What's New

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Statement from the Bishops of the State of Mississippi on Immigration to Governor Phil Bryant and the Mississippi State Legislature
January 21, 2012
While we do not deny the legitimacy of concern for laws that are broken and for any behavior that threatens our national security, we, however, do not consider the search for employment, decent housing, and secure family units to be a threat to our society or our security.

Welcome address by Bishop John C. Wester at the USCCB Immigration Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah
January 11, 2012
I would like to welcome all of you to Utah and thank you for making the effort to come to this conference. This is a wonderful way to celebrate National Migration Week as we join with so many others throughout our country in giving witness to the tremendous contributions our immigrants make to our nation.

Letter from the Hispanic/Latino Bishops to Immigrants
December 12, 2011
“In your suffering faces we see the true face of Jesus Christ,” the bishops wrote. “We are well aware of the great sacrifice you make for your families’ well-being. Despite your contributions to the well-being of our country, instead of receiving our thanks, you are often treated as criminals because you have violated current immigration laws.”
En Español | Read More

Welcoming Christ in the Migrant: National Migration Week 2012 to be Celebrated January 8-14.
December 8, 2011
The observance of National Migration Week was begun over a quarter century ago by the U.S. bishops to provide Catholics an opportunity to take stock of the wide diversity of peoples in the Church and the ministries serving them. As the face of the local church continues to change, educational materials produced for National Migration Week have become increasingly important. They can be used throughout the year by individuals, families, schools and parishes to learn about the complex issues surrounding migration.
Resources for National Migration Week can be found on the USCCB website at http://www.usccb.org/about/migration-and-refugee-services/national-migration-week/
En Español

Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (2012): Migration and the New Evangelization
Christian communities are to pay special attention to migrant workers and their families by accompanying them with prayer, solidarity and Christian charity, by enhancing what is reciprocally enriching, as well as by fostering new political, economic and social planning that promotes respect for the dignity of every human person, the safeguarding of the family, access to dignified housing, to work and to welfare.
En Español

Southern California Public Radio: Why it's so hard to obtain legal status, even through marriage and family
November 25, 2011
Q:  The families of these people who can’t adjust immigration status – including their U.S. citizen spouses, children – live in a sort of mixed-status limbo. Is there anything that families like these can do to change their situation?
A:  Not under the current structure of the law. It effectively bars anyone who has been here unlawfully for more than 6 months. By requiring the person to leave the U.S. to get the immigrant visa, and then barring them for years once they leave, the law includes an ugly Catch-22. You need to leave to get a visa, but once you leave you're ineligible for the visa for 10 years.

A Reflection on Illegal Immigration from Catholic and Protestant Bishops in Kansas
November 9, 2011
And why would we be anything but welcoming and helpful, remembering our personal and national stories? A yet stronger motive is given in the teachings of  Jesus: “[I was] a stranger and you welcomed me … whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:35, 40). “Love one another as I have loved you,” Jesus says (see John 13:34).

Migration Committee Chair Expresses Support For Alabama Bishops’ Efforts To Reverse Unjust State Immigration Law
September 8, 2011
On behalf of the U.S. Catholic bishops, I offer my solidarity with and support to Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi, archbishop of Mobile, AL, and Bishop Robert J. Baker, bishop of Birmingham, AL,—in close collaboration with other religious leaders of the State—in their efforts to turn back a State law which would threaten the ministry of the Church in Alabama to undocumented immigrants.
The Catholic Church provides pastoral and social services to all persons, regardless of their immigration status. Our mandate is to provide for the pastoral and social care of all of God’s children. Government should not infringe upon that duty, as America’s founding fathers made clear in the U.S. Constitution.
En Español

The New York Times Editorial: The Nation's Cruelest Immigration Law
August 28, 2011
What is remarkable in Alabama is the separate lawsuit by the four church leaders, who say the law violates their religious freedoms to perform acts of charity without regard to the immigration status of those they minister to or help. “The law,” Archbishop Thomas Rodi of Mobile said in The Times, “attacks our core understanding of what it means to be a church.”

Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles in L'Osservatore Romano: Immigration and the `Next America´perspectives from our history
August 11, 2011
As Catholics who are faithful citizens in America we have to answer these questions within a larger frame of reference. As Catholics, we have to always remember that there is more to the life of any nation than the demands of the moment in politics, economics and culture. We have to consider all of those demands and the debates about them in light of God’s plan for the nations.
This is a big challenge for us in this culture. Our culture pushes us to “privatize” our faith, to separate our faith from our life in society. We always have to resist that temptation. We are called to live our faith in our businesses, homes and communities, and in our participation in public life. That means we have to bring a Catholic faith perspective to this debate about immigration. We cannot just think about this issue as Democrats or Republicans or as liberals or conservatives.

Archbishop Rodi of Mobile: Alabama Churches Unite to Halt Anti-Immigration Law
August 1, 2011
This law attacks our very understanding of what it means to be a Christian.

