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CV NEWS FEED // As President Donald Trump signs executive orders on immigration, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) officials continue to urge for immigration reform and virtuous immigration enforcement.
In a Jan. 23 joint statement titled “Human Dignity is Not Dependent on a Person’s Citizenship or Immigration Status,” USCCB Committee on Migration chairman Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso responded to Trump’s rollback of the policy prohibiting immigration enforcement on church grounds and other designated “protected areas.”
Parishes, schools, Catholic social ministries, health care organizations, and other institutions work to serve those in need across the country, Bishop Seitz said in the joint statement with Catholic Health Association CEO Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, and Catholic Charities USA Executive Director Kerry Alys Robinson.
“Through these ministries — together with the Church’s responsibility to proclaim the Gospel and celebrate the sacraments — we uphold the belief that all people are conceived with inherent dignity, reflecting the image of God,” they continued, emphasizing that charitable work is fundamental to the Christian identity.
“We recognize the need for just immigration enforcement and affirm the government’s obligation to carry it out in a targeted, proportional, and humane way,” they said. However, they stated, non-emergency immigration enforcement in these locations “would be contrary to the common good.”
The rescinding of the “protected areas” policy has discouraged immigrants from participating in religious services and sending children to school, the officials said.
“All people have a right to fulfill their duty to God without fear,” they added.
The signatories said that communities will not be safer if these institutions are changed “into places of fear and uncertainty,” and warned that trust among people will be jeopardized.
They concluded, “Our organizations stand ready to work on a better path forward that protects the dignity of all those we serve, upholds the sacred duty of our providers, and ensures our borders and immigration system are governed with mercy and justice.”
On Jan. 22, Archbishop Seitz issued a statement saying that the executive orders seriously endanger vulnerable people.
“[A]s shepherds, we cannot abide injustice, and we stress that national self-interest does not justify policies with consequences that are contrary to the moral law,” he said. “The use of sweeping generalizations to denigrate any group, such as describing all undocumented immigrants as ‘criminals’ or ‘invaders,’ to deprive them of protection under the law, is an affront to God, who has created each of us in his own image.”
He noted that the “emphasis on anti-trafficking is welcomed,” but several of the executive orders are concerning.
“Preventing any access to asylum and other protections will only endanger those who are most vulnerable and deserving of relief, while empowering gangs and other predators to exploit them,” he said. “Likewise, indefinitely halting refugee resettlement is unmerited, as it is already proven to be one of the most secure legal pathways to the United States.”
The full statement can be read here.
Archbishop José H. Gomez, USCCB president emeritus and current Archbishop of Los Angeles, California, also issued a Jan. 22 statement regarding immigration.
“Statements and actions from the new administration in Washington have caused fear in our parishes, schools, and communities” he said. “That is not good for anybody. I pray that our leaders will proceed with restraint and compassion, with respect for the law, and with respect for the rights and dignity of all concerned.”
Noting that no one wants violent criminals in their communities, Archbishop Gomez said that enforcement must be prudent, and Congress must immediately take steps to reform the immigration system.
“For Catholics, immigration is not a political issue. It is a matter of our deeply held religious beliefs,” he continued. “Jesus Christ commanded us to love God as our Father and to love our brothers and sisters, especially the most vulnerable, and regardless of what country they came from or how they got here.”
Archbishop Gomez added that he and the Catholic Church broadly remain committed to working with political leaders, including the new administration, on immigration reform. The full statement can be read here.
On the same day, Kansas City Archbishop Paul S. Coakley issued a statement as well, pointing to the USCCB’s recent information on Catholic elements of immigration reform.
“To be clear, the bishops of the U.S. and Mexico acknowledge the flaws of the current immigration system and the need for reform,” he said. In Oklahoma, he added, people must continue to support and implement humane policies for both citizens and immigrants.
“Illegal immigration is wrong, and renewed efforts should be considered to protect our nation’s borders, most especially against the scourge of human and drug trafficking,” he continued. “One of the basic principles of Catholic teaching on immigration is precisely that ‘every country has a right to protect its borders.’” The full statement can be read here.
Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, issued a Jan. 21 statement on immigration as well, emphasizing that immigrants are made in the image of God and have inherent dignity.
“We must not treat them as mere pawns in a game of chess nor politicize them,” he said. “Instead, we must place their needs and concerns at the forefront of our debates, considering both the citizens of our nation and those seeking refuge at our borders.”
He shared that he and Bishop Seitz recently visited Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, where they visited a family who was suffering greatly from gang violence after their son refused to join a gang.
“Their story is emblematic of the dire situation so many immigrants find themselves in as they are victimized by criminal cartels, drug traffickers, human traffickers, and the intolerable conditions brought about by economic and political injustice,” he said.
He called for bipartisan immigration reform, and for the faithful to pray for the country to respond to the immigration crisis according to the Gospel.
Also on Jan. 22, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), stated that some of the aspects in the executive orders related to refugees, immigrants, and expanding the death penalty, will have negative consequences.
Other provisions in the orders, such as the declaration that there are only two genders, are more positive, he said.
Emphasizing that Christians’ hope remains always in Jesus Christ, Archbishop Broglio concluded: “Our prayer is one of hope that, as a Nation blessed with many gifts, our actions demonstrate a genuine care for our most vulnerable sisters and brothers, including the unborn, the poor, the elderly and infirm, and migrants and refugees. The just Judge expects nothing less.”
>>President of US bishops’ conference releases statement on Trump’s first executive orders <<