ROME, Italy — The head of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Migration has called for “comprehensive immigration reform” while railing against roadblocks to reform caused by “partisan division.”
Bishop Mario Dorsonville, chairman of the Bishops’ Conference (USCCB) Committee on Migration, published a “reflection” Tuesday on the Catholic Church’s “enduring commitment to comprehensive immigration reform and welcoming the stranger as part of its unwavering defense of human life in all its forms.”
“In recent days and weeks, we have witnessed the troubling convergence of our broken immigration system and the political divisions of our time being inflicted upon men, women, and children seeking refuge in our country,” Bishop Dorsonville states in his text titled “Migration and the Judgment of Nations.”
As one example, the bishop cites reports indicating “coordinated efforts to transport migrants — and in some cases intentionally deceive them — in furtherance of outcomes that are unbecoming of a moral society.”
The comprehensive immigration reform the bishop envisions “must provide for the full integration of long-time residents, promote family unity, honor due process, respect the rule of law, expand legal pathways, preserve and strengthen humanitarian protections, prioritize dignified alternatives to detention, recognize the contributions of foreign-born workers, protect the vulnerable, and address the root causes of migration.”
“We simply cannot allow partisan division to continue to impede the needed interventions of government,” he declares. “And while there are no easy solutions to the challenges we face, there is a just path forward that is waiting to be paved by those who are committed to the future of our country.”
Calling immigration an “unavoidable reality,” Dorsonville goes on to appeal for “strong federal leadership” in addressing immigration reform.
“Whether Afghan, Ukrainian, or Venezuelan, Dreamer or undocumented farmworker, asylum seeker, migrant, or refugee, all are imbued by God with an inviolable dignity,” he declares.
“This is the foundation of our Church’s unwavering defense of human life in all its forms, contemplated in a special way during this Respect Life Month,” he asserts.