Bishop Wester Op-Ed:  Immigration Enforcement
July 8, 2011
There is no disagreement that effective enforcement of the law should be a central component of our national immigration policy. Indeed, the Catholic Church believes that enforcement of our immigration laws is a vital component of any workable immigration system. The question is how this enforcement is implemented, as sound and humane public policy should protect the God-given dignity of the human person, regardless of their legal status.

POLITICO Op-Ed by Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami: Immigration reform must find balance
May 24, 2011
What are the human costs of this federal inaction? Immigrant families — many with U.S.-citizen children — are being separated; the effective working relationships and trust that once existed between immigrant neighborhoods and local law enforcement have been seriously eroded. Should federal reform be shelved indefinitely and state and local enforcement continue unchecked, the nation’s social fabric will begin to tear — to the detriment of all Americans.

Vatican Radio interview: Out of the shadows
May 18, 2011
President Obama wants to fix what he's termed the U.S.'s "broken" immigration system to provide a pathway to American citizenship for around 11 million illegal immigrants.  But what are the chances of this happening and and what impact is the current system having upon the lives of those undocumented migrants hiding in the shadows of American society?  To find out more, Susy Hodges spoke to a representative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Listen to the interview

The USCCB and the JFI campaign included in the President's remarks at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast.
May 12, 2011

Bishops’ Migration Chairman Urges President and Congress to Act on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
May 6, 2011
Archbishop Gomez said that immigration reform is long overdue and requires bipartisan cooperation and leadership. “Congress and the President have a responsibility to come together to enact reform that corrects this humanitarian problem, respects the dignity and hard work of our immigrant brothers and sisters, and reflects America’s proud history as a hospitable society and a welcoming culture.”

Bishop Wester attends White House immigration meeting
April 19, 2011
A Utah-born, common-ground approach to fixing America's broken immigration system was part of a White House discussion Tuesday and mya serve as a model in moving the dicey debate forward. John Wester, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City and an architect of the Utah Compact, was one of the leaders invited to the meeting that included President Barack Obama and a bevy of Cabinet heads.

Statement of Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and Chair, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, on the H-2A Visa Program Submitted to The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement
April 13, 2011
All agricultural workers – those here both temporarily and permanently – are entitled to safe working conditions, adequate housing, a living wage and benefits for themselves and their families, and the opportunity to become permanent members of U.S. society.
Because of this, Mr. Chairman, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opposes any expansion of the current H-2A nonimmigrant worker program and instead supports reform through AgJOBS.

Testimony of Ambassador Johnny Young, Executive Director, Migration and Refugee Services - U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, on the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program Before The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement
April 5, 2011
The U.S. Catholic Bishops ask that Congress maintain lawful avenues for immigration to the United States and continue to prioritize the diversification of our immigrant pool. The Diversity Immigrant Visa is an important facet of both our domestic and foreign policy objectives. If we are truly concerned about the rule of law, the wholesale elimination of legal avenues for immigration, such as the Diversity Visa, is not the answer.

Oklahoma Catholic Church leaders speak out on immigration
March 29, 2011
Immigration should be the responsibility of federal lawmakers, and laws passed should treat the undocumented humanely and with dignity, respecting the disadvantaged, families and children, says a statement released by Catholic Church leaders in Oklahoma.

Jackson, Mississippi: Day of Prayer and Fasting for Just Immigration Reform
February 14, 2011
As Bishop of the Diocese of Jackson, I reiterate my previous statements in union with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, that we need a national comprehensive immigration policy change rooted in justice and the dignity of the human person. Our fellow human beings, fellow Christians and in most cases our fellow Catholics walk in fear and are being pushed to the margins of life. This is occurring because of very specific decisions and actions on the part of some, albeit, well- intentioned people; as well as silence, on the part of many good people.
En Español

Testimony of Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles and Chair, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration on The National Employer Electronic Verification System (E-VERIFY) Before The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement
February 10, 2011
First, and foremost, we urge lawmakers to not consider mandating the expanded use of E-Verify unless they do so as part of a comprehensive immigration reform bill. As I have stated previously, the U.S. Catholic Bishops believe that comprehensive reform, including a broad legalization program and the expansion of legal avenues for low-skilled workers to enter the United States lawfully, is a moral, economic, and policy imperative.

Bishop Robert W. Finn, Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph: Immigration laws require 'expanded vision.'
February 5, 2011
We ought not to be satisfied with the present circumstance of the undocumented migrant until our leaders work harder to reform immigration in our country. The law of human dignity, and the integrity and protection of families, must be able to live side by side with meaningful border controls and a responsible and obtainable path to
citizenship. Immigration reform is a volatile issue in our country and, true enough, elected officials are caught in the divide. But we must be willing to work hard in support of meaningful reform.
Read Bishop Finn's Homily for the Mass at the Immigration Conference.

Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles, speaking at the University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill, on why America needs immigration reform
February 2, 2011
I would like to begin, then, by telling three short stories:  In August 2008, a young woman and her three young children aged 14, 10 and 6, were driving from their home in Western North Carolina to visit their father, who was working in Maryland. At 2 a.m., they were stopped by a sheriff’s deputy on Interstate 85. The officer arrested the woman, an undocumented immigrant from Honduras, for driving without a license. The children were left on the side of the road as the police car drove off with their mother. The children spent the next nine hours hiding in the bushes alongside the highway—scared, exhausted and distraught—until their father arrived from Maryland to rescue them.

