Church’s teaching on immigration is clear

The Church cares for everyone, regardless of their status as legal or illegal

By Deacon Bob Hunt

There has been a great ruckus since Donald Trump became president over the role of the Church in politics. This was true when Joe Biden, who insisted that he was a devout Catholic, was president, and the question of denying him Holy Communion over his strong support for abortion was an ongoing debate. Today, much of the debate over what the Church teaches, or should teach, and what the Church does, or should do, regarding government policy is focused on the question of immigration.

Vice President J.D. Vance, another politician who calls himself a devout Catholic, threw some pretty serious slurs at Catholic bishops regarding the Church’s ministry to migrants when the bishops let it be known that they were none too pleased with the Trump administration’s policies of treating all illegal immigrants the same and of removing sanctuary status from churches. Vice President Vance accused the bishops of being all about the money and of not caring for children caught up in human trafficking. Actually, every year the Church spends more money than she receives from the federal government in her ministry to migrants, and the bishops have had a ministry dedicated to those trapped in human trafficking for decades. Vice President Vance should be ashamed of himself, but shame, it seems, is not a characteristic of many politicians, even devoutly Catholic ones.

The Church has also been accused of assisting migrants to enter the United States illegally. Catholic Charities and the U.S. bishops deny this, insisting that they only help immigrants who are already in the United States. It is true that the Church cares for everyone, regardless of their status as legal or illegal. The Gospel will not have it otherwise.

The Church’s teaching on immigration, as I believe it applies to our current political and social environment, is clear and can be summarized in four points:

1. The United States has a right to protect its borders and regulate immigration into the country.
2. Those immigrants in this country, legally or illegally, who are committing violent crimes, are members of cartels or organized criminal gangs, must be incarcerated or deported for the safety of the community.
3. Those fleeing poverty or persecution have a right to immigrate legally to other countries, including the United States.
4. Those who have fled poverty or persecution in their country who have entered this country illegally must be treated with dignity in a process that allows them to apply for legalization without the threat of automatic deportation.

The bottom line is not all immigrants, even illegal immigrants, may be treated the same. Those who have entered the country and are committing crimes must be incarcerated or deported. But those who have entered the country, even illegally, who have come here to pursue a better life, who are peaceful and productive people, must have the opportunity to make their case for why they came and why they want to stay. This especially applies to those who have been here for years, or were brought here as children and for whom the United States is, for all intents and purposes, the only country they know.

A friend, who is a genuinely faithful Catholic and a compassionate person, asked me, “Why don’t those who have been here for years simply apply for legal status?” This is a legitimate question. The answer is that, unfortunately, our immigration system doesn’t currently make that realistic. Put simply, there is no path to citizenship for those who are undocumented. And applying for legal status identifies them as undocumented, which puts them at risk of deportation or of having to leave the country to apply at the risk of not being allowed back in. Needless to say, many don’t want to take that risk. Even if an undocumented immigrant was brought here as a child or marries a U. S. citizen, he or she may still be required to return to their home country for years before they can apply for reentry, because of their originally having entered illegally.

That is why we need a process whereby undocumented immigrants can apply for legal status without fear of automatic deportation, or of being required to leave the country and risk not being allowed back in. This doesn’t mean they’ll automatically be given citizenship. The process can still require vetting, and those who don’t qualify may end up being deported. But it will give these people an opportunity to make their case. After all, most of them came here, not to break our laws or commit heinous crimes, but to make a better life for themselves and their families. When I was learning U.S. history in school, I was taught that that’s what America is all about.

Catholics who are politically inclined—and, at some point, that likely includes all of us—have a decision to make: Are we going to form our politics according to our faith, or are we going to form our faith according to our politics? Many Catholics, throughout history and in every country, have sadly chosen the latter of those two propositions.

We Catholics, too, should not forget that we were once considered outsiders, the ones nobody wanted in this country. Why? Because we were considered dirty, criminal, and of having divided loyalty between our country and our Church. When John F. Kennedy ran for president in 1960, he gave a speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association in which he decried the idea, held by more than a few, that a Catholic was not suited for public office because of this so-called divided loyalty.

When Clarence Thomas, who was raised Catholic, was nominated to the Supreme Court, Douglas Wilder, then governor of Virginia said, “The question is, how much allegiance does he have to the pope?” Too many respected newspapers have been willing to publish some of the most scathing anti-Catholic articles by journalists questioning the fact that there are so many Catholics on the Supreme Court. Only a few years ago, Amy Coney Barrett, during her consideration for the U.S. Circuit Court, was questioned about her Catholic faith by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who remarked, “The dogma lives loudly within you.”

Every person must be regarded as one possessing the dignity of having been made in the image of God. That does not guarantee citizenship, but it certainly requires consideration and respect. Those of us lucky to have been born American ought to be able to appreciate the desire of others not so lucky to become American and enjoy the benefits of this great nation, built on the principle of equal justice under the law and equal opportunity to succeed, regardless of race, religion, color, or nation of origin. We need a process for those who want to join this great American experiment, to do so legally, and without undue risk of losing the hope that carried them here.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.

Deacon Bob Hunt is a husband, father, grandfather, and parishioner at All Saints Church in Knoxville. He is author of the book “Thy Word: An Introduction to the Bible for People in the Pews.”