Latest news with #CatholicCharities
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Catholic Charities disperse across Texoma for a Day of Service
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Properties are cleaner, and veterans are enjoying their newly built ramps after this year's Catholic Charities Day of Service. Groups gathered at Vernon College before dispersing around Texoma for various cleanup jobs and building projects. Each year the list of jobs is always different, whether they come from city councilors or other non-profits. Two of the biggest projects of the day were a cleanup of an Eastside property, organized by councilor Robert Brooks, and the construction of a wheelchair ramp at a home in Archer City. Catholic Charities' operations manager, Laura Sotelo, said they find the jobs just about everywhere. 'We always seem like we get requests to build ramps for folks. And so, this year we've been able to partner with a group that does that on a regular basis. And so, they can provide the professional guidance on it, and we can just provide the manpower,' Sotelo said. 'So, it's really whatever the community needs, and we try to step in and do that.' Catholic Charities also held a food drive for the Vernon College Food Pantry, which is in its second year running, among their other projects for the day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Griffin Bike Park to host Quick Quack Trail Run
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— Catholic Charities is having their 5K obstacle course the Quick Quack Trail Run at Griffin Bike Park. Participants will make their way through unique challenges like a floating bridge, ramps, and more through the rugged trails to compete for the rubber duck trophies. The 5K will serve as a fundraiser for Catholic Charities. The event is a footrace only; no bikes, strollers, or dogs will be allowed on the course. 'We are thrilled to continue this event and bring the only adventure course to theWabash Valley. Last year, we had great weather, a wonderful turnout, and our racersloved the course,' stated John C. Etling, Agency Director for Catholic Charities.'Waddles, our mascot for the Wabash Valley Rubber Duck Regatta, will start the race and we look forward to cheering everyone on at the beautiful Griffin Bike Park!' Registration for the event is open now. Those who register will receive a Quick Quack t-shirt, a custom race bib, and a disposable timing chip. Registrations must be in by June 12 to guarantee a shirt. Discounts will be given if you sign up a group of four or more. Winners of each category will receive a unique rubber duck trophy. You must be at least 11 years old to enter on your own otherwise, you must register with an adult. To register, click this link, and for more information, follow on Facebook or check out this link. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Business Mayor
7 days ago
- Politics
- Business Mayor
Trump administration tells border shelters helping migrants may be illegal
The Trump administration has continued releasing people charged with being in the country illegally to non-governmental shelters along the US-Mexico border after previously telling those same organizations that providing immigrants with temporary housing and other aid may violate a law used to prosecute smugglers. Border shelters, which have long provided lodging and meals before offering transportation to the nearest bus station or airport, were rattled by a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) that raised 'significant concerns' about potentially illegal activity and demanded detailed information in a wide-ranging investigation. Fema suggested shelters may have committed felony offenses related to bringing people across the border illegally or transporting them within the US. 'It was pretty scary. I'm not going to lie,' said Rebecca Solloa, executive director of Catholic Charities of the diocese of Laredo, Texas. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) continued to ask shelters in Texas and Arizona to house people even after the 11 March letter, putting them in the awkward position of doing something that Fema appeared to say might be illegal. Both agencies are part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and have also been accused of withholding funds from organizations, in addition to asking them to hand over names of those they've helped and implying that some charities are human-smuggling operations. After receiving the letter, Catholic Charities still received eight to 10 people a day from Ice until financial losses forced it to close its shelter in the Texas border city on 25 April, Solloa said. The Holding Institute community center, also in Laredo, has been taking about 20 families a week from Ice's family detention centers in Dilley and Karnes City, Texas, executive director Michael Smith said. They come from Russia, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Papua New Guinea and China. Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas, a storied institution in the region, has been receiving five to 10 people a day from Ice, including from Honduras and Venezuela, said Ruben Garcia, its longtime executive director. