Give Katrina aid regardless of legal residency status, says bishop

Published: 2005-09-20

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Slipping between the cracks of federal disaster aid programs are Hurricane Katrina victims who entered the country illegally or who are in the United States legally but are here on a temporary basis. Under current rules they are ineligible for material and monetary aid under federal programs. Compounding the situation is the fear many illegal residents, mostly Hispanics, have that if they even seek aid they run the risk of being deported. The situation has prompted calls by several Catholic organizations for an expansion of federal rules governing eligibility for disaster aid and safeguards that people seeking help will not be subject to deportation procedures. "In a natural disaster of this scope, we firmly believe that benefits and services should be provided to Katrina victims regardless of an individual's immigration status," said Bishop Gerald R. Barnes, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Migration, in a Sept. 20 letter to members of the U.S. Senate. "Now is the time to serve our common humanity and not discriminate against victims of the disaster because they are not U.S. citizens," said Bishop Barnes, who heads the Diocese of San Bernardino, Calif.

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