U.S. Catholic Bishops Condemn Trump Immigration Crackdown as Assault on Human Dignity

In a rare and forceful statement, America’s Catholic bishops voted almost unanimously Wednesday to denounce the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation campaign, calling it an “attack on God-given human dignity” and urging “meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws.”

“We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement,” read the message from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The statement passed by a 216-5 vote, with three abstentions—an unusually decisive move from a body known for cautious language. The bishops then rose and applauded, marking their first “Special Message” in over a decade.

Condemning Suffering and Fear Among Immigrants

The bishops cited numerous hardships faced by undocumented migrants—arbitrary loss of legal status, poor detention conditions, and fear of attending school or church. “We feel compelled now, in this environment, to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,” the statement declared.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended the administration’s policies: “President Trump was elected based on promises he made to the American people, including deporting criminal illegal aliens. He is keeping his promise.”

The bishops’ message coincided with the launch of “You Are Not Alone,” a new nationwide program encouraging Catholics to offer direct aid and solidarity to immigrants. While individual bishops have spoken out before, this marks the USCCB’s first collective action of the year.

Escalation and Division Within the Church

The statement comes amid heightened immigration enforcement and division among U.S. Catholics. Trump, who campaigned on mass deportations, won 55 percent of Catholic voters in 2020, according to Pew Research Center. Among Hispanic Catholics—who represent roughly one-third of the U.S. Church—58 percent supported Democrat Kamala Harris.

So far this year, the Trump administration has deported about 400,000 people and detained 60,000 more, according to federal figures. Reports have also emerged of priests being barred from offering Communion to detained immigrants.

A Debate Over Moral Clarity

Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich introduced a last-minute amendment clarifying the bishops’ opposition to “indiscriminate deportation.” “How can we say to the people who are suffering that we stand with them if we don’t say we oppose these deportations?” Cupich asked.

San Jose Bishop Oscar Cantú, a Mexican American, said the amendment made the statement stronger. “When we see assaults on human dignity, as we have been witnessing in this year’s deportation campaign, we need to speak with moral conviction,” he said.

Cupich later told The Washington Post he hopes the statement prompts Catholics to reflect “from a perspective of faith rather than politics.”

J. Kevin Appleby, a senior fellow at the Center for Migration Studies, added that statements are not enough: “In the end it will take the faithful in the pews to stand up and oppose these deportation policies to eventually end them.”

A Shift in Tone Among Bishops

Several bishops praised the resolution’s balance—supporting both compassion for immigrants and respect for law enforcement. Cincinnati Bishop Robert G. Casey called it “a statement that rises above politics and partisanship.”

Observers see this as a sign of growing resolve among bishops to defend immigrants, who make up roughly one-third of U.S. Catholics. Pew data show another 14 percent are children of immigrants.

Many see the shift as part of a broader evolution in church priorities under recent popes—who have placed as much emphasis on poverty and migration as on traditional moral issues like abortion.

New Leadership, Renewed Mission

At the same Baltimore meeting, the bishops narrowly elected Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City—a conservative with administrative experience—as their new president, and Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, known for his outspoken defense of immigrants, as vice president. The vote was widely viewed as a move toward the center after years of conservative dominance.

“Our immigrant brothers and sisters are living in a deep state of fear,” said El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, chair of the bishops’ migration committee, as he introduced “You Are Not Alone.” “As pastors devoted to the Gospel, we know statements are not enough.”

The program’s four goals include:

1. Offering emergency aid to immigrants.

2. Providing pastoral care.

3. Teaching Catholic principles on immigration—including both the right of nations to secure borders and the moral duty to treat migrants with dignity.

4. Demonstrating public solidarity with immigrant communities.

Calls for Stronger Action

In recent months, advocates have urged the Church to act more publicly and decisively. John Carr, former USCCB policy director, challenged the bishops to defend both Catholic teaching and immigrant dignity “faithfully, pastorally, publicly, strongly, and in unity with the first American pope.”

Bishop Seitz warned that the administration’s policies have created an unprecedented crisis: “This unyielding commitment to deporting people and curtailing legal immigration, plus the unprecedented funding for enforcement, has created a situation unlike anything we have seen previously. We can’t abandon our advocacy for meaningful reform.”

Pope Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, has spoken even more bluntly. Calling the deportation campaign “inhuman,” he recently reminded Catholics that Jesus himself commanded compassion for strangers: “At the end of the world, we’ll be asked how we received the foreigner—did we welcome him or not?”