The US Bishops' Special Message on Immigration
A Word of Accompaniment
The US Catholic bishops issued a rare “special message” on immigration at their fall meeting this past week, and perhaps more importantly for the long term, they unveiled a plan of action, called “You are Not Alone,” providing dioceses across the country with resources for accompanying immigrants who face what the message describes as “indiscriminate mass deportation” and “dehumanizing rhetoric and violence.” Last week, I suggested that it would be crucial to watch how the bishops responded to the Trump administration’s immigration policies at the meeting, particularly because of the presence of a small but influential group of bishops who have avoided public criticisms of the Trump administration on the issue. Both the special message and the “You Are Not Alone” initiative reflect a remarkable unity among the bishops on behalf of immigrants, even if the message’s publication makes clear some of the challenges the bishops still face in their pastoral response to the issue.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) frequently makes public statements on immigration policy, particularly through its Committee on Migration. The recent special message stands out, however, as a statement made by the bishops gathered together as a body rather than by the bishops’ administrative apparatus speaking on their behalf. The last time the US bishops issued a similar special message was in 2013, in response to the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate implemented as part of the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act. The unity of the bishops in their support for the message on immigration is also striking; the vote of two-thirds of the bishops is necessary for the approval of a special message, and in this case 216 bishops voted in favor of the message, five against, with three abstaining.
According to reporting by Jack Figge and JD Flynn at The Pillar, the drafting of the special message was coordinated by Archbishop Richard Henning of Boston, who was appointed archbishop by Pope Francis last year. The drafters of the message included Henning, Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso (the chair of the Committee on Migration), Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, and Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia. Although the statement was not intended to be open for amendment when it was presented to the bishops as a whole, the bishops nevertheless entertained and eventually approved an addition proposed by Cardinal Blais Cupich of Chicago, stating their disapproval of “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people,” referring to the administration’s failure to distinguish between serious criminals and those immigrants without a criminal record who have lived in the US for years.
Certain influential bishops, like Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, have offered a muted response to the Trump administration’s immigration policies, arguing that a better approach is to seek dialogue and engagement behind the scenes. Some have likewise emphasized questions of religious liberty, such as access to the Eucharist by immigrant detainees, as a matter of particular concern to the Church. Although the bishops’ special message clearly signals the bishops are open to engagement with the administration and expresses a deep concern for the spiritual welfare of detained immigrants, it does not shy away from criticizing the administration’s policies or calling for the reform of the US immigration system.
In addition to the above-mentioned condemnation of indiscriminate deportations, the message is also critical of the use of racial profiling by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol officers, the abusive conditions in detention centers, the removal of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from certain immigrant groups like Venezuelans and Haitians, and the targeting of churches, hospitals, and schools by ICE. The statement also condemns “the vilification of immigrants” in political rhetoric. The bishops root their critique in the “God-given human dignity” of immigrants, which should serve as the foundation for immigration policy.
As Zac Davis explains at America, the bishops’ passage of the special message was a balancing act. Some bishops (Figge and Flynn specifically cite Bishop Oscar Cantú of San Jose, California) wanted the message to include an even more forceful criticism of Trump administration policies. Others thought more strident criticism would shut down any potential engagement with the Trump administration. Perhaps the message’s critical yet tempered tone persuaded some of the bishops who have been more muted on the immigration issue to support it. Still, it would be interesting to know who the five who opposed the message, and the three who abstained, were. Davis also notes that support for the special message transcended the divide among the bishops over their response to Pope Francis’s pastoral priorities, which has generated conflict at previous meetings. For example, Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, who was elected the new President of the USCCB at the meeting, was among those who were lukewarm to Pope Francis’s leadership and priorities, and yet he enthusiastically supported the message.
Ever since Donald Trump was re-elected to the presidency last November, I have tried to emphasize the urgency for the bishops to develop a strategy for responding to the mass deportation policies Trump had promised on the campaign trail. For that reason, I’m delighted that the bishops have united around a message clearly condemning the abuses of the administration, calling for immigration reform, and affirming the Church’s accompaniment of immigrants. I’m also encouraged by the “You Are Not Alone” campaign, which builds on the efforts of individual bishops and other Catholics to put themselves on the line on behalf of immigrants. That being said, there are some thoughtful criticisms of the special message.
