Policy

The USCCB urges Congress to protect asylum seekers and family unity A USCCB spokesperson at the press briefing T he United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has released a comprehensive statement on federal immigration policy, calling on Congress to restore due process protections for asylum seekers and halt the separation of families at the southern border. The statement is among the most forceful public interventions the Conference has made on immigration in more than a decade. The document, signed by more than one hundred bishops, invokes the Church’s long tradition of welcoming the stranger and cites recent deportations of individuals with deep ties to Catholic communities — including several who were brought to the United States as minors and have lived as practicing Catholics for the whole of their adult lives. The statement calls for a bipartisan legislative solution that upholds both the rule of law and human dignity. It does not endorse any specific bill currently before Congress, but sets out a series of principles — including family unity, access to legal counsel, and protection for those fleeing violence — against which the bishops say any proposed legislation should be measured. The face of the migrant is the face of Christ. We cannot look away. Congressional leaders in both parties acknowledged receiving the bishops’ letter. Several Catholic members of Congress issued their own statements in response, with reactions divided along familiar partisan lines. The USCCB’s Committee on Migration will brief congressional staff on the statement’s contents next week. Catholic immigration legal services organizations report a surge in demand for their services in recent months, as enforcement activity has intensified and more families seek guidance. The bishops have pledged to expand funding for these services through the annual Catholic Campaign for Human Development collection.