US bishops warn immigration raids spread fear, harm dignity
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, Archbishop of the Military Services, smiles during an interview at the chapel on Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Aug. 26, 2015. (Photo: UCAN Files)
By Gina Christian, OSV News
"No one can turn a deaf ear to the palpable cries of anxiety and fear heard in communities throughout the country in the wake of a surge in immigration enforcement actions," said the leader of the nation's Catholic bishops in a June 16 statement that assured all impacted of their shepherds' support.
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the US military archdiocese, the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a reflection ahead of the USCCB's weeklong retreat in California, a triennial gathering that this year replaces the bishops' usual spring plenary session.
The archbishop said the occasion of the bishops' gathering seemed "appropriate to give voice to a profound concern in the hearts of the Shepherds of the Church in our Country" over the Trump administration's immigration policies.
While he commended law enforcement actions "aimed at preserving order and ensuring community security" as "necessary for the common good," Archbishop Broglio said, "The current efforts go well beyond those with criminal histories."
Following through on a campaign pledge, President Donald Trump has cracked down on immigration to the US. Among the administration's efforts are terminating protected status for migrants from several conflict-wrought nations, fully or partly banning travel to the US from several nations, ordering Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to meet daily arrest quotas of 3,000, halting visa interviews for foreign students, attempting to end birthright citizenship and deporting persons without permanent legal status in the US to third countries in defiance of court orders.
While the administration claims to target criminal actors in its sweeps, several high-profile arrests and deportations have impacted individuals with no demonstrated criminal record. Some 44 percent of the more than 51,000 in ICE detention facilities as of June 1 are estimated to have no criminal record, other than entering the US without permission, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.
The USCCB and Catholic Charities USA are among some 200 non-governmental organizations named in a congressional probe for allegedly aiding immigrants its leaders call "inadmissible aliens" during former President Joe Biden's administration.
"In the context of a gravely deficient immigration system, the mass arrest and removal of our neighbors, friends and family members on the basis of immigration status alone, particularly in ways that are arbitrary or without due process, represent a profound social crisis before which no person of good will can remain silent," said Archbishop Broglio. "The situation is far from the communion of life and love to which this nation of immigrants should strive."
He pointed to Pope Leo XIV's recent video address to the young people of Chicago and the world -- in which, said Archbishop Broglio, the pope "reminded us that at the heart of the Christian faith is an invitation to share in the communion of life and love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the first community and based completely on love."
"The Holy Father also challenged us to be a sign of hope by making the world a better place," said Archbishop Broglio.
The archbishop noted the backlash sparked by Trump administration policies on immigration.
"The many actions of protest throughout the country reflect the moral sentiments of many Americans that enforcement alone cannot be the solution to addressing our nation's immigration challenges," he said.
"While protest and dissent can be a legitimate expression of democratic participation, violence is never acceptable," Archbishop Broglio stressed.
At the same time, he observed that injustice can be a trigger for conflict, quoting Pope Francis' encyclical "Evangelii Gaudium": "Without equal opportunities the different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and eventually explode."
Archbishop Broglio said that "the chronic lack of opportunities for legal status for our immigrant brothers and sisters, together with the growing denial of due process to them, is injurious to human dignity and is a considerable factor in the breakdown of the rule of law."
He added, "Likewise, unfounded accusations against Catholic service providers, who every day endeavor to provide critical support and care to the most vulnerable, contribute to societal tensions and a growing climate of fear."
Speaking on behalf of the nation's bishops, Archbishop Broglio said, "I want to assure all of those affected by actions which tear at the fabric of our communities of the solidarity of your pastors.
"As your shepherds, your fear echoes in our hearts and we make your pain our own. Count on the commitment of all of us to stand with you in this challenging hour," he said.
He also acknowledged "those in our Catholic service and community organizations working to promote the common good by binding up the wounds of the afflicted."
Archbishop Broglio assured "those motivated by the urgency of the current moment to work for just and humane solutions to these immigration challenges" of "the cooperation and goodwill of the Catholic Bishops of our country."--ucanews.com
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