U.S. bishops issue “Special Message” on immigration

The members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement condemning mass deportations and what they called a "climate of fear" regarding immigration enforcement 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," said the bishops in the statement. The text was nearly unanimously approved by the bishops on November 12, 2025, during the conference's Plenary Assembly.

The bishops express hope "that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation, and we are grateful for past and present opportunities to dialogue with public and elected officials. In this dialogue, we will continue to advocate for meaningful immigration reform."

Immigrants, said the bishops, "have made enormous contributions to the well-being" of the United States, and the bishops "love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity."

It is because they love the United States, said the statement, that the bishops "feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity."

The bishops denounced the "state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants," and raised concerns "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," said the bishops.

The bishops said they "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."

Catholic teaching instructs nations to "recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants," said the bishops. The bishops called for "meaningful reform" of immigration laws and procedures in the United States, noting that "human dignity and national security are not in conflict."

"Both are possible if people of good will work together," said the bishops.

Nations, said the statement, "have a responsibility to regulate their borders and establish a just and orderly immigration system for the sake of the common good." A failure to do these things, said the bishops, puts people at risk from trafficking and other illegal exploitation.

"Safe and legal pathways serve as an antidote to such risks," said the statement.

The bishops "stand with (immigrants) in your suffering, since, when one member suffers, all suffer."

"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," said the bishops.

"We urge all people of good will to continue and expand such efforts."

Read the message here.

And for more information on immigration reform, see the USCCB briefing called "Why Don't Unauthorized Migrants Come Here Legally?"