
A participant holds a sign during a Jan. 25 interfaith rally in support of immigrants at Love Park in downtown Philadelphia.
By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
The following Q&A provides a Catholic view on immigration, based on Church teaching. Political polarization has led Catholics, both lay and clergy, to “think about the issue through a ‘Democrat’ or ‘Republican’ lens. As Archbishop Timothy Broglio reemphasized in his Jan. 22 statement, the Church does not endorse either political view,” Bishop Dennis Walsh said.
Q: What is the Church’s stance on border control?
A: “The Church recognizes the right of a sovereign state to control its borders in furtherance of the common good. It also recognizes the right of human beings to migrate so that they can realize their God-given rights. While the sovereign state may impose reasonable limits on immigration, the common good is not served when the basic human rights of the individual are violated.” (Justice for Immigrants, USCCB.)
The United States also has a responsibility to prevent individuals with a history of violent crime from entering the country, as their presence could undermine a community’s peace and security. The Church teaches that the protection of society is a legitimate concern of the state, and measures to ensure this protection must be just and humane. (Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship).
Q: Why do immigrants enter our country?
A: “Many immigrants have been forced to leave their homes and countries seeking to provide for the most basic needs of their families and themselves. Their desperate circumstances do not correspond to the inordinate length of time (sometimes over 15 years) required to wait in line for the present system to process a visa request.” (Iowa Catholic Conference, public policy voice of Iowa’s bishops).
Q: In what way did immigration legislation passed in 1996 affect immigrants?
A: The law made it more difficult for undocumented immigrants to adjust their status to that of permanent resident. “Without condoning undocumented migration, the Church supports the human rights of all people and offers them pastoral care, education, and social services, no matter what the circumstances of entry into this country, and it works for the respect of the human dignity of all — especially those who find themselves in desperate circumstances.”
The Church teaches that “all human persons, created as they are in the image of God, possess a fundamental dignity that gives rise to a more compelling claim to the conditions worthy of human life. Accordingly, the Church also advocates legalization opportunities for the maximum number of undocumented persons, particularly those who have built equities and otherwise contributed to their communities” (“Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity,” USCCB, 2000).

Immigrant children and some adults pose after their arrival in 1908 at Ellis Island in New York.
Q: What do the U.S. bishops say about immigration reform?
A: The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has published a resource called “Catholic Elements of Immigration Reform.” The bishops say that safeguarding American communities and upholding the rule of law are laudable goals. At the same time, 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. The USCCB document on immigration reform, grounded in Catholic social teaching, includes six elements, according to the Iowa Catholic Conference newsletter (1-23-25):
- Enforcement efforts should be targeted, proportional and humane.
- Humanitarian protections and due process should be ensured.
- Long-time residents should have an earned pathway to citizenship.
- Family unity should remain a cornerstone of the U.S. system.
- Legal pathways should be expanded, reliable and efficient.
- The root causes of forced migration should be addressed.
Q: What does the Church teach about welcoming the immigrant?
A: Citing St. John Paul II, the U.S. bishops, reaffirmed the Church’s commitment, to work “so that every person’s dignity is respected, the immigrant is welcomed as a brother or sister, and all humanity forms a united family which knows how to appreciate with discernment the different cultures which comprise it” (Message for World Migration Day 2000, no. 5). The bishops called on Catholics, especially, “to welcome the newcomers in their neighborhoods and schools, in their places of work and worship, with heartfelt hospitality, openness, and eagerness both to help and to learn from our brothers and sisters, of whatever race, religion, ethnicity, or background.” (“Welcoming the Stranger …”).
Q: What does the Church believe about the rights of people to migrate?
A: The Church recognizes that all the goods of the earth belong to all people. When persons cannot find employment in their country of origin to support themselves and their families, they have a right to find work elsewhere in order to survive. Sovereign nations should provide ways to accommodate this right. (Justice for Immigrants, USCCB.)
Q: What are some examples from Scripture pertaining to migration?
A: The U.S. bishops remind the faithful that the patriarchs were nomads who, settled by the hand of God in Abraham’s time, “soon migrated to Egypt, where they suffered oppression and were delivered once again by God’s hand. From this experience comes a deep appreciation for the plight of the migrant, underlined in the words of Scripture: ‘You shall not oppress an alien; you well know how it feels to be an alien, since you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt’ (Ex 23:9). ‘You shall treat the stranger who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you, have the same love for him as for yourself; for you too were once strangers in the land of Egypt’” (Lv 19:33-34). (“Welcoming the Stranger …”)
Q: During the immigration influx of the 19th century, how did Americans treat Catholic immigrants?
A: The U.S. bishops say that many Americans “have forgotten their immigrant past. ‘Nativism’ assumes that there is just one image of a ‘real American’ and that immigrants either cannot live up to it or willfully refuse to do so. Originally directed against Catholics of all sorts, today such nativism can be seen in a campaign against ‘multiculturalism’ in all its forms, on the premise that reverence for distinctive traditions and histories undermines the unity of American society.”
The bishops said “such nativists forget not only that their ancestors spoke different languages and worshiped in different ways not long ago, but that their devotions and familiar saints, even their patterns of church organization, sprang from encounters between differing traditions within the Church” (Welcoming the Stranger …”).
Q: What does the Church teach about the pastoral care of immigrants?
A: The Church’s norms for the pastoral care of immigrants attempt to balance the legitimate rights of immigrants with their duty to look to the common good of both their communities of origin and their host community (“Instruction on the Pastoral Care of People Who Migrate, nos. 5-11”).
Q: What are the key points of the Iowa Catholic Conference on immigration?
A: The ICC supports the basic human rights of documented and undocumented immigrants and refugees. This includes fair treatment under the law for all workers including legal representation during deportation proceedings, a just living wage, fair labor practices, safe working conditions, and humane treatment of children and families. The ICC supports measures that help secure the nation’s border but that respect human rights and human life. The ICC opposes efforts to make state and local police responsible for enforcement of federal immigration laws.