The U.S. bishops are taking a wait-and-see approach to what President-elect Donald Trump does with his campaign promise to carry out mass deportation of immigrants who are in the country illegally.
But the bishops say they are prepared to speak out forcefully if Trump does advance the controversial proposal in a way that undermines human dignity.
That was the message delivered by leadership of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on the first public day of their fall assembly, held in Baltimore on Nov. 12, one week after Election Day.
“We are waiting to see just what exactly takes shape,” said Bishop Mark Seitz, head of the USCCB migration committee, who spoke to members of the media alongside USCCB president Archbishop Timothy Broglio and Bishop Michael Burbidge, chairman of the USCCB’s pro-life committee.
If the Trump administration moves forward in a way that violates basic human rights, Seitz said the bishops are prepared to “raise our voice loudly.”
Seitz, the bishop of the Diocese of El Paso, has pushed back against the Texas state government’s attempt to restrict Catholic ministry to migrants in his diocese. He said Tuesday that the bishops were “concerned” about Trump’s immigration rhetoric on the campaign trail but that they “don’t want to get ahead” of the administration before it announces its concrete plans.
“We know that very often the reality is different from the rhetoric,” he said. “We’ll watch and respond as needed.”
Broglio stressed that while the bishops don’t encourage illegal immigration, they insist that those who come into the country are taken care of, as they “represent the face of Christ” in the poor.
“I think as we move forward, we hope that there will be an earnest effort to repair the immigration law and also there will be a renewed respect for the dignity of the human person,” said Broglio, who is ordinary of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.
Mass deportation proposal
There are an estimated 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., according to July 2023 statistics from the Center for Migration Studies. Trump has promised to deport all migrants illegally in the country and said that the plan, which has been criticized as financially unfeasible, “will have no price tag.”
Tom Homan, a Catholic and former acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who has been tapped as Trump’s “border czar,” said on Nov. 11 that the new administration will prioritize deporting “public safety threats and national security threats first,” adding that those in the country illegally “shouldn’t feel comfortable.”
The proposal has been highly controversial within Catholic circles. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that countries, especially wealthier ones, should try to welcome migrants “to the greatest extent possible” but that nations also have the right to regulate migration.
Migrants, the catechism teaches, have the right to emigrate and also have duties to their new country, including obeying its laws.
Seitz said the USCCB recognizes that some immigrants have not entered the country legally but stressed that the U.S. government should distinguish between those who have committed additional crimes from those who, “for the benefit of our country, should be able to remain.”
He also insisted that if any kind of deportation program is carried out, that it respects basic human rights, which are not a product of having citizenship or not but are given by God, as America’s founding documents recognize.
The way in which a deportation program is executed will “be a test for our nation,” said the El Paso bishop, who added that the bishops will certainly assure undocumented immigrants “of our accompaniment with them” in the midst of whatever might be coming, because “we’re not going to run and leave them.”
In connection to ministry to migrants, Broglio added that the Church’s ability to carry out its mission of service is a matter of religious liberty.
“I think we have to insist on our ability to live according to our faith and also to practice that faith, especially as it applies to the most needy and the most marginalized of our society,” he said.
Pro-life lessons and IVF
Beyond immigration, Burbidge, who leads the Diocese of Arlington in Virginia, commented on the pro-life lessons from Election Day, which included the first three pro-life wins on state-level ballot initiatives since the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The Virginia bishop emphasized the importance of the pro-life movement “being ahead of the game” in state-level battles by getting out messaging early and concisely.
“We will never be able, financially, to keep up with those who are fighting to legalize abortion in their states,” he said. “We have to rely on the truth that we have, on the prayers and sacrifices that we make, and also making clear the extreme positions of those who are working to legalize abortion in their states.”
And while Trump has indicated he is not open to restricting abortion at the federal level, Burbidge said he was “somewhat optimistic” that the pro-life movement would find an “open ear” to supporting initiatives that aim to support mothers, unborn children, and family life, such as child tax credits and even the USCCB’s own Walking with Moms in Need.
“Any ways that there could be a partnership in increasing those opportunities so abortion doesn’t have to be a choice is something that we’re going to advocate for with great zeal,” he said in additional comments to EWTN News.
Regarding Trump’s proposal to federally fund IVF, Burbidge echoed Seitz, noting that the bishops “will not respond to what we heard on the campaign trail” but rather to what policies are put into action.
“If it is anything that is not in support of defending life, then we will respond accordingly,” he said, adding that the bishops need to convey their teaching on IVF, which involves destroying embryonic life and conceiving life in a manner not according to God’s law, with “pastoral sensitivity,” given that infertility is “a very heavy cross.”
Moving forward
Although a second Trump term represents a particular set of challenges and opportunities, USCCB leadership emphasized that their fundamental mission in their engagement with elected officials remains the same.
“No matter what the results were on Tuesday [Nov. 5], we knew on Wednesday that something would be the same: We are one nation under God,” said Burbidge, emphasizing that the bishops are guided by the truth of the Gospel, not political partisanship.
Broglio noted that “there are winners and losers” after an election, “but the main goal is to allow the country to progress,” and emphasized the importance of widespread dialogue.
For Seitz, that includes dialogue with the new Trump administration, on areas of disagreement, but also in cases where the bishops’ priorities overlap with the president and other elected officials.
“We always look for ways in which we can collaborate with the administration, with members of Congress and the like,” Seitz said. “There will still be areas where we can do that.”
