As President-elect Donald Trump threatens to enact "the largest deportation" in U.S. history, California's Catholic bishops have issued a message of support for migrants, invoking the protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe for them on her Dec. 12 feast.
"We, the Catholic bishops of California, as shepherds of the flock of Christ, have seen and heard the growing distress among you, our migrant brothers and sisters," said the bishops in a Dec. 12 statement. "We want to assure you that we, and our mother, the Church, stand with you in these days of anxiety. You are not alone."
The California bishops' statement comes in the wake of an NBC News report that Trump plans to rescind a long-standing policy preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making arrests at what are seen as sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals.
Hardline immigration policies, including his call for mass deportations, are core tenets of the platform Trump campaigned on. Since his election, Trump has also indicated his willingness to involve the military to carry out a mass deportation program, although federal law limits the use of the U.S. military for domestic law enforcement.
While Trump has not specified the details of how he would carry out such a program, mass deportations more broadly run contrary to the Second Vatican Council's teaching in "Gaudium et Spes" condemning "deportation" among other actions, such as abortion, that "poison human society" and are "supreme dishonor to the Creator," a teaching St. John Paul II affirmed in two encyclicals on moral truth and life issues.
Without naming Trump in their message, California's bishops said they realized "the calls for mass deportations and raids on undocumented individuals and migrant families have created genuine fear for so many we shepherd in our dioceses."
Saying they were "rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the sacred dignity of every person," the bishops committed "to accompanying and walking in solidarity with you, our migrant brothers, sisters, and families through this uncertain time.
"We will shepherd you spiritually, gather information and resources, and continue to advocate for your dignity and family unity," they said.
The bishops' conference declared that "our nation's immigration system is broken." They added that "the disarray at our southern border cannot be allowed to continue.
"We pray with you that any enacted policies restore a sense of security and peace for citizens as well as those seeking to find a home in this blessed land," they said. "To achieve that end, policies must reflect empathy and solicitude, with due regard for the rights of children and those fleeing violent and impoverished countries, while ceasing to provide respite for serious offenders."
While noting "the exact challenges that may arise" from these promised mass deportation efforts "are not yet clear," the bishops promised that "Catholic Charities throughout California will continue to serve as a trusted resource for those with questions or who need assistance."
The conference's website includes a list of immigration resources that, the bishops said, "will continue to be developed as more information becomes available."
The bishops urged Catholic communities "to follow the example of the Good Samaritan," referencing Jesus' parable from Lk 10:25-37, and to "show compassion for our neighbors, especially the most vulnerable among us."
They noted, "Our parishes have the tradition of being havens of hope and solace for the lonely and the lost, embodying the peace that Christ gives."
The bishops referenced Mary's 16th-century apparition as Our Lady of Guadalupe, on the hilltop of Tepeyac in what is now Mexico City, to St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. They entrusted migrants to the heart of "the heart of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas."
"May Our Lady of Guadalupe, who reminded Juan Diego that he bore the image and likeness of God, remind all of us today and in the coming days that we are all beloved children of God, bearing his likeness, no matter our ethnicity or country of origin," said the bishops. "May our care for each other speak to the dignity of every human being."
The bishops said Mary's words to St. Juan Diego — originally spoken in the Nahuatl language — provide "the ultimate maternal example of compassion, protection, and love, with a promise that she is always with us." They quoted her words in both Spanish and English: "'¿No estoy yo aquí, que soy tu madre?' 'Am I not here, I who am your mother?' Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need something more? Let nothing else worry you or disturb you."
The California bishops' statement also follows upon an open letter from New Mexico's bishops, asking the incoming Trump administration to "rethink" its plans to carry out mass deportations. A mass deportation policy, they argued, will not fix the country's border security problems, but would instead "create chaos, family separation, and the traumatization of children."
The bishops urged a bipartisan solution to fix the U.S. immigration system, and said they "stand ready to work with the new administration on achieving immigration policies which are just, humane, and reflect the values of America."
