For decades now, the U.S. Catholic Church has stood with immigrants and refugees in many ways. Politically speaking, the Church has long advocated for the repair of our broken immigration system. It is well documented that our current system for processing and welcoming those who seek to come to the United States—whether for safety, refuge, or simply a chance to survive and provide for their families—is in serious need of reform, as it is not equipped to meet the demands of today’s global realities. Tragically, one successive administration and Congress after another has lacked the ability to step up and make the necessary changes, and this has led to multiple generations of people suffering unnecessarily when they arrive at our borders (or even seek from foreign lands to come to our borders).In 2000, the USCCB issued, “Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity,” to express their solidarity with migrants. Then, in 2003, the US and Mexican Bishops published a letter titled, “Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope.” Among other things this letter enumerated several key principles for Catholics – and the government – to consider as they hopefully look towards an overhaul of our immigration system (#34-38):
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Persons have the right to find opportunities in their homeland. Most people have no desire to leave the land of the ancestors and their community, and they have the right to thrive there.
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Persons have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families. If that opportunity is not available in their homeland, they have the right to seek that opportunity elsewhere.
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Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders. Every country has the right to regulate the movement of people across their borders so as to keep their population safe and not overwhelm their government.
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Refugees and asylum seekers should be afforded protection. Throughout the Bible, there are examples of God demanding that we protect and care for those who are forced to leave their homes. (For example, see Ex 23:9, Lv 19:33, Dt 10:17-19, Lv 19:9-10; Dt 14:28-29, Mt 2:15, Mt 25:35-36, 40, Eph 2:17-20.)
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The human dignity and human rights of undocumented migrants should be respected. At the root of all of this (and the root of all Catholic Social Teaching), is the reality that each and every one of us is born with inherent dignity from God, and we must always honor that dignity.
In recent months and years, these principles have not been honored. Countries around the world (including the U.S.) have not provided opportunities for their citizens to thrive. More specifically, our country has not welcomed the stranger, not abided by the international right to seek asylum, and has – in many ways – not respected the dignity of those folks who are seeking welcome. Derogatory language, violent treatment, and the breaking of promises of support has been rampant. Even people who have come to the country through carefully vetted governmental processes have been abused, neglected, and forgotten.
The U.S. Church and her bishops have responded in multiple ways. Several individual and state conferences have released statements, Church teaching has been clarified and expanded, and formational tools have been developed. Most recently, the USCCB has released The Mother Cabrini Pledge. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini was the first American citizen to be canonized, and she is the patron saint of immigrants. Her life and her story exemplify the Church’s commitment to accompaniment with, compassion for, and solidarity with immigrants. As Pope Leo XVI wrote recently in the message for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, “Migrants and refugees remind the Church of her pilgrim dimension, perpetually journeying towards her final homeland, sustained by a hope that is a theological virtue.”
As we continue through these difficult times, I encourage you to learn more about the pledge, consider making the pledge yourself, pray for all those affected by our broken immigration system, and spread this message of solidarity with your neighbors and broader community. It was Jesus who said, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Mt 25:35) Let us follow that example and continue to be Christ in the world, especially to those who are most vulnerable and in need of our love.