The Trump Administration is still making good on the president’s campaign promise to deport an estimated 14 million foreign nationals residing in the United States without authorization.
Over the last year, 622,000 foreign nationals have been deported back to their home countries, along with an estimated 1.9 million self-deportations, and ICE currently holds about 73,000 foreign nationals in pre-removal detention, with a goal of reaching 100,000 detentions soon. In response to the exponential increase in immigration enforcement, some Catholic bishops have, thus far, engaged in fruitless condemnations and Eucharistic processions to detention centers, which result in unrealistic (and unmet) demands to be admitted on the spot to minister to detainees.
And now some bishops are considering “canonical penalties” (i.e., excommunication) for ICE agents.
We think that the bishops should revise their strategy to one that is both more constructive with the Administration and more beneficial to the non-criminal detainees and their families.
We begin by offering the reader several observations and then outline a more constructive strategy for the bishops to consider.
Observation 1: This situation is not going to get better anytime soon. As of September 30, 2024 (the end of the Federal Government’s fiscal year 2024), there were 1.4 million Final Orders of Removal against non-detained foreign nationals, and another 6.2 million foreign nationals with no final order of removal but cases on the immigration docket. It appears that ICE is working overtime to arrest those with final orders of removal, and those who are on the docket. To accomplish this mission, Congress allotted an additional $170.7 billion, $45 billion of which is allocated to detention center expansion alone.
Observation 2: The majority of 73,000 detained foreign nationals are not violent criminals. Of those in detention, about 34,000 (47%) have criminal charges or a conviction in the United States. Granted, included in the remaining 39,000 with no charges or convictions in the United States may be individuals with records in their home countries, or those who managed to commit crimes in the United States but avoided prosecution. However, in the United States, everyone enjoys the presumption of innocence until a conviction. Finally, around 6,000 of the foreign nationals detained are detained as part of a family unit.
Observation 3: The USCCB and Catholic Charities have financially benefited from federal contracts to resettle refugees. From FY 2010 through FY 2024, the USCCB earned almost $1.3 billion from contracts with the Federal Government to resettle migrants and care for unaccompanied children. The bulk of the $1.3 billion was then forwarded to local Catholic Charities, who do the hard work of resettling refugees, with the USCCB keeping a cut for administrative expenses.
Observation 4: The USCCB and many local Catholic Charities are in financial distress because they no longer receive federal funding to resettle migrants. Last July, the USCCB laid off 50 employees, citing the loss of federal refugee resettlement funding. Many local Catholic Charities have done the same. Things have gotten so bad at the USCCB that they are even considering the sale of their 200,000 square foot headquarters located in the “Little Rome” section of Washington, DC, across from The Catholic University of America, because only half the building is used.
Based on the four observations proffered above, we suggest that the bishops pivot from an antagonistic relationship with the Trump Administration in order to help the non-criminal detainees and erase the red ink pouring from their financial statements.
To accomplish this, the bishops should focus on the 39,000 non-criminal detainees, and especially the 6,000 detainees considered a family unit. Specifically, the Catholic bishops should work with DHS to secure a contract to house the 6,000 detainees considered a family unit. After securing those contracts, the Catholic bishops can work on contracts to house any of the remaining 39,000 not included in the 6,000 detainees considered a family unit. Just one contract could solve the USCCB’s fiscal woes. For example, DHS just announced a contracting opportunity for $100 million to house 1,635 detainees. Considering that DHS now has $45 billion for detention facilities, money appears to be no issue at DHS.
Where would these detainees be housed? We offer three options:
- House the detainees in the unused rectories of the 3,674 parishes in the United States without a resident priest;
- House the detainees in a closed Catholic college. Since 2020, 45 public or non-profit colleges have closed or announced their closures, and 37 have either merged or announced their mergers with other institutions. These institutions include the University of St. Katherine in California, Cabrini College in Pennsylvania, and schools in almost every state in between. Due to low birth rates and the declining percentage of traditional students opting for college after high school graduation, these facilities are no longer needed for educational purposes;1
- Lease the 100,000 square feet of unused space at USCCB headquarters to DHS.
As with most solutions, the ones proposed above are not without hurdles. We foresee at least three.
