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WASHINGTON (CNS) — In a joint statement, Catholic bishops whose dioceses are along the U.S.-Mexico border spoke of the “pain, the fear, and the anguish” they’re seeing in immigrants and vowed to follow the example of the pope in building “bridges, rather than the walls of exclusion and exploitation.” MORE

Bishop Joe Vásquez, as chair of the USCCB Committee on Migration, issued a statement welcoming the decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a lower court’s order blocking several key provisions of President Trump’s executive order regarding refugees. The bishop also said the Church remains in solidarity with those fleeing persecution. MORE

Last week Catholic schools in Texas and across the nation celebrated Catholic Schools Week (CSW) 2017. Representative Drew Springer offered a Texas House Resolution honoring all Catholic Schools in Texas. Cardinal DiNardo was recognized on the Texas House floor and presented with the resolution. All members of the Texas House of Representatives requested that their names…

AUSTIN — A coalition of faith-based organizations, including the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, Austin Interfaith and the Texas Industrial Areas Foundation, are stepping up the pressure for the Texas Legislature to reject so-called “anti-sanctuary city” bills. In testimony today against Senate Bill 4, which Governor Greg Abbott has…

AUSTIN, Texas – Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of the Diocese of Austin issued the following statement on Jan. 30, 2017, regarding President Trump’s Executive Order “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”: I strongly disagree with the executive order on refugee resettlement. Today, with more than 65 million people forcibly displaced from…

WASHINGTON— Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, vice president of the USCCB, have called on Catholics to join the bishops in defense of human dignity. MORE

WASHINGTON—President Donald J. Trump issued today an Executive Order addressing the U.S. refugee admissions program and migration to the United States, generally. The executive order virtually shuts down the refugee admissions program for 120 days, reduces the number of refugees to be admitted to the United States this year from 110,000 to 50,000 individuals, and…

Bishop Joe Vasquez, bishop of the Austin DIocese and chair of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, said he was “disheartened” that President Donald Trump has prioritized building a wall on the US/Mexico border. “This action will put immigrant lives needlessly in harm’s way,” he said in a statement released today. “Construction of…

Msgr. Michael J. Boulette, a priest of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, has been appointed an auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese. MORE

WASHINGTON—On January 12, 2017, the Obama Administration announced the end of the Wet Foot/Dry Foot policy towards Cuban arrivals, which allows Cubans who arrive onto American soil to stay in the U.S. and apply to become legal residents while returning those Cubans intercepted at sea back to Cuba. Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman…