Bringing clarity, context to the U.S. bishops’ stance in immigration debate

The new Trump administration has been very busy — and has, not unexpectedly, generated much discussion and to be sure controversy.

Since immigration was a major campaign issue, much of the attention of these first days of the Trump administration has focused efforts to apprehend and deport criminal aliens who are in the country illegally or have lost legal status. (A U.S. legal resident guilty of a felony can lose his “green card” and also be subject to deportation.)

Most Americans do want a solution to the perceived chaos on our borders. The U.S. bishops following Catholic social teaching do recognize that national sovereignty affords nations’ the right to control their borders. We have never advocated for “open borders” or that “bad actors” should be admitted indiscriminately or that wrong doers of any type be free to roam our streets and endanger our citizens.

While the ebb and flow of migrants and asylum seekers has been a constant for decades, the apparent ineptness of the Biden Administration seemingly precipitated an unprecedented spike in irregular migration. The fact is deportations have been ongoing for years: Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump (in his first term) and even Biden have collectively deported millions during the last two decades.

The U.S. bishops, among many others, have recognized that our present immigration regime is broken. I doubt that President Trump would disagree. However, the bishops believe that an “enforcement only” approach will not work and thus have long advocated for a comprehensive immigration reform, one that would address the need for a legal labor force, aid in family reunification and provide a path to citizenship to those who have resided and work here in the U.S. sometimes for decades.

In other words, border “walls” should also have “doors” that would permit the flow of legal immigrants. Those same Catholic teachings that recognize that nations have a right to control their borders also urge that richer nations be generous in admitting those fleeing persecution or seeking conditions worthy of human life. America has shown such generosity in the past and is certainly capable of continuing to do so.
It is important to point out that those migrants who have committed crimes are a minority. Most immigrants whether legal or not have come here seeking a future which is denied in their home countries because of poverty, violence or political oppression.

As pastors, we are concerned that rhetoric that would demonize all migrants will have a detrimental effect on the body politic. Immigration enforcement should be carried out in a targeted, proportional and humane way. Carrying out immigration raids in sensitive settings where people receive essential services (schools, places of worship, social service agencies, healthcare facilities) is contrary to the common good. Threats to do so have left communities where many migrants live, and work, filled with fear and anxiety.

To point this out to our political leaders is a civic duty and is meant to open doors to dialogue. As bishops we participate in the public square not as politicians but as pastors — and as pastors, informed by the Gospel, we do have something to say about human dignity, human flourishing and the common good.

In fact, the bishops have not been sparing in their praise of many of President Trump’s early initiatives that are consonant with our Catholic social teachings. We support his opposition to gender ideology as well as his defense of parental rights — and of parental choice in the education of their children.

We have applauded the Trump Administration’s decision to end taxpayer-funded abortions. Likewise, we were heartened that he restored (and expanded!) the Mexico City Policy, which keeps U.S. money from supporting organizations that perform or promote abortions overseas.

We are also grateful for the strengthening of policies that protect Catholics and other people of faith from being compelled to participate in activities that would violate our religious freedom and freedom of conscience.

Also, Americans who are pro-life have a right to pray in public, to counsel women who are considering abortion and to peacefully protest. And so, we welcomed the pardons of several pro-life activists who were unjustly jailed during the last administration for their witness to a culture of life.

Catholic associations and agencies are part of the civil society that make our democracy so vibrant. We have a long history of partnering with governmental bodies on federal, state and local levels in a variety of endeavors: in education, health care, social welfare, etc.

Some have suggested that the bishops’ advocacy on immigration does not enjoy wide support among sectors of President Trump’s voter base, that they thus may be a convenient and easy target to exploit for partisan reasons. This might explain Vice President Vance’s harsh and intemperate words about the U.S. bishops’ conference on a recent Sunday news show. This would be unfortunate and mistaken.

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