The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops condemned parts of President Donald Trump‘s “indiscriminate” and “inhumane” methods of immigration enforcement on Tuesday.
During their Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, 216 of 224 bishops voted to adopt a “special message” that acknowledged the significance of the rule of law and advocated immigration reform.
“We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants,” the statement said.
The message then expressed the bishops’ “concern” over the condition of detention centers and detainees’ lack of access to pastoral care before it denounced the detention of illegal immigrants in hospitals, schools, and churches.
“We are troubled by threats against the sanctity of houses of worship and the special nature of hospitals and schools,” the message said. “We are grieved when we meet parents who fear being detained when taking their children to school and when we try to console family members who have already been separated from their loved ones.”
While the bishops condemned the immigration tactics used by law enforcement, they acknowledged the significance of the rule of law and suggested the Trump administration uphold the law with “dignity.”
“Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants,” the letter said. “We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of good will work together.”
“We recognize that nations have a responsibility to regulate their borders and establish a just and orderly immigration system for the sake of the common good. Without such processes, immigrants face the risk of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Safe and legal pathways serve as an antidote to such risks,” the letter added.
In the bishops’ declaration, the group also recognized the “generations of immigrants” who have made “enormous contributions to the well-being of our nation.”
The bishops then concluded their deposition by recognizing the tense climate both law enforcement and immigrants have faced, and prayed for the end of the “dehumanizing rhetoric and violence.”
POPE LEO URGES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO HAVE RESPECT FOR ‘HUMAN DIGNITY’ IN FIRST INTERVIEW
“We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement,” they said.
The Trump administration, composed of devout Catholics or supporters of the Catholic Church, has yet to respond to the bishops’ adoption of the statement.
