UPDATED to include Bishop Biegler and Bishop Bejarano in the list of signatories.
On Tuesday, February 24, a few hours before President Trump’s first State of the Union address of his second term, Pax Christi USA’s bishop president Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv., of Lexington KY, and 19* other bishops issued a statement strongly condemning ongoing tactics by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to threaten and intimidate the immigrant community. They reiterate the position of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops that undocumented immigrants should be given the opportunity to process through the immigration system without unwarranted fear of detention, family separation, and deportation.
They write: “We speak out as pastors in border states and beyond concerned about the impact of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recent and ongoing immigration enforcement activities against individuals and families who are without legal status in our country.
“While we acknowledge the right and duty of a sovereign nation to enforce its laws, we also believe that those laws should be upheld in a manner that protects the God-given human dignity and rights of the human person.”
The bishops offered the following policy recommendations:
- The right to apply for asylum at the border should be honored.
- Sensitive locations should be protected.
- Immigration enforcement should not focus on those who are contributing to the nation.
- Immigrant families should be kept together.
- Due process should be restored in the immigration system.
- The use of tactics to intimidate and create fear in the community should be halted.
- Detention standards should be enforced and vulnerable groups should not be detained.
- Congress and the administration should fund reintegration programs for deportees.
Use this link to read the entire statement, which includes expanded information on each policy recommendation.
The letter was signed by the following bishops:
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio
Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe
Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle
Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Detroit
Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces
Bishop Ramon Bejarano of Monterey
Bishop Steven Biegler of Cheyenne
Bishop Oscar Cantú of San Jose
Bishop John P. Dolan of Phoenix
Bishop Daniel E. Garcia of Austin
Bishop James A. Misko of Tucson
Bishop Emeritus Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson
Bishop Michael Pham of San Diego
Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso
Bishop James S. Wall of Gallup
Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn
Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, CSsR of Providence
Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv. of Lexington
Auxiliary Bishop Peter Da Bui of Phoenix
Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares of Phoenix
* updated number
Thank you for strongly speaking to this terrible situation happening for our sisters and brothers. It has been terrible to see the cruelty and mockery of justice coming from many of the ICE members.
This should never be happening in our country! Those coming here are often escaping from persecution, terror and murder in their home countries. They come for a more just and meaningful life here…the land of “justice and liberty” for all! I pray that our government may become once again a more welcoming place for those who desire to be part of this nation.
Two replies regarding the courageous letter by some bishops on immigrant enforcement:
One: Why did only 17 sign?
Two: Besides demanding humane treatment of immigrants, it would be a good idea for our bishops to encourage our politicians to enact laws to provide immigrants with equal pay for their work. As it is now both Democrats and Republicans are quite comfortable allowing immigrants to perform dangerous and debilitating work at wages no citizen would accept. Which elicits a shameful question: are our politicians really empathetic or, unlike the bishop signatories, greedy for the cheap labor that undergirds our capitalist system?
David-Ross Gerling, PhD
It’s 18 bishops — Bishop Stowe plus 17 others.
Most of the signatories are from dioceses along the US-Mexico border. We don’t know how the letter was circulated – it’s possible that the bishops from non-border areas were made aware of it in an informal way.
Where are the others???
Well stated. Thank you for standing up for those in need of a decent life and freedom of work and life in the U.S. we are behind you.
I applaud our bishops that are speaking out and following the Pope’s initiatives on this subject! I’m curious if other bishops were invited to sign and why there isn’t an active Catholic presence at peaceful protests, immigration hearings, detention facilities, and other support for our immigrant neighbors?
This is a disgrace for Philadelphia to not have our Bishop Perez sign this document.
Why did not all of the Bishops sign this document? If they really are followers of Jesus they should be in solidarity with the poor. Maybe they are too busy with their estates.