Catholic bishops issue immigration reform guidance: Safeguard communities in humane way

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 10, 2025 / 17:20 pm (CNA).

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued guidelines for immigration reform that encourage lawmakers to safeguard communities in a “targeted, proportional, and humane” manner.

With President-elect Donald Trump taking office on Jan. 20, bishops have grown increasingly vocal about immigration policy. The incoming president has expressed his intent to implement mass deportations of immigrants who are in the country illegally — a position that many bishops are voicing concerns about.

The guidance issued this month, just weeks before Trump takes office, states that “safeguarding American communities and upholding the rule of law are laudable goals” but adds that “a country’s rights to regulate its borders and enforce its immigration laws must be balanced with its responsibilities to uphold the sanctity of human life, respect the God-given dignity of all persons, and enact policies that further the common good.”

“Enforcement measures should focus on those who present genuine risks and dangers to society, particularly efforts to reduce gang activity, stem the flow of drugs, and end human trafficking,” the guidelines read.

“Just enforcement also requires limiting the use of detention, especially for families, children, pregnant women, the sick, elderly, and disabled, given its proven harms and the pervasive lack of appropriate care in detention settings,” the guidance continues.

Trump nominated Tom Homan, the former director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to serve as his border czar in the next administration. He and Trump have said their first priority for deportations will be criminals.

The USCCB guidelines discourage the use of military personnel, resources, and tactics to carry out deportations, and state enforcement should consider “families, community ties, and religious liberty interests.”

On the matter of families, the USCCB discourages policies “that require eligibility for programs or services to hinge on an entire family being comprised of citizens,” noting the prevalence of mixed-status families that include “combinations of citizens and noncitizens.”

“Catholic teaching maintains that families are the foundation of society, and the success of any civilization hinges on the well-being of its families,” the document adds. “… Immigration reform measures should be evaluated according to whether they strengthen families and promote family unity.”

The bishops also urge lawmakers to support a pathway to citizenship for long-term residents of the United States and an expansion of pathways for legal immigration. According to the bishops, “improving and increasing opportunities for people to lawfully enter the United States, on both a temporary and permanent basis, are necessary steps to address several pressing issues, from family separation to regional labor shortages.”

Additionally, the bishops request that protections for refugees, asylum seekers, and victims of human trafficking and abused youth remain in place.

“The dehumanization or vilification of noncitizens as a means to deprive them of protection under the law is not only contrary to the rule of law but an affront to God himself, who has created them in his own image,” the guidelines add. “Further restricting access to humanitarian protections will only endanger those who are most vulnerable and deserving of relief.”

Furthermore, the USCCB is urging “meaningful cooperation between the United States and other countries” to address forced migration and conditions that cause migrants to flee their home countries.

“There are a multitude of factors causing people around the world to migrate in large numbers today, often as the only way to sustain or protect human life,” the guidelines state.