In addition to working with asylum-seeking migrant families to address their imminent needs, Catholic Charities has provided resources to help with migrant intake and recordkeeping, Dolan said.
The archdiocese is also providing legal assistance, schooling, and health to the migrants, he added.
“Every day hundreds come in,” Dolan said. “We look them in the eyes, get their names, and we love them and we say, ‘You’re part of us now. You’re not a number.'”
He said, however, that the archdiocese is overwhelmed with cases.
“Like everybody else, we’re squashed,” he said. “But we can’t give up.”
Parishes such as St. Teresa Church and the Church of the Ascension are providing food, clothing, and school supplies, the Post reported.
Dolan said that priests are at those churches ministering to the people, but the current immigration system is “terribly wrecked” and in need of reform.
“The Church has always been very supportive of the right of a nation to have borders and border security … we don’t just want borders where anybody can come in,” he said.
Dolan said the Church has a “high obligation” to care for migrants coming in.
“For us, it’s not so much about politics and policy … we have to leave that to others,” he said. “Our sacred responsibility is to help them. We hate to see these people suffer.”
Dolan could not be reached for comment by Tuesday.
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Adams has estimated that taking care of migrants could cost the city $12 billion over three fiscal years.
Last week, the Biden administration approved temporary legal status for large groups of Venezuelan and Afghan migrants, which will allow them to begin working in the United States.
Adams thanked the Biden administration for the move but said the status of many migrants within the city remains to be addressed.
“You know, but we want to be clear: We cannot spike the ball, because this is not going to deal with all of the migrants and asylum seekers who are in this city. We have about 60,000 in our care, 10,000 a month, and many of those new arrivals won’t be able to apply for the TPS [temporary protected status] and for the other benefits of this initiative,” Adams said in his Sunday interview on WABC’s “Up Close With Bill Ritter.”
Joseph Bukuras is a journalist at the Catholic News Agency. Joe has prior experience working in state and federal government, in non-profits, and Catholic education. He has contributed to an array of publications and his reporting has been cited by leading news sources, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the Catholic University of America. He is based out of the Boston area.