First, most Catholic colleges (open or closed) do not operate directly under the authority of the local bishop, so the religious orders that own the closed colleges may decline to participate. Second, parishioners may suffer from “Not in My Backyard” syndrome and protest the use of their closed rectories in this manner. Third, the construction costs required to modify the closed schools, rectories, and even the USCCB headquarters so as to be suitable for housing detainees may require upfront costs for which the bishops cannot cover. The last hurdle is the easiest to overcome. The Papal Foundation is Philadelphia, a nonprofit group made up of wealthy American Catholics who donate $1,000,000 to the pope’s private charity, has roughly $230 million in cash and investments, which could be loaned to the USCCB or local parishes to finance the initial construction costs.
Since the founding of the Church, bishops have had to make tough choices to abandon the politically expedient option in favor of what promotes the common good. But we think that public condemnations, threats of canonical penalties, and motorcycle processions to detention centers do nothing for the detainees who may need the Church’s support, both spiritual and material.
Strategy is all about perceptions of relevant time horizons. Thus far, the bishops have attempted to take the commendable path toward alignment with the arc of justice, which invariably bends toward the more humane treatment of immigrants by the Federal Government. In the short run—defined as a minimum of the three remaining years of a federal administration unlikely to compromise about this issue—such an approach abandons the humanitarianism of the most needy of today. It may also jeopardize its ability to have sufficient institutional resources to serve the needy of the future and thus may not be a good long-run strategy.
The alternative strategy advocated in this piece could be thought of as a broader operationalization of the “render unto Caesar” mantra. The good that can be done by cooperating with those with dubious values recognizes the imperfections inherent in politics and capitalism. Playing to win cooperatively in the short term preserves the ability to have a better and deeper impact in the long run.
Endnotes:
1 Readers may be familiar with this suggestion from our previous guest editorial.
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” Thank you gentlemen for this serious, reasoned and prudent response suggested to our U.S Bishops on this complex and often tragic problem. I have been terribly troubled by the statement put out by the California Catholic Conference that for reason I admit I don’t understand represent the USCCB position on immigration. I found it appallingly biased and naive. To this remark from the above editorial ” The good that can be done by cooperating with those with dubious values recognizes the imperfections inherent in politics and capitalism. ” I would add inherent in almost any group of people including religious leaders and the rest of us humans.” Finger pointing and moralizing ‘others’ is neither leadership nor effective problem solving. Thank you all for your reasoned and seasoned input. There is hope after all. Pray the Bishops read this.
This cannot be repeated enough. Do these bishops ever read the news or use reason? They protect people whose first moral act in this country is to disregard and violate our laws by entering illegally; then lowering wages for Americans, crowding schools, overtaxing health system, raising rents and housing costs, not to mention the stealing of billions of taxpayer money as in Minnesota and California, or the crimes, such as
An illegal alien accused of raping and murdering 13-year-old Oscar Hernandez last year in the sanctuary state of California has been hit with additional child rape charges involving two other teen boys.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/02/12/sanctuary-california-illegal-alien-hit-with-more-child-rape-charges-after-allegedly-murdering-boy/
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking custody of an illegal alien accused of violently raping an 11-year-old girl at knifepoint in front of her younger sister in Georgia
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/01/28/ice-seeks-custody-illegal-alien-accused-raping-11-year-old-girl-knifepoint/
Sep 11, 2025 … A 37-year-old illegal alien from Cuba is in the Dallas County jail after he allegedly decapitated a man at an area motel.
Five-Time Deported Illegal Alien Charged with Kicking Baby to Death
Breitbart › Politics › 2019/04/25
Apr 19, 2025… A five-time deported illegal alien has been arrested and charged with kicking a four-month-old baby to death in Shelby County, Tennessee.
The office of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference has released its annual state immigration report revealing that in 2025, illegal migrants committed 2,183 violent offenses, including 41 homicides, 145 sexual offenses, 11 child rapes, and more. Tennessee Releases Staggering Stats on Migrant Crime
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/02/02/tennessee-releases-staggering-stats-migrant-crime/
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking custody of an illegal alien accused of raping three children in Asheville, North Carolina. Juan Ramon Juarez-Talamantes, a 29-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, has been arrested by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office and charged with three counts of statutory rape.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/02/11/north-carolina-ice-agents-seek-custody-of-illegal-alien-accused-of-raping-three-children/
Previously-Deported Illegal Out on Bail for Heinous Child Sex Crimes Caught at Airport in Sanctuary Oregon
Infowars.com ^ | February 12th, 2026 7:31 AM | Dan Lyman
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4366607/posts
Truck Driver Allegedly Behind Fatal 8-Car Accident Identified as illegal…
Breitbart › Immigration › 2025/10/22
Border chief Tom Homan says ICE has found over 3,000 missing migrant children in Minnesota
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/border-chief-tom-homan-says-ice-has-found-over-3000-missing-migrant-children-in-minnesota/
ICE Asks Miami to Not Release Criminal Illegal Alien who Violently Sexually Assaulted Uber Driver Before Causing Vehicle Crash in Miami
Release Date: February 6, 2026
Oct 22, 2025 … The suspected semi-truck driver behind an eight-car accident in California has been identified as an illegal alien from India.
