishops really have to figure out how we’re going to work with the social media landscape, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram — the plethora of people that launch things and tend to minimize the weight of our teachings in general on Catholic social teaching, very specifically around immigration,” he said.
Catholic social teaching on immigration balances three interrelated principles — the right of persons to migrate in order to sustain their lives and those of their families, the right of a country to regulate its borders and control immigration, and a nation’s duty to regulate its borders with justice and mercy.
Bishop Tyson noted there was controversy surrounding Pope Leo’s recent comments in which the pontiff said church teaching on both immigration and abortion were clear.
“In the Diocese of Yakima, I don’t have the luxury of choosing between protecting the unborn and protecting the undocumented,” he said. “If you want to save the unborn, you have to walk through the doors of the undocumented, because that’s where the pregnancies are, that’s where the births are, that’s where the vast majority of my baptisms are. These are not separate universes. It’s one thing.”
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.
Copied from OSVNEWS
The United Nations has announced a new set of senior appointments to the leadership of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), with Secretary-General António Guterres naming Tressa Rae Finerty as Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Antón Leis García as Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, and Edem Wosornu as Assistant High Commissioner for Protection.
The appointments, announced on Saturday, are expected to take effect in the coming weeks.
The three officials will occupy the most senior positions within UNHCR, supporting the High Commissioner in leading the agency’s global response to the protection and assistance of refugees, stateless persons and other people forced to flee their homes.
Welcoming the appointments, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih expressed confidence that the incoming officials would strengthen the agency’s response to the growing global displacement crisis.
“I warmly welcome these appointments and look forward to working closely with Tressa, Anton and Edem,” Salih said.
“Their leadership, experience and commitment will be invaluable as UNHCR responds to displacement challenges around the world. Together, we will work to continue strengthening protection, expanding opportunities for self-reliance and pursuing lasting solutions that help refugees rebuild their lives with dignity.”
Finerty, a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, currently serves as Chargé d’Affaires at the United States Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva. She previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Geneva and Deputy Executive Secretary in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of State. Her diplomatic career has also included postings at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York and embassies in Malaysia, Iraq, Armenia and Thailand. In addition, she has taught refugee policy at New York University and Georgetown University.
Leis García currently heads the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Spain’s development and humanitarian agency. He has previously held senior positions at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Office of the President of the Spanish Government, and international financial institutions including the African Development Bank and the World Bank Group.
Wosornu currently serves as Director of the Crisis Response Division at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and chairs the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Emergency Directors Group. She has held several senior headquarters and field positions within OCHA and began her United Nations career as an intern at UNHCR before working in the private legal sector in the United Kingdom.
The newly appointed officials will replace Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner; Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations; and Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, whose terms are coming to an end.
Paying tribute to the outgoing leaders, Salih praised their contributions to the agency’s humanitarian mission.
“The organization owes a profound debt of gratitude to Kelly, Raouf and Ruven for their exceptional service and dedication,” he said. “Their leadership has strengthened UNHCR’s ability to protect and assist millions of displaced and stateless people around the world.”
The final batch of 40 stranded Nigerians evacuated from South Africa has arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, bringing to a close the Federal Government’s evacuation exercise that returned a total of 1,174 citizens.
The returnees landed on Friday night aboard a chartered Air Peace flight, marking the sixth and final phase of the evacuation programme.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said the exercise was carried out through six flights operated by Air Peace and ValueJet.
According to the commission, the first five batches brought home 258, 266, 262, 282 and 66 Nigerians, while the final chartered Air Peace flight evacuated the remaining 40 stranded citizens.
Balogun said the returnees expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for approving the evacuation from South Africa. They also thanked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Acting Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa, Temitope Alexander-Ajayi, and NiDCOM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, for facilitating their safe return.
The evacuees were received at the airport by NiDCOM officials, who also announced a series of support packages from government agencies, corporate organisations and individuals.
According to the statement, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State approved a grant of N1 million for each returnee from the state. Telecommunications company MTN also donated free SIM packs with N50,000 worth of data and pledged to credit each returnee’s bank account with N100,000.
Officials from the Edo and Delta State governments similarly announced assistance for their indigenes among the evacuees.
The commission added that the JAAL Foundation pledged empowerment support for 50 female returnees, while the General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries Worldwide, Apostle Dr Chibuzor Gift Chinwe, was commended for providing free accommodation for about 52 returnees, skills acquisition opportunities for their families and free education for their children up to university level.
The returnees also acknowledged Pastor Bolaji Idowu of Harvesters Church for donating N100,000 each to 66 evacuees, while real estate firm Cruxstone provided financial support to the first batch of returnees.
Balogun said officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and other security agencies were present at the airport to receive and document the returnees.
“The returnees were full of gratitude for the donations, support and warm welcome received,” the statement said.
The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, and the UN Migration Agency, IOM have welcomed the entry into force today of the European Union’s Pact on Migration and Asylum as an opportunity to move beyond crisis-driven responses and implement a more predictable, fair and effective approach to the issues across Europe.
EU Member States should seize this moment to strengthen migration management and refugee protection while advancing solidarity and responsibility-sharing in line with European values and international obligations, the agencies’ chiefs said.
“The Pact’s entry into full effect today is an important step toward a more predictable and coherent European migration system. What matters now is steady implementation over time that is effective, humane, sustainably resourced and grounded in cooperation,” said Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration. “The priority is turning the reforms into practical results for States, communities, and people on the move.”
The Pact aims to make EU asylum systems more efficient and consistent, offering a structured framework for Member State cooperation. This can reduce backlogs while maintaining the quality of assessments, provide greater certainty for asylum-seekers, and enable refugees to begin rebuilding their lives and contributing to their communities sooner.
“This Pact is an important step in the right direction, advancing shared responsibility and more predictable, sustainable approaches across the European Union,” said Barham Salih, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “UNHCR stands ready to support all Member States in strengthening asylum systems – ensuring access to protection for those in need, upholding human rights and dignity, and enabling safe, lawful and dignified returns for those not in need of international protection.”
IOM and UNHCR welcome the EU’s renewed focus on partnerships with all affected countries. Reducing irregular movements means addressing root causes, ensuring access to protection, tackling smuggling networks, and enabling safe, regular pathways. The organizations will continue to support route-based approaches that ensure policies deliver on protection, dignity and shared responsibility, while contributing to sustainable solutions that benefit both countries and communities along migration routes.
UNHCR and IOM welcome several key elements of the Pact, including earlier identification of people with specific needs, strengthened legal assistance, and new independent monitoring mechanisms at external borders. Returns of those with no legal right to stay must be both effective and humane. Alongside enforcement, they should ensure access to informed voluntary return, early case management, and reintegration support, working with countries of origin, transit and first asylum as part of a balanced approach that upholds dignity and fundamental rights.
These measures can help ensure that asylum processing and return procedures are faster and fairer, reducing uncertainty for asylum-seekers while strengthening public confidence in the migration and asylum system.
UNHCR and IOM stress that implementation will be the decisive test. Procedures must be carried out with adequate safeguards to ensure that no one is returned or transferred to a situation where they may face persecution, conflict or other forms of serious harm.
ICC confirmation of 17 charges against El-Hishri draws praise from rights groups
Expert raises questions over UNHCR’s strategic direction after new leadership appointments
UN appoints new senior leadership for UNHCR
Migrant advocate laments death of asylum seeker, condemns Libya abuses
50 die as boat carrying about 60 people capsizes
-
News2 weeks agoFavour Henshaw appointed administrator of Platform for Cooperation on Mixed Migration
-
News3 weeks agoFormer UNHCR official sparks debate with ‘there is no such thing as a race’ comment
-
News2 weeks agoLampedusa: built to accommodate 400 people, now holds thousands of migrants
-
News Extra2 weeks agoPope urges European leaders to make greater investment in developing migrants’ countries of origin
-
News7 days agoIYAMIDR commends Okpebholo for ₦1m support to South Africa returnees
-
Features3 weeks ago1,500 young Chadians to benefit from EU, IOM funds
-
News2 weeks agoWorld silent as drone strikes, extreme hunger ravage El Obeid families
-
Features2 weeks ago
Lampedusa: Pope’s visit powerful reaffirmation migrants, refugees must remain at centre of global efforts