This week, President Biden signed the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2025, setting the number of people who can be resettled through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) at 125,000. Although the goal remains unchanged from last year, the program resettled 100,000 refugees in 2024 — the first time that number was achieved since 1994. Meanwhile, the United Nations estimates there are over 120 million forcibly displaced persons in the world, up from 24 million at the end of the twentieth century.
“My brother bishops and I could not be more grateful for the witness of faithful Catholics across our country who have, for many decades now, committed themselves to accompanying refugees as a visible sign of Christ’s love in the world,” said Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso.
Through its Department of Migration and Refugee Services (MRS), the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is one of ten national resettlement agencies partnering with the federal government on USRAP. At the local level, dioceses and their Catholic Charities agencies play an essential role in helping refugees to integrate successfully into their new communities.
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