�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 . . . Now is the time to serve our
common humanity and not discriminate against victims of the disaster because they are not U.S.
citizens.�
Bishop Gerald R. Barnes, chairman of the U.S. Catholic Bishops� Committee on Migration, in a Sept. 20, 2005 letter to
members of the U.S. Senate.Who Were the Immigrants Affected?
� About 300,000 immigrants lived in the New Orleans
area at the time of Hurricane Katrina. At least 30,000 of
these are undocumented.
� Hondurans (totaling 150,000) and other Central American
immigrants (10,000) made up the bulk of the service
sector working in casinos and restaurants in the New Orleans
area, while Mexicans (40,000) and other Latin
American immigrants (including 10,000 Brazilians) made
up a large agricultural workforce in the surrounding regions.
There are also 30,000 Vietnamese immigrants in the
area, as well as many Koreans and other ethnic groups.
� Many of the 150,000 Hondurans in the New Orleans
area arrived after Hurricane Mitch destroyed their homeland
in 1998. Few funds were available for aid and rebuilding
in Honduras, and stories of corruption among government
officials, which prevented aid from reaching the
people, were widespread. Parts of the capitol of Honduras,
Tegucigalpa, still stand in ruins seven years later. Many
Hondurans were given Temporary Protected Status in
1998 and allowed to come to the U.S. legally, but others
are undocumented.
Immigrants� Access to Post-Katrina Assistance
� It is estimated that almost 200,000 immigrant victims
(documented and undocumented) in the New Orleans region
are ineligible for disaster assistance from the federal
government. According to FEMA (Federal Emergency
Management Agency) flyers and Web site information,
those ineligible for FEMA material and cash assistance
programs include undocumented immigrants; people with
temporary tourist, student or work visas; and people with a
temporary residence card. These people are eligible only
for crisis counseling and legal advice. Rules governing
state assistance to immigrants vary, and many immigrants
experience confusion and frustration navigating the complicated
rules of the aid system.
� Other immigrants may be eligible for the assistance, but
their identification documents were lost or ruined during
the flooding. Legal immigrants without documents are now
confronting problems finding employment, and face long
delays and an arduous process of getting their papers reissued.
� Immediately after Katrina, government spokespersons
encouraged immigrants, along with other affected victims,
to seek aid. However, days later, the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) said that immigrants are not
immune from deportation when they provide required information
for government aid. At least five evacuees have
been placed in deportation proceedings so far. This has
caused many immigrants, of both documented and undocumented
status, to be fearful of seeking out aid because of
possible consequences for themselves and their families.
Action Alert! Join the U.S. Catholic Bishops
in working to reform immigration laws:
The U.S. Bishops support the Secure America and
Orderly Immigration Act (S. 1033, HR 2330),
immigration reform legislation which expands
opportunities for undocumented and temporary
immigrants in the U.S. Take action in support of
the bill at: Take Action
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