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) did not get a letter but continues receiving people from Ice in Phoenix, according to a person briefed on the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that has not been made public. The releases include people who had been held at Ice's Krome detention center in Miami, Florida, a site of severe overcrowding. Ice's requests struck Solloa as a 'little bit of a contradiction', but Catholic Charities agreed to them. She said some guests had been in Ice detention centers for two to four weeks after being arrested in the nation's interior and ordered released by an immigration judge while their challenges to deportations wind through the courts. Others had been flown from San Diego, California, after crossing the border without authorization. Those released were from India, China, Pakistan, Turkey and Central and South America, Solloa said. Smith, a Methodist pastor, said that the Fema letter was alarming and that agreeing to continue caring for people released by Ice was 'probably not a good idea'. Still, it was an easy choice. 'There's some things that are just right to do,' he said. Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the DHS, drew a distinction with large-scale releases under Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden. The Biden administration worked closely with shelters but, during its busiest times, released immigrants at bus stops or other public locations. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion 'Under the Biden administration, when Ice has aliens in its custody who are ordered released, Ice does not simply release them onto the streets of a community – Ice works to verify a sponsor for the illegal alien, typically family members or friends but occasionally a non-governmental organization,' McLaughlin said. The US government has struggled to quickly deport people who have arrived from some countries because of diplomatic, financial and logistical challenges. Those hurdles have prompted Ice to deport people to countries other than their own, including El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama, and – this week – an attempt to remove people, mostly originally from south Asia, to South Sudan. If those options aren't available, Ice may release people in the US, which the Trump administration is reluctant to do. Fema awarded $641m to dozens of state and local governments and organizations across the country in the 2024 fiscal year to help them deal with large numbers of immigrants who crossed the border from Mexico. But Fema has suspended payments during its investigation, which requires shelters to provide 'a detailed and descriptive list of specific services provided'. Executive officers must sign sworn statements that they have no knowledge or suspicions of anyone in their organizations violating the smuggling law. The releases show how border shelters have often maintained close, if cordial, relations with federal immigration authorities at the ground level, even when senior officials publicly criticize them. 'We have a good working relationship with our federal partners. We always have,' Solloa said. 'They asked us to help, then we will continue to help, but at some point we have to say: 'Yikes, I don't have any more money for this. Our agency is hurting and I'm sorry, we can't do this anymore.'' Catholic Charities hosted at least 120,000 people at its Laredo shelter since opening in 2021 and housed 600 to 700 people on its busiest nights in 2023, Solloa said. It was counting on up to $7m from Fema. The shelter closed with a loss of nearly $1m million after not receiving any Fema money.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nashville Catholic Charities announces layoffs due to federal funding cuts
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Nashville announced it will undergo a major restructuring due to recent federal funding cuts to the U.S. refugee resettlement program. 'In recent months, federal actions have severely weakened the national resettlement infrastructure,' said Judy Orr, executive director of Nashville's Catholic Charities. 'When our national partner, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, ended its participation in the program, it became clear that we could no longer sustain this work locally, even if refugee admissions were to resume at previous levels.' Tennesseans losing millions of dollars through investment scams As a result, Orr said the organization will lay off 51 staff members through mid-September and also close their 'New Americans' program. She added that they are expecting more layoffs in the coming weeks because of the concurrent loss of ancillary overhead funding tied to these federal programs. 'Compounding these challenges is the high cost of living in the Nashville area, particularly the lack of affordable housing,' Orr said. 'For years, federal stipends to support refugee housing and basic needs have remained unchanged, even as local expenses have continued to rapidly rise.' Catholic Charities clarified that it will continue to operate the Tennessee Office for Refugees, which administers the state-wide refugee resettlement program under a federal contract, as a separate unit. ⏩ Nashville's Catholic Charities said it served 26,000 people facing poverty, housing instability, and other urgent needs in 2024, and that the demand is constantly growing. 'We remain committed to serving Middle Tennesseans in crisis through our expanding network of Family Resource Centers and satellite offices,' Orr said. 'Though our work will look different moving forward, our commitment to the most vulnerable remains as strong and steady as ever.'For more information, visit Nashville Catholic Charities' website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump administration tells border shelters helping migrants may be illegal
