Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) gathered for its Assembly in Baltimore, the bishops issued a Special Message addressing their concern for the evolving situation impacting immigrants in the United States. It marked the first time in twelve years the USCCB invoked this particularly urgent way of speaking as a body of bishops. I wanted to share with you their message as a timely reflection for us, especially in Los Angeles.

Peace, Father Gil

SPECIAL MESSAGE

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

November 12, 2025

As pastors, we the bishops of the United States are bound to our people by ties of communion and compassion in Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned 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. We 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. 

Despite obstacles and prejudices, generations of immigrants have made enormous contributions to the well-being of our nation. We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity. For this very reason, we feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.

Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants. We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of good will work together.

We recognize that nations have a responsibility to regulate their borders and establish a just and orderly immigration system for the sake of the common good. Without such processes, immigrants face the risk of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Safe and legal pathways serve as an antidote to such risks.

The Church’s teaching rests on the foundational concern for the human person, as created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). As pastors, we look to Sacred Scripture and the example of the Lord Himself, where we find the wisdom of God’s compassion. The priority of the Lord, as the Prophets remind us, is for those who are most vulnerable: the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger (Zechariah 7:10). In the Lord Jesus, we see the One who became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9), we see the Good Samaritan who lifts us from the dust (Luke 10:30–37), and we see the One who is found in the least of these (Matthew 25). The Church’s concern for neighbor and our concern here for immigrants is a response to the Lord’s command to love as He has loved us (John 13:34).

To our immigrant brothers and sisters, we stand with you in your suffering, since, when one member suffers, all suffer (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:26). You are not alone!

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

As disciples of the Lord, we remain men and women of hope, 

and hope does not disappoint! (cf. Romans 5:5)

May the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe enfold us all in her maternal and loving care and draw us ever closer to the heart of Christ.

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For our immigrant sisters and brothers living in fear of deportation, may the Lord accompany them through the ministry of the Christian community:

For the healing, comfort, and peace of the sick, for Father Greg Goethals, SJ, Ron Schuster, Montana Gill, Jack & Vicki Phillips, Patricia Arias, Byron Adams, Tel Ramon, Mary Pat Cooper, Kate Dzierzek, Janet Platin, Catherine Gotfredson, Thomas Hinnebusch, Todd Wiench, Bernadette Tee, Estrella and John Monzon, Charles Candel, Joan Doyle, Marisa Kavanau, Carol King Wolcott, John Wolcott, Angel Appleton, Clark Gassan, Lohriena Lohrie Counts, Nora McCormick Heinen, Weldon Tilley, Paul Lannan, Mitchell Twersky, Erny Pinckert, Eileen Gaffney.

For the eternal rest of our beloved departed, Arlene Havel, Phil Duncan, Michele Kearin, Father Brad Schoeberle, CSP, Mary Tokuza, Haruko Hiromura, Donny Kie, Cesar Robeniol, Nellie Scholar, Linda Harris, Lauren Lagoeiro, Christine Azurin, Dr. Alfred Ferris, Lee Thompson, Lori Seyer, Birgitta Langeneckert, Emma Ruth, Don Zimmerman, Leilah Katibah, Cathy Abarta, William Sherritt, Georgina Eades, Roy Riblet, Bob Cooper, Bruce Taylor, Gary Clark, Raquel Escudero, Sister Maria Sorahan, DMJ, Charles Kroener, Pamela Bramhall, Kathleen McCann, Braun Levi, Mary Minette, Sharon Wright, Jim Gaffney, Michele (Cramer) MacGregor, Bruce Glaspy, Cecile Oswald, Nancy Hogan, Kitty Dukakis, José Javier Canalejo, Mary Looker, Thomas Roth, Maureen Russell, Nancy Reilly, Paul Sanchez, Sr., Martha Kohler, Maria Ines Gontijo Albergaria, Garry Pietro, Irene Beggs, Raul Hernandez, Ann Messinger, Rosalia DeLa Pena, Ron Roberson, CSP, Tom Foley, CSP, , may they rest in peace.

For peace in every nation: may the light of the Holy Spirit transform hearts so that all may seek the way of peace together and comfort the wounded and grieving, let us pray to the Lord: