Do more to help refugees fleeing the Islamic State, USCCB committee chair urges

June 24, 2015

The chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration called upon the Obama administration to do more to help Syrian and Iraqi refugees, especially those who have fled their homes in the wake of the advance of the Islamic State.

The Islamic State currently controls half of Syria and a quarter of Iraq. According to the US bishops’ conference, 11.6 million Syrians and three million Iraqis have fled their homes, but fewer than 1,000 Syrian refugees have resettled in the United States.

“This is a crisis that continues to grow and has no end in sight,” said Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo. “We can no longer turn our heads away from the human suffering of our brothers and sisters in the Middle East.”

“It is clear that religious minorities, including Christians and Yazidis, are being targeted and need our moral and material support,” the prelate added, as he called for additional US assistance, including greater resettlement opportunities within the US.

 

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Further information:

• On World Refugee Day, USCCB Migration Chairman Calls Upon United States To Protect Syrian And Iraqi Refugees And Displaced (USCCB)