More than 300 Catholic leaders, including 15 bishops, are urging lawmakers to reject expanded funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless it's paired with significant immigration reforms, according to a new letter sent to the U.S. Senate.
The appeal, first reported by the National Catholic Register, reflects longstanding Catholic teaching on human dignity and the treatment of immigrants.
But the letter is drawing pushback from some conservative Catholic voices who warn immigration enforcement remains a legitimate function of government.
Catholic leaders call for immigration reform
The coalition argues additional funding for ICE without structural reform risks perpetuating policies that separate families and harm vulnerable migrants. The Catholic leaders are urging lawmakers to prioritize protections for asylum seekers and illegal immigrants while pursuing comprehensive immigration reform.
Their letter to the Senate emphasizes the Catholic Church's commitment to protecting immigrants, stating that Catholic social teaching recognizes the right of individuals to migrate when they cannot support themselves in their home countries.
"Catholic social teaching affirms that the family is the basic unit of society, willed by God and deserving of protection in law and public policy," the letter reads. "Recent immigration enforcement actions carried out under DHS authority have heightened our concern that this fundamental principle is being compromised. In many communities, enforcement practices have resulted in families being separated with little warning or recourse."
"For these reasons, we cannot support legislation that expands or sustains enforcement practices without adequately addressing their consequences for families and communities," the letter continues. "A DHS budget that prioritizes detention and removal — while lacking strong safeguards for family unity, due process, and accountability — risks entrenching harm rather than promoting justice or public safety."
What does the Catholic Church teach about immigration?
The church's teaching on immigration is nuanced, and while encouraging nations to welcome immigrants, it also affirms a state's right to regulate its borders.
Catholic doctrine presents a nuanced approach to immigration — one that stresses both compassion toward immigrants and the responsibility of governments to protect the common good.
The Catechism explicitly recognizes the authority of nations to regulate their borders, stating that "political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions." It also says "immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens."
This balance has become central to debates among Catholic leaders, particularly as immigration policy remains a major political flashpoint in the United States.
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