Obama Judge Refuses to Give More Jail Time to Illegal Alien Who …
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/12/15
Dec 15, 2025 … A judge is refusing to add additional jail time to a sentence for a seven-time deported illegal alien convicted of raping a disabled woman.
Report: ICE Arrests 101 ‘Dangerous’ Illegal Alien Truckers … – Breitbart
Breitbart › Immigration › 2025/12/23
Four More Americans Killed by Illegal Alien Trucker in Indiana
Four more Americans have been killed by the open-borders policy supported by President Joe Biden, Democratic politicians, and many anti-ICE activists in Minneapolis and other cities.
NEIL MUNRO
5 Feb 2026, 12:12 PM PS
Dec 23, 2025 … There are now reportedly 101 fewer illegal alien truck drivers on California highways following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement …
Illegal Alien Accused of Random Shooting Spree on Tennessee …
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/05/02
ICE Arrests Over 145 Illegal Alien Truck Drivers on Indiana Highways
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/10/30
Oct 30, 2025 … Of those arrests, 146 illegal aliens were driving semi-trucks and more than 40 had been issued Commercial Driver’s Licenses. The states that
Over Half of Immigrant Households Are on Welfare, Far Surpassing American Households
More than half of immigrant-headed households are on one or more forms of taxpayer-funded welfare, far surpassing the welfare use of native-born American households, newly released analysis from the Center for Immigration Studies revealed.
JOHN BINDER
5 Feb 2026, 3:25 PM PST1,523
10 Years Later: Illegal Alien Who Killed Sarah Root Gets 20 Years in Prison
The illegal alien convicted of killing Sarah Root the night she graduated from college has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
JOHN BINDER
3 Feb 2026, 10:47 AM PST21
May 2, 2025 … Enoc Martinez, a 24-year-old illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested in Shelby County, and charged with five counts of attempted first-degree …
Sanctuary State Illinois: Illegal Alien Accused of Killing GOP Elected …
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/10/30
Oct 30, 2025 … Police say that 34-year-old illegal alien Edwin Pacheco-Meza of Honduras was driving a van on Oct. 24 when he crossed the center lane and struck …
ICE Busts Illegal Alien Pedophile Ring in Minneapolis – Breitbart
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/07/09
Jul 9, 2025 … Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested several illegal alien pedophiles and sexual offenders in Minneapolis.
Illegal Alien Accused of Killing 23-Year-Old National Guardsman …
Breitbart › Politics › 2025/11/19
https://www.breitbart.com/crime/2026/01/23/jd-vance-california-fraud-dwarfs-theft-federal-funds-minnesota/
California Fraud by Illegals Dwarfs Theft of Federal Funds in Minnesota by illegals
Vice President JD Vance revealed this week that about $7 billion worth of Small Business Administration (SBA) fraud has been discovered in California, an indicator the theft of federal funds across all departments in the Golden State could well exceed any other state’s. I think we have a fraud problem that is much worse in California than it is in Minnesota,” Vance said in an interview Thursday with Newsmax.
He continued, “I was talking actually to our small business administrator and I think she found probably a half billion dollars of fraud in Minneapolis and the broader Minnesota area. I think she’s found 7 billion dollars worth of fraud in California.”
Federal prosecutors have estimated that the total amount for Minnesota could top $9 billion in total, but that includes multiple federally funded programs such as food stamps, health care, and social services.
Since President Donald Trump took office, the sanctuary state of California has released more than 4,500 illegal aliens, several convicted of crimes like murder and child sex crimes, into communities rather than turn them over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Sanctuary State California Has Freed 4,500 Illegals from Jail, Including Killers and Sex Offenders
Two Violent Criminal Illegal Aliens Charged with Rape, Aggravated Sodomy, and Kidnapping of Woman in Kansas
Release Date: August 20, 2025
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/08/20/two-violent-criminal-illegal-aliens-charged-rape-aggravated-sodomy-and-kidnapping
ICE arrests violent criminal alien after sanctuary jurisdiction released him despite immigration detainer
Officers with ICE Baltimore arrested Rafael Aguilar, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras who was charged with attempted murder and convicted of second-degree assault after stabbing a victim in the back as the victim was walking home on April 19, 2025.
Prince George’s County released a criminal illegal alien charged with attempted murder and later convicted of assault
https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-arrests-violent-criminal-alien-after-sanctuary-jurisdiction-released-him-despite
ICE Urges Charlotte Officials Not to Release Illegal Immigrant Charged in Stabbing Ex-Girlfriend
ICE said it lodged an immigration detainer immediately after he was arrested to ensure he is not released back into Charlotte neighborhoods without federal notification. By
Rudy Blalock
|
Published: 2/10/2026, 4:07:10 PM EST
https://www.ntd.com/ice-urges-charlotte-officials-not-to-release-illegal-immigrant-charged-in-stabbing-ex-girlfriend_1125315.html
Yes, felons need to go .
Others can be considered case by case.
Emotional poster Writes this:
“Others can be considered case by case.”
And this:
“I read that at the end of 2025 there were 3.7 million ” foreign nationals ” awaiting an asylum court hearing. So some folks are simply living here illegally. Others are in line for court hearings.”
According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) there are `18,000 lawyers in that organization. I suppose it’s possible that there are some immigration lawyers that aren’t in this bar association and some may not be actively representing “clients”, but 3.7 million cases divided by 18,000 lawyers is a addition to their caseload of ~205 each.
This of course doesn’t account for the millions more who aren’t included in that total or will test the waters as way to remain stateside .
Last time I looked, lawyers (outside their required pro bono cases or those cases that test novel legal theories that will provide celebrity) don’t work for free.
Since we aren’t suddenly going to mint large numbers of new lawyers, I suppose will have to induce others to change their practice. Drawing lawyers from “white shoe” firms focused on things like securities or commercial law is going to be an inordinately expensive proposition given their lavish compensation.
Of course, this will also require not just lawyers, but stenographers, clerks, and interpreters.
Who pays for this? When does it end?
Thank you for a reasonably fair, objective and balanced essay. What a relief! FWIW I agree with a lot of it.
What grabbed my attention was that several bishops are apparently considering “cannonical penalties” for ICE agents, who are enforcing democratically enacted law. Really?! I see the USCCB being “pastoral” with pro-abortion Catholic politicians (Sibelius, Pelosi, Biden). Notre Dame is about to appoint a constructively pro-abortion person as one of its directors. I saw no mention of “cannonical penalties” in the CWR article. I am not real sure what “pastoral” is but it looks a lot milder than a “cannonical penalty”. Am I to conclude that being mean to immigrants is more serious than aborting babies?
The USCCB has a credibility problem of its own making caused by its inconsistent and haphazard commentary on current events. I understand that bishops do not “work for” the USCCB and therefore it cannot command their obedience. But what I see is not collegiality but borderline chaos. Who do we listen to?
It would be beneficial to have a set of reasonable, objective and concrete guidelines for us to use in making, implementing and evaluating public policy in a secular constitutional republic. Just war theory might be good example. Having a common and accepted moral framework would at least enable us to understand why we disagree. And us pew sitters might be able to make sense of it all.
well said…you covered the discrepancies of concern by the USCCB for too many pols on abortion…excusing and ignoring far worse actions by them for what? “Approval” of pols who flaunted their stance as “modern” Catholics?
The USCCB threatening to excom serving federal officers for enforcing actual laws while ignoring pols whose moral stances were indefensible looks and smells of gamesmanship.
A counter proposal is that USCCB has no business whatsoever having “an immigration strategy.”
Immigration strategy is the business of the U.S. Republic, not a bought-and-paid-for NGO like the USCCB.
CiM: I echo your thinking…EXACTLY!
You hit the nail on the head.
Totally agree…the U. S. Bishops need to focus on the problems of the Church – and there are many – and stay out of law enforcement!
Let us not forget that all of the non-violent immigrants are yet illigal immigrants who have refused to appear before an administrative immigration judge to justify their immigration petition and 2) have refused the financial incentives to self-deport with the opportunity to yet immigrate legally to the US.
The only option by this author is to restore the funding stream to the USCCB & Catholic Charities to reengage in business as usual though the author presented some novel opportunities to spend federal dollars (none of which is Catholic to the core).