The Trump administration has continued releasing people charged with being in the country illegally to non-governmental shelters along the US-Mexico border after previously telling those same organizations that providing immigrants with temporary housing and other aid may violate a law used to prosecute smugglers. Border shelters, which have long provided lodging and meals before offering transportation to the nearest bus station or airport, were rattled by a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) that raised 'significant concerns' about potentially illegal activity and demanded detailed information in a wide-ranging investigation. Fema suggested shelters may have committed felony offenses related to bringing people across the border illegally or transporting them within the US. 'It was pretty scary. I'm not going to lie,' said Rebecca Solloa, executive director of Catholic Charities of the diocese of Laredo, Texas. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) continued to ask shelters in Texas and Arizona to house people even after the 11 March letter, putting them in the awkward position of doing something that Fema appeared to say might be illegal. Both agencies are part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and have also been accused of withholding funds from organizations, in addition to asking them to hand over names of those they've helped and implying that some charities are human-smuggling operations. After receiving the letter, Catholic Charities still received eight to 10 people a day from Ice until financial losses forced it to close its shelter in the Texas border city on 25 April, Solloa said. The Holding Institute community center, also in Laredo, has been taking about 20 families a week from Ice's family detention centers in Dilley and Karnes City, Texas, executive director Michael Smith said. They come from Russia, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Papua New Guinea and China. Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas, a storied institution in the region, has been receiving five to 10 people a day from Ice, including from Honduras and Venezuela, said Ruben Garcia, its longtime executive director. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) did not get a letter but continues receiving people from Ice in Phoenix, according to a person briefed on the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that has not been made public. The releases include people who had been held at Ice's Krome detention center in Miami, Florida, a site of severe overcrowding. Ice's requests struck Solloa as a 'little bit of a contradiction', but Catholic Charities agreed to them. She said some guests had been in Ice detention centers for two to four weeks after being arrested in the nation's interior and ordered released by an immigration judge while their challenges to deportations wind through the courts. Others had been flown from San Diego, California, after crossing the border without authorization. Those released were from India, China, Pakistan, Turkey and Central and South America, Solloa said. Smith, a Methodist pastor, said that the Fema letter was alarming and that agreeing to continue caring for people released by Ice was 'probably not a good idea'. Still, it was an easy choice. 'There's some things that are just right to do,' he said. Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the DHS, drew a distinction with large-scale releases under Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden. The Biden administration worked closely with shelters but, during its busiest times, released immigrants at bus stops or other public locations. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion 'Under the Biden administration, when Ice has aliens in its custody who are ordered released, Ice does not simply release them onto the streets of a community – Ice works to verify a sponsor for the illegal alien, typically family members or friends but occasionally a non-governmental organization,' McLaughlin said. The US government has struggled to quickly deport people who have arrived from some countries because of diplomatic, financial and logistical challenges. Those hurdles have prompted Ice to deport people to countries other than their own, including El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama, and – this week – an attempt to remove people, mostly originally from south Asia, to South Sudan. If those options aren't available, Ice may release people in the US, which the Trump administration is reluctant to do. Fema awarded $641m to dozens of state and local governments and organizations across the country in the 2024 fiscal year to help them deal with large numbers of immigrants who crossed the border from Mexico. But Fema has suspended payments during its investigation, which requires shelters to provide 'a detailed and descriptive list of specific services provided'. Executive officers must sign sworn statements that they have no knowledge or suspicions of anyone in their organizations violating the smuggling law. The releases show how border shelters have often maintained close, if cordial, relations with federal immigration authorities at the ground level, even when senior officials publicly criticize them. 'We have a good working relationship with our federal partners. We always have,' Solloa said. 'They asked us to help, then we will continue to help, but at some point we have to say: 'Yikes, I don't have any more money for this. Our agency is hurting and I'm sorry, we can't do this anymore.'' Catholic Charities hosted at least 120,000 people at its Laredo shelter since opening in 2021 and housed 600 to 700 people on its busiest nights in 2023, Solloa said. It was counting on up to $7m from Fema. The shelter closed with a loss of nearly $1m million after not receiving any Fema money.
