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 17 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 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