About “a set of reasonable, objective, and concrete guidelines,” in addition to the authentic Catholic Social Teaching (e.g., the encyclopedic Compendium of CST, 2004), Pope Leo XVI is making a fresh start, rather than a “mess”(!), now with Cardinal Fernandez on the hot seat.
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2026/01/29/leo-urges-doctrine-office-to-give-clear-guidance-in-face-of-new-challenges/
I was thinking of something like a small set of criteria that both politicians and normies can use as a guide for thought and action. In just war theory there are things like just cause, right intent, proportionality etc. I am looking for something similar culled from the sources you mention and perhaps others as well, all synthesized into something concise and readable by anyone of average intelligence. It is also important that it be tailored to our specific political system and culture.
The Catholic Church ought to NEVER enter into a contract – financial or otherwise – with the US government. That could NECER be construed as within the mission of the Catholic Church – the very reason Christ established it. The Church should NEVER be an agent of the Federal or State government
Secondly, the Bishops of the Catholic Church should do everything in their power (which admitted is almost non-existent since they gave away practically all their moral authority) to promote the obeying of all civil laws. One of those civil laws is that it’s illegal to enter the USA without authorization. If the bishops want to test this law I’d suggest that the next time they leave the USA they try to re-enter the country without showing their passport.
Absolutely agree Ed.
They have no business doing this.
The USCCB, like so many other “professional church organizations,” is a counterfeit, self-licking-ice-cream-cone, which exists to dilute the witness of faithful shepherds, and hi-jack the Gospel, to trade in their personal “preferential” politics.
Bingo!
“The Catholic Church ought to NEVER enter into a contract – financial or otherwise – with the US government. That could NECER be construed as within the mission of the Catholic Church – the very reason Christ established it. The Church should NEVER be an agent of the Federal or State government”
I remember when George the younger came up with his “faith-based” initiative, a lot of people (including me) thought this was cooperating with the charitable sector.
I think we failed to remember two things. He who has the gold makes the rulers and calls the tune and the government has unlimited pyrite accepted as gold.
rules not rulers
Would it not be far more constructive for the episcopate to bring to their discernment regarding this issue the consequences of unfettered illegal immigration to disadvantaged US citizens? Further, is it not grossly irresponsible for the episcopate to deliberately ignore the poorly concealed intentions of the previous administration in encouraging and facilitating the unparalleled tsunami of unvetted aliens into our country? Conservatively 12 million crossed the border during four years of the Biden administration — other estimates are as much as 30 million. To contextualize, between 1900 and 1950 only 12 million legal and vetted immigrants were absorbed into the population. Then there is the issue of 350,000 unaccompanied children handed over to who knows who…slave labor and far, far worse.
So much more could be said, but I would emphasize my initial thought. What about disadvantaged Americans and the impact of open boarders upon them?
Finally, and perhaps the most important observation I can contribute, the episcopate has an urgent responsibility to maintain and preserver their own reputation and credence. Their poorly concealed expressions of contempt for the current administration is as disingenuous and alienating to a substantial number of the faithful, disorienting to the remainder. Their abandonment of common sense, their bold disregard for the precarious state of our country’s financial stability is scandalous. 37 trillion dollars – what is that number? To get an idea, 37 trillion seconds amounts to 1.17 million years. There is a serious financial cliff which will impact the whole world. Their adoption of a fraudulent moral high horse servicing their ignorance of the reality is scandalous.
The manifest immaturity of the episcopate on not only this civil concern but also the realities of the faith undermines the place of the Church in society and in history, indeed it undermines the Jesus Christ Himself and His Gospel before a people deprived of accurate Catholic catechesis for sixty years. Can one ever forget the deafening silence they provided Bishop Strickland’s critique received last year at their meeting? Shame! Just do your job – save souls. But that can only be done by individuals with the conviction of deepest faith. That appears sorely wanting in the post-conciliar enterprise.
I agree with the observation that our bishops are incoherent in their opinions regarding who should be subjected to canonical penalties. This gives the appearance of selective moral anger.
How about canonical penalties for certain Catholic politicians who have made careers of denying the moral authority of the Church upon themselves? It’s a horrible scandal that cries out to Heaven.
I pray that our bishops defend the Church’s teachings across the board and stop ignoring the most obvious scandals in the Church.
