Joseph Lockley/ Unsplash
CV NEWS FEED // The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and several Evangelical leaders have issued a joint report on how mass deportations could affect Christian families and communities.
“The goal of this report is not to advocate for a specific position — though some of the report’s sponsor organizations may do so in other venues — nor is it to argue that all deportations are unjust,” the March 31 report states. “It’s also certainly not intended to feed into fear.”
The report adds later, “Rather, our purpose with this report is to invite American Christians — within our congregations and within the halls of governmental power — to recognize that, if even a fraction of those vulnerable to deportation are actually deported, the ramifications are profound — for those individuals, of course, but also for their U.S.-citizen family members and, because when one part of the body suffers, every part suffers with it, for all Christians.”
The report defines deportation as removal from the country, including formal and informal removals, expedited removals, and voluntary departures.
The report listed five categories of immigrants who may be vulnerable to deportation: illegal immigrants, who entered unlawfully or overstayed visas; immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), granted to those whose home countries are in a state of upheaval; immigrants categorized under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA); immigrants staying under Deferred Enforced Departure (DED); humanitarian parolees, who were also admitted for urgent reasons; and asylum seekers.
Immigrants under each of these categories, all of which bestow a temporary right to stay in the country, may be sent to their home countries if the executive branch decides to revoke these protections or statuses.
The report found that four out of five immigrants who are vulnerable to deportation are Christians. More than 10 million Christians in the U.S. are vulnerable to deportation, and nearly 7 million U.S.-citizen Christians live with somebody who is at risk of deportation. Additionally, nearly one in five U.S. Catholics are in households at risk.
The USCCB stated on their website, “Ultimately, the report calls on all Christians to recognize and respond to the human consequences of unmitigated deportation efforts and for a thoughtful and compassionate approach to immigration policy that promotes justice, while also protecting the God-given dignity of every person and the sanctity of families.”
