Immigration and the Church

Migration has always been a part of human history, and we find it throughout the course of salvation history as well. The people of Israel migrated to Egypt to escape famine, and then fled back to escape the chains of slavery under Pharaoh. Centuries later, after their long exile in Babylon, they migrated back to Israel once again, hoping to reestablish their nation according to God’s law. And finally, the Gospel of Matthew tells us that the Christian story began almost immediately with an act of migration. Under threat from Herod, Joseph took Mary and the newborn Jesus into Egypt. At God’s command, they fled to a foreign land to escape danger and to live in peace. Later, as we well know, they returned to their homeland, once again migrating to a place where they could live out their lives in fulfillment of the plan of God. 

For a long time now, immigration has been a significant and controversial national issue, and the recent election campaign raised this issue to even greater prominence. By all objective accounts, the number of people who have entered the United States in recent years has risen sharply, and this has raised important questions of public policy and security, morality, and the common good. 

Catholic social teaching establishes the right of peoples to seek safety and security, even if this means leaving their own homeland and moving to a new home. Catholic teaching also acknowledges the right of nations to establish clear boundaries and regulate the entry of immigrants into their territories. Public authorities have an obligation to protect their fellow citizens and to enforce their laws, including immigration laws. It may be true that our immigration laws are imperfect and need updating, but that does not mean they should be ignored. And yet, the enforcement of laws should always acknowledge the inherent dignity of every person, especially those who search in desperation for a life free from poverty and violence. 

Our own diocese of Fargo has a long history of immigration. Aside from the natives who first lived on these prairies, the Church here was built up by immigrants who brought their Catholic faith with them as they sought a new place to call home. Most of the Catholics in North Dakota today are descendants of those immigrants, or immigrants from other parts of this country. Immigrants from around the world continue to come and join our ranks every year. 

It’s also worth remembering the many heroic men and women from other countries who have enriched our Catholic history. St. Francis Xavier Cabrini came from Italy and spent much of her life assisting the multitude of immigrants who came to the United States with little more than their faith and a few possessions. Even before the Diocese of Fargo was established, the Irish Presentation Sisters came here as missionaries and opened our first Catholic schools. The French Presentation Sisters and the Franciscans Sisters from Germany came to escape religious persecution in their own countries, and contributed immeasurably to the growth of our diocese. Over the years, a significant number of our priests came as immigrants and refugees from faraway places, like Poland and the Czech Republic. Our own Cardinal Aloysius Muench played a key role in assisting the streams of refugees and migrants who fled from their destroyed cities and towns after World War II. 

As immigration becomes a hot topic in the news, the spotlight is also on the role of the Church and other organizations in working with immigrants and refugees. Some prominent public figures have insinuated that the U.S. bishops and Catholic Church personnel facilitate immigration just to increase their income, but the reality is quite different. The fact is that the federal government for decades has contracted with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and other Catholic organizations to assist the many immigrants who come to this country. The reason is simple: the Church has a long track record of effective work with immigrants and refugees. We treat them with compassion as brothers and sisters while also abiding by the laws of our nation and our states. The notion that this is a money-maker is false. The amount the government pays does not meet the actual costs of this work, so the Bishops Conference and other Catholic organizations cover the additional costs out of their own resources and with the generous material support of the faithful. Assisting the stranger and the immigrant is a work of charity, a work of mercy, and it is a mission activity of the Church, not a for-profit enterprise.  

It would be unjust to demonize all immigrants and to characterize all of them as criminals. Like our own ancestors, most of them are simply seeking a better life for themselves and their families. At the same time, it would be unjust to view all who enforce our immigration laws as villains or enemies of humanity. They are doing their jobs to protect the residents of our nation and to protect the immigrants themselves. As we grapple with the ongoing challenges of immigration, let us do so with justice and charity, mindful of the humanity of the immigrant and always remembering the words of Jesus: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”