Columbans Denounce Administration's Immigration ‘Priorities'

The Columban Center is appalled by the content of the administration's recently released immigration proposals. These proposals fly in the face of Jesus' call to welcome the stranger, to build a community of love, and to uphold family dignity and unity.  

In the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus tells us that whatever we do to the least of our brothers and sisters we also do to God. Therefore, as Catholics and people of faith, we must unite around principles of compassion, stewardship, and justice.  

The economic, fiscal, and humanitarian harms these deportation and militarization policies will cause are severe: they will more aggressively tear apart families and American communities, they will contribute to the deaths of thousands of migrants, and they will further violate the rights and humanity of U.S. citizens and immigrants alike. These proposals cross a clear moral line, put further lives at risk, and threaten the sanctity of the human person.    

Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach Director, Scott Wright adds: “The administration's immigration ‘priorities' are unacceptable. It is unconscionable to jeopardize protection for Dreamers by demanding this list of some of the most inhumane and wasteful immigration proposals.”  

We call on Congress to uphold Jesus' command to welcome the stranger and immediately pass a clean DREAM Act. The American public strongly supports Dreamers. As Pope Francis has repeatedly said of all migrants, it is unconscionable to use Dreamers as a bargaining chip at the expense of protections for other migrant populations, humane border policies, and family reunification.   

The administration's abdication of compassionate leadership demands that Congress fill this void by immediately passing legislation without such harmful provisions. 

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 The Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach is the advocacy office for the Missionary Society of St. Columban. The Center serves as the line of communication between Columban missionaries serving in 15 countries around the world and policy makers in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to work towards a more just, peaceful, and environmentally sustainable world by engaging in the political process guided by our Catholic faith and the Gospel.