by: Vicki Yamasaki, founder and chair, Corpus Christi for Unity and Peace Contact: CUP@corpuschristiforunityandpeace.org
Now, with Trump back in the White House, there are plans for mass deportations. U.S. cardinals and bishops are vocally opposing these measures. Interestingly, these same prelates have been relatively silent on issues like abortion and assisting pregnancy centers. Could their protests be driven by the potential financial losses their organizations might face under Trump’s migration policies? We are talking billions of dollars in loss.
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The mass migration of immigrants into the United States over the past four years constitutes an invasion in the country. Catholic Charities and the USCCB have enabled this onslaught. The U.S. Catholic Church, benefitting greatly from the dangerous incursion of illegal immigrants would tell us that we are to welcome the stranger to safeguard the dignity of the illegal immigrants. Yet whenever an action is taken, we know by Newton’s Law there is an opposite reaction. What constitutes a takeover by migrants in certain cities of our country has resulted in diminished rights for our own citizens.
Now with Trump ascending to the White House, there are plans to address this imbalance that has seriously harmed the common good of our nation.
Thou dost protest too greatly, prelates.
Do you find it curious that U.S. bishops are publicly protesting the deportations but they are as quiet as church mice when it comes to ending abortion and protecting the pre-born?
Migration: A Money-Making Machine for the Church
CUP has meticulously examined the federal grant funding allocated to the Church from the first Trump administration through the Biden years, and the findings are quite revealing. During the Biden years, the Catholic Church received a total of $2.4 billion in federal payments to facilitate the trafficking of migrants. In contrast, during Trump’s first administration, the Church received only $384 million. The funding was received through three entities:
- Catholic Charities
- Catholic Social Services
- U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities USA has been granted nearly $1.7 billion since Biden Admin took office. Catholic Charities has significantly profited in the last 4 years by sheltering and transporting the mass migration into the United States ($ in millions):
Source: USASpending.gov (grants paid to Catholic Charities for migration services). Includes the Catholic Charities of Louisville, Maine, Kansas, Southern Nevada, Tennessee, Galveston-Houston, Baton Rouge, San Diego, and Fort Worth. Research available upon request.
Catholic Charities, closely affiliated with the USCCB, saw a dramatic rise in its funding from FY 2021 (Trump Admin year) to FY 2022 (Biden Admin year).
Catholic Social Services
Catholic Social Services, an independent not for profit, receives a substantial amount of funding both from the U.S. Catholic Church and Catholic Charities. CSS agencies receive grants and donations from Catholic Charities and local parishes and dioceses often provide financial support to CSS agencies.
CSS has received funds from the federal government to assist migrant children coming into the U.S. During the Biden administration, more than $32 million was given to CSS:
The USCCB
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) through their Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) division received the following amounts from the federal government to assist with the massive influx of immigrants coming across the border:
Source: USAspending.gov (to US Conference of Catholic Bishops for Refugee & Migration)
The $219 million paid to the USCCB for migration assistance in 2024 breaks down as follows:
Deportations Safeguard the Dignity of the Human person and Preserve the Common Good
Catholic teaching asserts that every human being possesses inherent dignity (CCC 1700). This dignity must be upheld in all circumstances, including migration policies. It’s essential to consider the equal and opposite reactions of actions taken. When the Church advocates for migrants, do they consider the dignity of the countless unaccompanied children who are separated from their families upon migrating to the U.S., and the impact this separation has on family units? When the Church supports all immigrants crossing the border, are they mindful of those who enter the U.S. with malicious intentions, profiting from gang warfare and illegal activities? The Church’s advocacy for millions of migrants crossing the border must also account for the challenges of integrating them without jeopardizing the well-being of its citizens or the immigrants themselves. And unfortunately, cities have been overrun with mayors demanding that migrants be turned away because the system of support will be crippled.
Upholding the dignity of the human person requires a balance of mercy, justice, and truth. The U.S. Church seems to be falling short of delivering the fullness of the truth and justice in this context.
How can the mass migration of millions of migrants benefit the common good of U.S. citizens? The concept of the common good is central to Catholic social teaching. The Catechism states that “the common good comprises the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily” (CCC 1906). This principle can be interpreted to suggest that a nation has a responsibility to protect its borders to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens.
The U.S. mass migration has led to social disruption, economic strain, and significant harm to our youth due to drug traffickers. The influx of new migrants into schools imposes a massive burden on public educational resources, resulting in unfunded mandates that state and local governments must absorb. Migrants have wreaked havoc on citizens as they become the victims of violent crimes and job loss. This surge has harmed the disadvantaged and homeless populations, already buckling under a strained system because of these unprecedented levels of migration.
These consequences, stemming from the unbridled actions of the Biden administration with its accomplice the U.S. Catholic Church, hinder the common good. A well-managed repatriation policy would better serve the dignity of all by promoting order and justice in all affected nations.
The U.S. Government has the right and duty to protect the well-being of its citizens from terrorists, violent foreign agitators, human traffickers, and drug traffickers. Both the U.S. federal and state and local governments must ensure there are adequate resources to support their citizens.
Bishops: Rethink Your Unethical Position
I always ask myself, “Why is this group advocating so fervently for its cause?” One should look to see if the group would profit from the advocacy. If there is no profit motive, then perhaps they are taking a truly altruistic position. In this case, the USCCB and its cohorts Catholic Charities and Catholic Social Services collectively stand to lose nearly $2.4 billion over the next four years, a sum that pew collections are unlikely to replace.
Ultimately, the strident U.S. bishops who criticize President Trump and his team for deportations should rethink their actions. In business, their advocacy for the migrants is known as a conflict of interest—it occurs when someone’s advocacy for a cause (in this case, continued care of migrants) is influenced by their financial gain. One has to ask: was there a quid-pro-quo agreement between Biden and the USCCB that Biden would fund their migration efforts if the bishops remained silent on his anti-Catholic political positions?
The bishops face a real ethical dilemma. To avoid this conflict of interest, they should either forgo their $2.4 billion in profits while still advocating for the cause or, better yet, advocate as passionately for the preborn who have no voice so that abortion can end in our lifetime.