Conservative Catholics in the United States have had a rough week. From the openly gay ABC news anchor Gio Benitez being publicly confirmed in New York, to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops condemning the Trump administration’s immigration policies, Traditionalist Catholics once again find themselves chafing against the authority of their progressive leaders, much as they did against the late Pope Francis.
Last Wednesday, Nov. 12, the USCCB issued an urgent statement as part of its annual Baltimore-based Plenary Assembly, wherein 216 of the 224 voting church leaders voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of “meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures.”
“We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement,” the letter states. 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 saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants.”
“To our immigrant brothers and sisters, we stand with you in your suffering, since when one member suffers, all suffer. You are not alone!” the bishops pledge.
The move came one day after the USCCB launched its “You Are Not Alone” initiative to provide support, prayer and assistance to families facing deportations.
The message marked an unusual move for the USCCB, which notes it rarely responds to national political crises with such a broad consensus. A similar statement hasn’t been issued since 2013, when the bishops criticized the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandates.
Such a statement from the Catholic bishops shouldn’t be surprising. The Catholic Church has a tremendous responsibility in the U.S. in its pastoral role to assist and protect immigrants, particularly given that so many migrants to the U.S. come from Catholic-dominant countries.
Now, Catholic priests see and hear firsthand stories of their parishioners being raided and deported, particularly in a year when the Department of Homeland Security is proudly proclaiming it has deported 527,000 people, often through violent and controversial tactics.
“Such a statement from the Catholic bishops shouldn’t be surprising.”
As The New York Times reports, only 40% of these immigrants have a criminal conviction, while only 8% have a violent conviction, despite DHS’ stated claims to prioritize deporting convicted criminals.
Many Catholic dioceses have responded to the raids by offering special dispensations for those fearing ICE raids, allowing them to temporarily exempt themselves from their religious obligations. ICE currently has few regulations against arresting individuals at “sensitive locations,” including churches.
While President Trump, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and noted Catholic Vice President JD Vance have not responded to the USCCB’s statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson responded by saying: “President Trump was elected as the president of the United States based on the many promises he made to the American people, including his promise to deport criminal illegal aliens. He is keeping his promise to the American people.”
Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, despite being Catholic, similarly went as far as to claim, “The Catholic Church is wrong.” He further argued: “A secure border saves lives. We’re going to enforce the law, and by doing that, we save a lot of lives.”
Back in January, Vance spoke against the USCCB’s immigration stances by saying it has “not been a good partner in common-sense immigration enforcement.”
Just before the USCCB’s statement, the conservative advocacy organization CatholicVote released its own lengthy reflection on the issue of immigration, calling on conservative Catholics to support the “rule of law.” Having endorsed Trump in the 2024 election, it argued it is “immoral in the eyes of the church for a country to accept immigrants to the detriment of its own citizens” and claimed the “unchecked collapse of our southern border has inflicted grave harm on human dignity.”
The stunning unity and swiftness of the USCCB’s statement certainly could give a conservative Catholic pause that the institution of his church has “gone woke,” particularly since the USCCB and Catholic Charities have faced hefty accusations in the past of facilitating illegal immigration through their humanitarian assistance.
However, the Catholic Church’s stance on immigration has been remarkably consistent in the past year as similar controversies have arisen. Instead of taking blanket pro-immigration or anti-immigration platitudes at face value, Catholic authorities have advocated a dual purpose of defending human dignity and protecting families and nations from the excesses of unchecked immigration.
“The Catholic Church’s stance on immigration has been remarkably consistent in the past year.”
“We recognize that nations have a responsibility to regulate their borders and establish a just and orderly immigration system for the sake of the common good,” says the USCCB. “Without such processes, immigrants face the risk of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Safe and legal pathways serve as an antidote to such risks.”
The National Catholic Register also pointed out that USCCB’s statement was specifically targeted at Trump’s policies rather than as an attack against Trump himself.
Back in February, Wisconsin’s Roman Catholic bishops and archbishops issued a joint pastoral letter affirming the church’s stance as being pro-immigrant and pro-human dignity, arguing the church has a mandate to protect strangers and support illegal immigrants without impeding law enforcement. Rejecting both “closed borders” and “open borders,” the bishops argued the church “recognizes the right of nations to regulate immigration for the sake of the common good.”
Chicago native Pope Leo XIV also has been clear in his criticisms of his home country’s immigration policies, arguing that the “inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States” cuts against the Catholic church’s pro-life social teachings.
A 2016 Pew Research study shows the Roman Catholic Church is actually among the most politically left-wing churches in the United States, with only 37% of all Catholics describing themselves as Republican. Comparatively, Episcopalians (39%), ELCA Lutherans (43%), American Baptists (41%) and Southern Baptists (64%) skew more conservative.
Tyler Hummel
Tyler Hummel is a Wisconsin-based freelance critic and journalist, a member of the Music City Film Critics Association, a regular film and literature contributor at Geeks Under Grace, and was the 2021 College Fix Fellow at Main Street Nashville.
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