Archbishop Coakley says loss of federal funds ended resettlement services but not core mission

Coakley discussed immigration on EWTN’s “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo.”

Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), addressed the loss of federal grant money for refugee resettlement and ongoing deportation efforts from President Donald Trump’s administration during an EWTN interview Aug. 13.

In 2024, the USCCB received more than $180 million in funding for government contracts, most of which supported services for migrants and refugee resettlement. When Trump took office, the president ended most of those contracts.

In an interview on “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” the archbishop said “we are no longer receiving those dollars, and we have, as a result, discontinued our resettlement services.”

“I donʼt think it has affected … our ability to continue our core mission, thatʼs for sure,” Coakley said. “But weʼll have to adjust our budgets and act accordingly.”

Coakley also addressed Trump’s immigration policy, saying nations have a right to control their borders but they should also be welcoming to immigrants.

“Every nation has a right to protect its sovereign borders, and we bishops have emphasized that again and again,” he said. “… People have a right to live in security in their own land.”

However, he also pointed to a USCCB special message on immigration, which the U.S. bishops approved in a 216-5 vote, which expressed opposition to “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.”

“[The message] called upon the bishops to continue to accompany and support migrants and assured migrants of our continued support and accompaniment,” Coakley said. “And thatʼs happening around the country in different places and certainly along the border in different ways.”

“Itʼs obviously a challenging situation, both for the people who are concerned about their safety and security within the borders of the United States, but also those who are seeking peace and security and safety by striving to become a part of our people and our culture, our nation,” he said.

“Weʼve always been a nation welcoming of immigrants,” the archbishop said.

“Weʼre all — all but a few of us — are from migrant immigrant families,” Coakley said. “So we have a sensitivity as Americans to the plight of immigrants on both sides of the border.”