Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles prayed that authorities “proceed with restraint and compassion” in enforcing immigration measures as the White House issued a series of directives affecting the country’s immigration system during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first days in office.
“Statements and actions from the new administration in Washington have caused fear in our parishes, schools, and communities,” said Archbishop Gomez in a statement released Wednesday, Jan. 22. “That is not good for anybody. I pray that our leaders will proceed with restraint and compassion, with respect for the law, and with respect for the rights and dignity of all concerned.”
Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump issued several immigration-related executive orders and directives, including effectively closing the country’s borders to asylum-seekers, deploying 1,500 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, and declaring an emergency in response to the “invasion at the southern border.”
The Department of Homeland Security also revoked a policy that required immigration agents to get special approval to arrest people at or near “sensitive locations” including churches and schools for potential deportation.
While “no one wants violent criminals living in our communities,” Archbishop Gomez urged that enforcement actions be “prudent” and “matched by immediate action in Congress to fix our immigration system, which has been broken for decades now.”
Rather than a political issue, immigration is a matter “of our deeply held religious beliefs” for Catholics, the archbishop said.
“Jesus Christ commanded us to love God as our Father and to love our brothers and sisters, especially the most vulnerable, and regardless of what country they came from or how they got here. Our love for Jesus compels us to continue our works of love and service in our parishes, schools, and other ministries.
Archbishop Gomez has previously served as chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops migration committee, and as the conference’s president from 2019 to 2022. In his statement, he recalled the longstanding commitment of the Catholic Church in the U.S. to “immigration reform that is just and humane.”
“My commitment also continues, and we look forward to working with the new administration and Congress,” he added.
The archbishop also invoked Our Lady of Guadalupe to “keep us close to her Son in this moment” and to “help us to work together as neighbors, in a spirit of unity, to truly become one nation under God.”
For practical guidance and resources on immigration, visit LACatholics.org/immigration.
