The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has criticized U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) seems to be battling with President Donald Trump’s administration over some of its policies.
Last week, the USCCB, the official assembly of the Catholic Church in the United States, slammed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for rescinding a policy that gave guidance on the care, custody and documentation of pregnant women they encounter.
« It is deeply troubling and inexcusable that measures intended to ensure the basic safety of pregnant mothers and their young children while in government custody could be rescinded with such indifference toward the vulnerability of those involved », said Bishop Mark J. Seitz, of El Paso, Texas, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration.
CPB Acting Commissioner Pete Flores issued the memo, which was circulated internally but not publicly announced, on May 5, revealing that four policies were determined « either obsolete or misaligned with current Agency guidance and immigration enforcement priorities. »
One of them was the 2022 memo « Processing of Pregnant, and Postpartum Noncitizens and Infants », which lays out guidelines for CPB, which include offering a medical assessment to all pregnant women and making sure breast-feeding mothers have access to privacy and rest facilities.
« This decision is all the more concerning as the Administration simultaneously ramps up family detention in place of safer, more cost-effective alternatives to detention », Seitz said.
« Let us be clear: protecting pregnant mothers and their children can never be considered ‘obsolete.’ This principle irrefutably extends to noncitizens in immigration detention, each of whom possesses an inviolable, God-given dignity that must be respected.
