For You Too Were Once Aliens…

11-16-2025Weekly ReflectionUS Catholic Bishops

In September, a striking mural depicting immigrants of the past and present was dedicated at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. Among the multitude of those immigrants now gracing the narthex walls of our venerable metropolitan cathedral – nameless men and women who came to this land often “tired…poor…[and] yearning to be free” – stands a young Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini. Mother Cabrini, a woman consecrated to the Lord, was an indefatigable advocate, protector, and educator of newly arrived immigrants to New York. A native of Italy, she overcame anti-Italian prejudice in her adopted country of America and established, with God’s grace, numerous charitable institutions and schools to serve those finding their way in a new land. Mother Cabrini reminds us of the Church’s longstanding care and concern for immigrants, as the mural itself, stunning in its scope, illustrates an indisputable fact: New York was and is a land of immigrants whose contributions have enriched and transformed, indeed built, our society.

Contemplating this magnificent mural at a moment when our nation considers again the plight of the immigrant, we recall that Christian charity, as lived so powerfully by Mother Cabrini, demands we welcome the stranger and treat every individual with respect and dignity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes this clear. “The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.” “Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.” (n. 2241)

Pope Leo XIV, like his predecessors, has already taught this truth and shown particular solicitude towards migrant refugees—those who leave their homes not simply to seek a better life abroad, but who are forced to take flight because of violence and oppression in their own nations. In his first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te, proclaimed on October 4, 2025, the Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, he wrote: The Church, like a mother, accompanies those who are walking. Where the world sees threats, she sees children; where walls are built, she builds bridges. She knows that her proclamation of the Gospel is credible only when it is translated into gestures of closeness and welcome. And she knows that in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community.” (Section 75)

In recent years, many such refugee migrants have come to New York. Some have arrived from war-torn countries like Ukraine and Afghanistan; others from Central or South America have fled poverty, authoritarian governments, and drug cartels that made life in their country of origin dangerous for themselves and their families. Some have been granted refugee or temporary protected status, while others have no legal status. Most of these migrants – the majority, our neighbors – are good people who arrived on our shores seeking a better life. Sadly, as in any group, some have exploited the system and committed serious crimes and other misdeeds. Those immigrants or refugees who commit crimes should face the appropriate criminal and civil penalties, including deportation. At the same time, general enforcement of the immigration laws must be carried out in a humane manner that does not target the hard-working and law-abiding; that does not permit the wanton and unnecessary separation of families; and that does not rely on campaigns of fear that cripple whole communities. As such, we do not support the sweeping revocation of the temporary protected status (*SEE THE NOTE BELOW ON TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS) that was granted to many migrants who arrived in this country to escape the horrors occurring in their own, and who have justifiably relied upon the legal protections our government offered to them. Such people should not be subject to the arbitrary cancellation of their legal status and threatened with a sudden return to the troubled and dangerous nations from which they fled. At the same time, while we support the right to peacefully protest and witness opposition to political policies, we can never condone violence against immigration and law enforcement agents. Before the complex questions of immigration, we maintain, without question, that our government has a duty to secure our borders and ensure that those who wish to enter the United States do so lawfully. In union with our brother Bishops across the United States, we have consistently urged our civil leaders to craft immigration laws that respect our borders and create an orderly process for those who wish to enter our nation, while offering a measure of forgiveness towards those who arrived here without legal status but who have proven their contributions and loyalty to our country over a period of time. These are all good points to ponder. However, most important to recall is the law of Christ set down in the Great Commandments: To love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves. All other imperatives are subject to this law of charity, and it is concerned neither with legal status nor country of origin.

As individuals and as a society, we are bound to follow this supreme command and to make all our actions consistent with it, to the best of our abilities, even in difficult circumstances. Returning to the example of Mother Cabrini, the Bishops of the United States have called on Catholics in all walks of life to stand in solidarity with immigrants and refugees by signing The Cabrini Pledge, an Invitation to be Keepers of Hope. We encourage New York Catholics to sign the pledge. By doing so, you will follow in the footsteps of our beloved Mother Cabrini in acknowledging our duty to welcome, to protect, to promote, and to integrate immigrants in accordance with the guidance proclaimed by Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church. www.usccb.org/cabrinipledge (END)

NOTE: The law on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the U.S., codified in 8 U.S. Code § 1254a, allows individuals from certain countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disaster, or other extraordinary conditions to remain in the U.S. temporarily and work legally. TPS provides protection from deportation and a work permit but does not offer a direct path to permanent residency. The status is granted for periods of 6, 12, or 18 months and can be extended if their country's conditions persist. The designation is subject to renewal, extension, or termination by the Secretary of Homeland Security. TPS is a temporary benefit and does not provide a direct path to lawful permanent residency or citizenship. The point is the designation is temporary not permanent.

Moral theology teaches that three things must be considered in evaluating moral behavior: the act itself, the circumstances, and the intention. All three must be good. This statement of the bishops of New York State is about immigration in general and the Church's teachings. However, the moral circumstances of the current immigration situation and debate is not simply about immigration in general, but the fact that for four years there was open southern border of the U.S., and millions poured into the country unvetted being dropped off in many cases by planes all over the country. This open border was on purpose and overwhelmed entire communities, the school systems, the medical systems, not to mention the advantage taken by drug cartels, human traffickers, and the danger of sleeper agents of jihad taking advantage of an open border threatening national security.

This open border violated protecting the common good, a cardinal principle of Catholic social teaching. The statement of the bishops rightly indicates any country has a right to control its borders. Thus, there is no right per se to enter the United States. Every country has a right to address a situation of millions and millions entering the country illegally and removing them. Illegal entry per se is a criminal act along with the fact that many who entered via the open border were criminals to begin with, having committed multiple crimes elsewhere, eg. from Venezuela. The circumstance of a four-year open border and the common good should be acknowledged by the bishops and the Holy Father as the moral circumstances facing the U.S. now and not simply immigration in general. Vatican City itself has strict immigration laws with severe penalties when these laws are violated!