Catholic leaders denounce decrease in admitted refugees
The cap for refugee admissions into the U.S. was decreased by more than half for 2018. In response to Pope Francis’ call for solidarity with refugees, the St. Joe’s Refugee Working Group was formed to discuss this refugee crisis.
Inspired by the university’s mission to maintain an inclusive environment, the Refugee Working Group works to educate the campus community regarding the global issues facing refugees. Co-chairs Beth Ford McNamee, associate director of campus ministry, and Catherine Collins, reference librarian, believe the organization follows the Jesuit mission to support refugees.
“The Pope calls for a culture of encounter, and even though the entire global migration crisis isn’t at our door like it is in various countries in Europe, I still feel like the call is the same,” Ford McNamee said.
Both Ford McNamee and Collins said the group takes initiative from national and international Jesuits calling to support refugees.
“A lot of our lead comes from the Jesuits, the Archdiocese, the Catholic Social Services and the Jesuit Refugee Service,” Collins said. “There’s been a lot of guidance about this, and there seems to be a lot of agreement.”
One such organization is the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (US- CCB) who issued a statement imploring the Trump administration to extend compassion for refugees. In this statement, the USCCB said allowing less than 50,000 refugees into the U.S. each year would be inhumane. However, the Trump administration chose to allow a maximum of 45,000 refugees in 2018 in an attempt to ensure the security of Americans.
Additionally, many students work with programs which support immigrants and refugees such as Mercy Health Promoter. Mary Kate Dougherty ’19 and Kevin Cooney ’19 work with this program to provide basic healthcare to immigrants. Specific services are also available to refugees through this program, such as Dougherty’s work with baby boxes.
“I follow up with kids and mothers who are expecting in particular to make sure they receive the proper nutrients,” Dougherty said. “You develop bonds with these people [because] you see them every month.”
Dougherty and Cooney have noticed there is fear in the immigrant community, especially among the undocumented, due to recent policy changes like the new refugee cap and travel bans. They believe St. Joe’s students can support immigrants even if they can’t volunteer or donate.
“I think the biggest thing is showing empathy,” Cooney said. “I feel as though there is almost a hostile environment to a certain extent towards immigrants and refugees, and there really shouldn’t be.”
Another program that supports refugees is the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which assists refugee resettlement in the U.S. Julian Zuzarte ’18 interned for IRC, specifically helping with case management for those who received asylum. His parents were also immigrants, so he understands the importance of immigration policy reform.
“I think you need that social justice perspective in conjunction with the empirical evidence that you see for [the reason] why we should favor comprehensive immigration reform and why we should favor accepting a greater number of refugees,” Zuzarte said.
