USCCB: ‘Protecting pregnant mothers and their children is never obsolete'

By Vatican News

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement responding to the Trump Administration’s recent revocation of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) guidance addressing the needs of pregnant and postpartum women and their newborn children while in CBP custody.

‘Inexcusable’ to deny basic necessities

Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas is the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities. He pointed out how “deeply troubling and inexcusable” it is that “measures intended to ensure the basic safety of pregnant mothers and their young children while in government custody could be rescinded.”

The annulled policy laid down the minimum standards of care for these women and children under CBP custody: They were to receive food, water, formula, have a safe places to sleep and regular monitoring as well as be “placed in the least restrictive setting possible.”

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops during their annual General Assembly

The reason given for rescinding the policy was that it was “obsolete or misaligned with current Agency guidance and immigration enforcement priorities.” On top of this, another policy regarding the care of medically at-risk individuals in custody was also cancelled. No other guidance was offered to replace the ones that were revoked.

Proven harms of immigration detention

In their statement, the bishops reiterated their message about the “proven harms that immigration detention is known to inflict on families and especially on young children.” They warned against the “instances of neglect and abuse, even if inadvertent” that put the lives of mothers and their children at risk.

The U.S. bishops stressed that the concerning decision to rescind the policies is amplified as the “Administration simultaneously ramps up family detention in place of safer, more cost-effective alternatives to detention.”

The statement emphasized that “protecting pregnant mothers and their children can never be considered ‘obsolete.’” Moreover, the bishops argued that this “irrefutably extends to noncitizens in immigration detention” as they also have God-given dignity.

Closing their statement, the USCCB urged the Administration to reissue guidance to increase the care and protection of the “vulnerable population while in government custody.”