The general counsel of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, joined by representatives of four other Catholic organizations, decried a policy change proposed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Under the proposal, families with mixed immigration status would be “effectively prohibited from participating in federally funded housing programs,” the Catholic signatories said.
“The Catholic Church teaches that access to safe, decent, and affordable housing is a fundamental human right,” the signatories stated. “Denying subsidies to eligible individuals because of their membership in a mixed-status family is morally wrong, concerning from a fiscal perspective, and is in conflict with the underlying law.”
Representatives of Catholic Charities USA, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Catholic Health Association of the United States, and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network joined William Quinn, the general counsel, in signing the public comment, dated April 21 and posted on the USCCB’s website in May.