Following the publication of the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2026, the USCCB issued a statement highlighting the importance of safe and secure legal pathways for refugee resettlement. The measure allows up to 7,500 refugees to be resettled over the next year, the lowest ceiling since the program was instated in 1980, disregarding that, at the start of 2025, over 100,000 people (including children and those seeking family reunification) had already undergone extensive screening and were conditionally approved for refugee status in the United States.
Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, referred to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program as “a vital mechanism through which our nation can exist as a beacon of hope for those facing persecution and promote respect for the sanctity of human life,” and called the Administration to act mercifully:
“With the Administration signaling a severely limited continuation of this historically bipartisan program, we urge due consideration for all those who have long awaited their opportunity for relief. We also pray for the broad, indefinite suspension of refugee admissions to be lifted, and we implore the President to make the program available to those truly in need.”
Click here to read the full statement.