Catholic Bishops Launch "You Are Not Alone" Initiative

As pastors, we, the bishops of the United States, are bound to our people by ties of communion and compassion in Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. 

We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care. We lament that some immigrants in the United States have arbitrarily lost their legal status. We are troubled by threats against the sanctity of houses of worship and the special nature of hospitals and schools. We are grieved when we meet parents who fear being detained when taking their children to school and when we try to console family members who have already been separated from their loved ones. 

Despite obstacles and prejudices, generations of immigrants have made enormous contributions to the well-being of our nation. We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity. For this very reason, we feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.

Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants. We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of good will work together.

The Church’s teaching rests on the foundational concern for the human person, as created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). As pastors, we look to Sacred Scripture and the example of the Lord himself, where we find the wisdom of God’s compassion. The priority of the Lord, as the Prophets remind us, is for those who are most vulnerable: the widow, the orphan, the poor and the stranger (Zechariah 7:10). 

In the Lord Jesus, we see the One who became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9), we see the Good Samaritan who lifts us from the dust (Luke 10:30–37), and we see the One who is found in the least of these (Matthew 25). The Church’s concern for neighbor and our concern here for immigrants is a response to the Lord’s command to love as he has loved us (John 13:34).

To our immigrant brothers and sisters, we stand with you in your suffering, since, when one member suffers, all suffer (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:26). You are not alone!

We note with gratitude that so many of our clergy, consecrated religious and lay faithful already accompany and assist immigrants in meeting their basic human needs. We urge all people of good will to continue and expand such efforts. 

We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement. We pray that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation, and we are grateful for past and present opportunities to dialogue with the public and elected officials. In this dialogue, we will continue to advocate for meaningful immigration reform. 

As disciples of the Lord, we remain men and women of hope, and hope does not disappoint! (cf. Romans 5:5). May the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe enfold us all in her maternal and loving care and draw us ever closer to the heart of Christ.

You Are Not Alone

“You Are Not Alone” is a parish-based initiative of the USCCB to offer ideas, resources and toolkits for parishes to accompany our sisters and brothers. This initiative from the USCCB provides ideas and models from across the country in Catholic parishes for consideration such as:  

Emergency and Family Support 

Immigrants and their families need your help. Whether it is educating communities on their legal rights, responding to enforcement actions taking place in your community or providing support after enforcement has occurred, these resources provide guidance on how you can engage immigrants in need of your support.

Solidarity and Witness Through Public Prayer and Witness

As threats of family separation, detention and deportation rise, people of faith across the country are coming together to publicly stand with migrant and refugee communities. Resources at justiceforimmigrants.org/witness equip parishes and dioceses with everything they need to organize prayerful, public witness rooted in Catholic teaching.

Accompaniment and Pastoral Care

It is important to support clergy, lay leaders and parish communities in providing pastoral care and accompaniment to immigrants –whether ministering to those detained and their families navigating the immigration system or walking with farm workers through practical, pastoral and spiritual support.

Formation in Catholic Teaching 

The Catholic Church’s teaching on migration is informed by both the Bible and by Catholic social teaching, handed down over generations. While neither the Bible nor the Church’s moral tradition provide any definitive or technical accounts of how immigration policies should be crafted, it does offer a framework that informs our engagement with immigrant communities and the political questions that affect immigrants and native-born persons alike.