Black Catholics remain a rarity on the Hill, a fact of political life in America that extends into the 119th Congress, which kicked off its work on Jan. 3 in Washington.
The two returnees were re-elected to the House in November: Reps. Adriano Espaillat of New York and Gabe Amo of Rhode Island, Democrats who represent a new age of Afro-immigration from both Latin America and Africa itself.
Espaillat, an Afro-Dominican, was originally an undocumented immigrant when he first arrived stateside and has risen to become the first Black chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) in his fifth term in office. Amo, the son of immigrants from Ghana and Liberia, originally won a special election to his seat in 2022 and is the first non-White person to represent the Ocean State.
For the third session in a row, there are no Catholics of generational African-American descent in Congress, reflecting an overall demographic shift in the Black community and in the Church. A fifth of all Black people in America are either immigrants or the children of immigrants, while Catholic-raised African Americans are the most likely U.S. ethnic group to leave the Church.
Barbara Lee, an African-American former Catholic who represented California’s 12th congressional district for 27 years, did not seek re-election in 2024.
In the incoming 119th Congress, Protestants make up majorities of both the Senate (59%) and the House (55% of voting members). https://t.co/U6N7gNCOw8 pic.twitter.com/Xiw5XR42ux
— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) January 7, 2025
Afro-Latinos, and Latinos otherwise of African descent, make up a noticeable portion of the Black members of Congress. These include Espaillat, Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York, and Congress’ first Gen-Z member, Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida. (The latter two are not Catholic, though Torres was raised in the faith.)
Frost and Torres are dual members of the CHC and the Congressional Black Caucus, while Espaillat has not been granted membership in the latter despite several attempts.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Catholic lawmaker of Nuyorican extraction, has referred to herself as an Afro-Latina but does not identify as Black. Rep. Nydia Velázquez—another New York Catholic and the first Boricua in Congress—was born in Puerto Rico but has not publicly referred to herself as an Afro-Latina.
On the policy side, the situation of immigrants is already center-stage in early congressional debates, featuring opposition to President Donald Trump’s day-one executive orders stripping protections for undocumented persons and those at the border seeking asylum. The GOP is currently energized by a sweeping November pickup of the White House, the House, the Senate, and a majority among state governors (as well as that of Puerto Rico).
As CHC chair, Espaillat has put out several statements condeming Trump's orders, while his Democratic colleagues have joined him in calling for a recognition of immigrants' human dignity. A growing number of prelates have also spoken out, including the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
It is likely that the issue will remain a hot topic in Washington, and not without religious significance. Slightly more than 28% of legislators in the 119th Congress are Catholic, a slight increase from 2023. Among them, eight are immigrants and well over half are Democrats.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
