Immigration is a polarizing issue in our country today. The Catholic Church has taken a firm stance on this issue, supporting legislation that promotes the dignity of family and seeks to provide compassionate care to those who are suffering from unjust regimes, poverty, and war within their own countries.

Immigration is a Catholic issue because it is a moral issue. We support a solution for immigration reform in the United States that keeps families together, provides a path to citizenship for DACA recipients, and does not build a wall or promote violence on our borders. As citizens, we are called to advocate for our faith’s teachings by educating others and voting our conscience.

Most recently, our country has struggled with the separation of families that has been happening across our borders. Bishop Bambera was one of several bishops who visited the border to pray with children who have been separated from their families. His work is just one of many examples of how we, as Catholics, are called to protect the dignity of families and take action toward faithful citizenship.

Bishop Bambera talks to an immigrant woman, recently released from U.S. custody, July 1, at a Catholic Charities-run respite center in McAllen, Texas. He was among a delegation of U.S. bishops that traveled to the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, to learn more about the detention of Central American immigrants at the U.S.-Mexican border. (CNS photo/Chaz Muth)

Resources:

Immigration Services through Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton

Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope (Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the U.S.)

The Catholic Church’s Teaching on Immigration Reform (USCCB)

Justice for Immigrants (USCCB Resources and Advocacy)