Migration and Immigration
New: Report available “Documented Failures: the Consequences of Immigration Policy on the U.S.-Mexico Border.” Download the full report here. Download a summary of the report here.
New: Voice Your Support for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Contact your elected official and remind them of the need for comprehensive immigration reform.
The Jesuit network responds to bi-partisan Senate framework for comprehensive immigration reform, calls for a policy proposal that promotes human dignity and fairness in line with Catholic and American values.
The Jesuit Response
Participation in the Justice for Immigrants Campaign
In response to the need to reform the US immigration system, the Jesuit Conference actively participates with the the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in the Justice for Immigrants campaign; calling for comprehensive immigration reform that would
- Establish a pathway to citizenship that ensures that undocumented immigrants have access to full rights;
- Expedite family reunification and emphasize family unity for all immigrants;
- Restore due process, accountability, and transparency, particularly in the context of detention and deportation processes to foster humane enforcement of our immigration policies;
- Include policies that address the root causes of migration from developing countries; and
- Create a legal employment structure for future workers that protects both migrants and the U.S. citizen labor force.
These policy recommendations are consistent with Catholic Social Teaching’s call for dignified treatment of migrants and the authentic development of all people. They derive from basic principles of Catholic migration teaching, including that 1) all people have the right to migrate; 2) all people have the right not to migrate; 3) government’s have a right to control their own borders; 4) refugees and asylum seekers should be protected. The pastoral letter Exsul Familia (1952) states:
Since land everywhere offers the possibility of supporting a large number of people, the sovereignty of the State, although it must be respected, cannot be exaggerated to the point that access to this land is, for in adequate or unjustified reasons, denied to needy and decent people from other nations, provided of course, that the public wealth, considered very carefully, does not forbid this. (n.30)
The prescriptions for policy change proposed by the Justice for Immigrants campaign would serve the common good, human dignity, and the national interest.
The Jesuit Conference invites you to become a member of Jesuit Advocates and receive action alerts and migration-related advocacy information from the Jesuit Conference and the Justice for Immigrants Campaign.
Local Response
Jesuit institutions, ministries, schools, parishes and communities across the United States are engaged in a wide-range of advocacy, educational, outreach and pastoral work that promotes justice for immigrants. Below are is a link to some recent descriptions that highlight how Jesuits are responding in solidarity to the needs of our migrant brothers and sisters:
Learn more about the local response efforts initiated by Jesuit entities.