Immigration

The Latest

Asylum seekers wait for their CBP One appointments with U.S. authorities before crossing through El Chaparral port in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on Jan. 20, 2025.

Catholic, evangelical leaders: ‘Suffering’ of mass deportation affects all Christians

Apr 2, 2025

By Tessa Gervasini

Currently, 80% of all individuals at risk of deportation are Christians. Read more

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CNA explains: What’s ahead for the U.S. visa program for religious sisters, workers

Mar 18, 2025

By Madalaine Elhabbal

Concern for the future of the visa program grew earlier this month, as extension of the program hinged on whether... Read more

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Judge blocks Trump’s pause on refugee admissions 

Feb 26, 2025

By Kate Quiñones

In a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead ordered the Trump administration to restore the program and funding to... Read more

After receiving assistance from the Catholic Charities RGV Humanitarian Respite Center, migrant families from Mexico and Central America who have been granted asylum in the United States are processed for their transport to various destinations across the United States at the Central Station Bus Terminal on June 19, 2018, in McAllen, Texas.

Judge denies U.S. bishops’ request to block Trump funding freeze

Feb 21, 2025

By Daniel Payne

The USCCB sued the Trump administration earlier this week over what the bishops said was an unlawful suspension of funding... Read more

Migrants argue with Panamanian National Border Service members as they try to cross the border between Panama and Costa Rica while trying to return to Venezuela at Paso Canoas between the Panama-Costa Rica border on Feb. 11, 2025. Dozens of Venezuelan migrants crossed the border from Costa Rica into Panama in a small caravan as they gave up the journey to the United States.

Trump signs order banning illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer-funded benefits

Feb 20, 2025

By Daniel Payne

The president in his executive order directed that “taxpayer resources” and “taxpayer-funded benefits” should be blocked from going to “illegal... Read more

In a Feb. 10, 2025, letter to the U.S. bishops in which he expressed concern over President Donald Trump’s “program of mass deportations,” Pope Francis also appeared to criticize Vice President JD Vance’s use of the Catholic term “ordo amoris” in the context of the present debate over immigration.

Pope Francis, Vance clash over ‘ordo amoris’

Feb 13, 2025

By Jonah McKeown

JD Vance, a Catholic, had in a late January interview invoked an “old school … Christian concept” he later identified... Read more

People walk past a church displaying a “Immigrants & Refugees Welcome” sign in New York on Jan. 24, 2025.

27 religious groups sue White House over ‘sensitive location’ immigration policy

Feb 11, 2025

By Daniel Payne

A DHS spokesman said last month that the policy meant that “criminals will no longer be able to hide in... Read more

Pope Francis addresses pilgrims gathered for his Wednesday general audience on Feb. 5, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican.

Pope Francis to U.S. bishops amid mass deportations: Dignity of migrants comes first

Feb 11, 2025

By Hannah Brockhaus

Pope Francis addressed the bishops of the United States on Tuesday about the country’s ongoing mass deportation of immigrants. Read more

Migrants walk alongside the railroad tracks after dismounting from the “La Bestia” train, which they rode through Mexico to reach the Mexico-U.S. border near Chihuahua, Mexico, on Sept. 27, 2023.

Minnesota bishops call for ‘generous but also prudent’ welcome of refugees

Feb 10, 2025

By Tessa Gervasini

The bishops took issue with a Jan. 21 Department of Homeland Security directive that ended restrictions on arresting people at... Read more

Cardinal Michael Czerny is the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

Vatican official: People ‘terrorized’ by U.S. crackdown on illegal immigration

Feb 10, 2025

By AC Wimmer

“A crackdown is a terrible way to administer affairs and much less to administer justice,” Czech-born Canadian Jesuit Cardinal Michael... Read more

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops headquarters in Washington, D.C.

U.S. bishops’ conference lays off 50 amid migrant funding ‘uncertainty’

Feb 7, 2025

By Zelda Caldwell

Workers in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services Office were informed of the job cuts on... Read more

Bishop Michael Martin of Charlotte, North Carolina, greets a young Catholic while surveying storm damage at Swannanoa, North Carolina, Friday, on Oct. 4, 2024.

North Carolina bishops: Immigration policy and enforcement ‘complicated and emotional’

The Roman Catholic bishops of Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, have issued a joint statement about immigration policy and enforcement... Read more

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a visit to East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 2025.

What is the ‘ordo amoris’? JD Vance’s comments on Christian love spark debate

Feb 4, 2025

By Jonah McKeown

Though you won’t find “ordo amoris” in the catechism, Dominican Father Pius Pietrzyk told CNA that the concept is a... Read more

After receiving assistance from the Catholic Charities RGV Humanitarian Respite Center, migrant families from Mexico and Central America who have been released into the United States are processed for their transport to various destinations across the United States from the at the Central Station Bus Terminal on June 19, 2018, in McAllen, Texas.

CNA explains: How the Catholic Church partners with the U.S. government to serve migrants

Feb 3, 2025

By Tyler Arnold

In recent years, the USCCB has received more than $100 million annually from the federal government to support migration and... Read more

Migrants walk alongside the railroad tracks after dismounting from the “La Bestia” train, which they rode through Mexico to reach the Mexico-U.S. border near Chihuahua, Mexico, on Sept. 27, 2023.

UPDATE: Here’s how U.S. bishops have responded to Trump’s immigration orders

Jan 31, 2025

By Jonah McKeown

Catholic bishops across the country have publicly responded to President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders on immigration. Read more

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, speaks at the USCCB fall plenary assembly Nov. 14, 2023.

Broglio defends U.S. bishops against ‘false’ immigration criticisms

Jan 31, 2025

By Hannah Brockhaus

Broglio told TV2000 on Jan. 29 that criticism the bishops have received are “false” and “have strongly affected us because... Read more

The Reichstag building in Berlin, where the Bundestag meets.

German bishops distance themselves from migration statement ahead of key Parliament vote

Jan 30, 2025

By AC Wimmer

The controversy has highlighted divisions within German Catholicism regarding migration policy. Read more

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York addresses the audience at the National Eucharistic Congress at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on July 18, 2024.

Cardinal Dolan: Vance’s remarks on bishops and immigration ‘scurrilous,’ ‘very nasty’

Jan 29, 2025

By Jonah McKeown

Cardinal Timothy Dolan strongly criticized comments Vice President JD Vance made questioning the motives of U.S. bishops in their efforts... Read more

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Church in Mexico responds to Trump’s new immigration policies

Jan 23, 2025

By Diego López Colín

Among the measures announced are the reactivation of the “Remain in Mexico” policy, mass deportations, and an order seeking to... Read more

Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso, Texas, speaks at the “Responding to Changing Realities at the U.S. Border and Beyond” conference hosted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and The Catholic University of America.

El Paso bishop calls Trump immigration orders ‘contrary to the moral law’

Jan 23, 2025

By Madalaine Elhabbal

“We urge President Trump to pivot from these enforcement-only policies to just and merciful solutions,” wrote Bishop Mark Seitz, USCCB... Read more