For Immediate Release: May 23, 2013 Contact: Patricia Cole pcole@catholiccharitiesusa.

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Catholic Charities USA President Rev. Larry Snyder Issues Statement on Bipartisan Approval of Immigration Reform Bill by Key Senate Committee
Alexandria, Va. Catholic Charities USA President, Rev. Larry Snyder, issued the following statement today on the Senate Judiciary Committees bipartisan passage of immigration reform legislation. Catholic Charities USA applauds the work of members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who chose compassion over partisanship this week when they joined together across party lines to approve legislation creating a pathway to citizenship for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in our country who are currently forced to live in the shadows. Catholic social teaching calls us to seek justice for newcomers, and our history as a faith community in the United States has been as an immigrant Church to an immigrant nation. As such, we strongly believe that any proposal considered must at its core build up our communities and support our families by including a path to citizenship, allowing families to remain intact, providing worker protections and addressing the plight of undocumented children. While the debates taking place in our nations capital are often divisive and polarizing, we are encouraged that important issues such as immigration reform are being used as opportunities for our elected leaders to fulfill their moral responsibility to the nation through bipartisan cooperation and compromise.

About Catholic Charities USA

Catholic Charities USA is the national office for Catholic Charities agencies nationwide. Catholic Charities USAs members provide help and create hope for more than 10 million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds. To learn more about CCUSA, please visit www.catholiccharitiesusa.org ###