Local faith leaders asked to see God in faces of immigrants
February 1, 2011
When the Holy Family fled to Egypt, baby Jesus was a refugee, a crowd of religious faithful heard Monday. As Mary and Joseph trekked toward Bethlehem, they were migrants seeking hospitality in a foreign land.

Testimony of Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles and Chair, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration Before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement
January 26, 2011
Mr. Chairman, the U.S. Catholic Bishops do not believe that “enforcement only” immigration policies will humanely resolve the policy dilemma created by an increasing number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States. Rather, we support comprehensive immigration reform to fix what has become a broken system. Such reform would include: an earned legalization program for foreign nationals of good moral character; the reform of the family-based immigration system; a revamped temporary worker regime that protects both the workers who would come to the United States and U.S. citizen workers; the restoration of immigrants’ due process rights; and an effort to meaningfully address the root causes of migration, such as under-development and poverty in sending countries.

Texas Catholic Bishops to their Legislature: Reject Arizona-style immigration policies
January 6, 2011
We must recognize and welcome the contributions of immigrants to our great state. We call on the Texas legislature to reject Arizona-style immigration policies. We look forward to working with the legislature and our immigration partners to enact state-appropriate laws that recognize the historic and present-day contributions of immigrants in Texas.

National Migration Week Statement by Francis Cardinal George, OMI of Chicago
January 2, 2011
Migrants and immigrants who have entered our country without proper documents live in the shadows every day fearing the possibility of deportation, of being separated from their spouses and their children. Yet while most welcome the economic benefits of their cheap labor, many condemn them for being here.
Read More | En Español

Statement by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh on National Migration Week and immigration
January 2, 2011
I encourage your study of the teaching of our Church on migration, our Catholic understanding of the role of the State to regulate migration, defend its borders, its laws and its citizens, and to recognize that, in keeping with our teaching, migrants are also members of the one human family, our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Florida Bishops Statement on Immigration
January 1, 2011
We call upon our federal delegation to lead the fight for comprehensive immigration reform in Congress. We call upon the Florida legislature to resist efforts to demonize those who provide the labor for our economy and a living for their families. Our Catholic Social Teaching and the tradition of the Church affirm the dignity of every human being, made in the image of God.
Read More | En Español

National Migration Week 2011 Website | Read More | En Español
January 2-8, 2011
Homily of His Excellency Thomas Wenski, Archbishop of Miami, on the Feast of the Epiphany.

National Migration Week 2011 Statement by Francis Cardinal George, OMI of Chicago
| En Español

USCCB Chairman Calls Senate Vote on Dream Act A Setback, Not a Defeat
December 21, 2010
On behalf of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, I express my gratitude to those elected officials who did the right thing and voted for this important bill.
Read More | En Español

Migrant Families Focus of 2011 National Migration Week
December 16, 2010
Following the lead of Pope Benedict XVI, who has focused on migrant families in his 2011 World Day of Migrants and Refugees message, the U.S. Catholic bishops focus this years National Migration Week message also on the family by highlighting the stresses and strains that migration has on families and the effects that economic underdevelopment has in this process.
Read More | En Español

Archbishop García-Siller and Bishop Cantú applaud House passage of DREAM Act and ask U.S. Senators to do likewise
December 11, 2010
We extend our congratulations to the members of the House of Representatives who showed compassion and courage passing the House version of the DREAM Act this past week. It brings this nation one step closer to making the promise of opportunity for all in this land a reality to young people who, through no fault of their own, are in the United States without legal documentation. We now ask the U.S. Senate demonstrate that they share in this vision of the future of our youth and of this great nation.
Read More

USCCB Chairman Commends House Passage of Dream Act, Calls on U.S. Senate to Follow Suit
December 10, 2010
We cannot let this moment pass. Our Senators must also pass this legislation, so that it can be signed into law by the President as soon as possible.
Read More | En Español

USCCB Statement on the passage of the DREAM Act in the House of Representatives
December 8, 2010
From Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles and Archbishop José H. Gomez, Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles
Read More

Archbishop Aymond of New Orleans shares some thoughts on the DREAM Act
December 2010

Bishop Finn Urges Passage of DREAM Act
November 29, 2010
Today, Kansas City-St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn wrote to members of Missouri's congressional delegation urging them to support passage of the Dream Act.
Read More

Statement on the DREAM Act by Archbishop José Gomez, Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles
November 17, 2010
Today, I ask our elected officials in Congress to remember how we are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants and that we, too, have benefitted from this opportunity and the American values of fairness, compassion, and hard work. With the passage of the DREAM Act, we can welcome a new generation of Americans who will one day become the leaders of our communities.
Read More

U.S. Bishops Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, Chairman of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Migration, expresses the bishops' support for comprehensive immigration reform. Such reform would take into account both the rights of a country to secure its borders and the rights of people to emigrate to support themselves and their families.