The goal to remove all documented immigrants that is being pursued by this administration neglects a characteristic of many of these immigrants that requires a moral rather than a strictly legal response.
For decades, the presence of undocumented immigrants was not just recognized but actively supported. Many of them married US citizens, gave birth to and raised children who are US citizens, became valued employees, started businesses and hired US citizens to work for those businesses. They became valued members of their communities and rarely became criminals outside the legality of their residence. Many came here as children or young adults.
What US society and the legal system said was that your documentation status wasn’t important and we welcome your presence.
To say to such a person after years of productive and valued residence now that they are subhuman parasite is morally reprehensible.
Any plan to cooperate with the administration to remove real criminals must recognize our moral responsibility to these immigrants.
I hear you Mr. Bill. There can be extremes on both sides but hopefully we all agree that there’s no place for dangerous criminals here illegally. They need to go.
“To say to such a person after years of productive and valued residence now that they are subhuman parasite is morally reprehensible.”
No one is saying they are subhuman parasites, and asserting that is dishonest and manipulative. We’re simply saying that they’re here illegally and it’s time for them to leave.
There are no “undocumented immigrants”, they are illegal aliens.
Nobody in their right mind would call somebody getting behind the wheel of an eighteen-wheeler without a CDL an “undocumented operator”.
Stop with this deception.
I just finished reading a USCCB letter to the Trump administration objecting to their reduction in fuel economy and emission standards. I had not been aware of their expertise in this area.
But now on with this article having to do with bishops expertise on immigration, “The U.S. bishops should pursue a new immigration strategy.”
I agree with that statement, but I do not think that the authors of this article, even with good intentions, provide a realistic one.
A few thoughts:
The terms the authors use obscure the truth.
“Detained foreign nationals” They are illegal immigrants or illegal aliens. This kind of terminology is in line with the bishops’ voting guide which says that “We must stand with newcomers, authorized and unauthorized.”
We have U.S. citizens in jail who are criminals, but not violent criminals, I.e. drug users, shoplifters, etc.
What are we to think of bishops who propose canonical penalties for ICE agents? We have gone through years of bishops refusing to obey Canon 915, and giving the Eucharist to politicians who are militantly in favor of, and vote for, killing the unborn.
The authors’ statement that the up front cost to prepare rectories, USCCB office space for immigrant living might present problems is an understatement if there ever was one.
The bishops’ position is that the laws should be changed so that there is a path to citizenship for illegals. So, no real difference between those who got in line and maybe waited for years to come to the U,.S. and those who came illegally. That does not seem like justice.
And one final thought. In December of 2024 the Vatican increased their penalties for illegal entry to the Vatican of fines up to $25,000 and imprisonment up to four years. I would like to hear our bishops comment on that.
“What are we to think of bishops who propose canonical penalties for ICE agents? ”
Think or do? They must be punished at the collection basket.
I read that at the end of 2025 there were 3.7 million ” foreign nationals ” awaiting an asylum court hearing. So some folks are simply living here illegally. Others are in line for court hearings.
While I understand the logic of the position, I do not think making a distinction between criminal and non-criminal illegals is justified or appropriate at the present moment. There is no question that violent criminal illegals should be deported immediately and unceremoniously, particularly those who have multiple offenses. But current financial numbers show that almost 50% of immigrant families are currently on some type of financial assistance on the taxpayer’s dime. That is simply not sustainable in the long term, and it is also a form of economic injustice that should not be ignored or dismissed.
A sign of the times….instead of rotating abusive priests from rectory to rectory, now avail ever more vacant rectories to illegals. Meanwhile, too many bishops have yet to hold each other accountable for the McCarrick Factor.
What are the limits to “fraternal collegiality”? Or, are there no such boundaries, anywhere?
It appears that honest, to the point and forthright comments find their place in quarantine here at CWR, not unlike NCRegister…and then there are The Remnant and LifeSite where you can be banished permanently for opposing their antisemitism.
The synodalism of the new pontificate appears to have all the listening skills of — well, who knows what.
In any event, the concerns of the episcopate regarding illegal aliens and their position at the border and beyond are best addressed in their countries of origin. The Church could be involved deeply in the remedies those nations require but we have a dearth of vocations, and surely a paucity of vocations to the missionary apostolate [was it the Bergoglian pontificate which directly discouraged that charism?].
Instead of critiquing the legislation which governs immigration, the episcopate had best address the catastrophic vocation crisis we face. When we shed the rose-colored shades parishes really are in in collapse, Mass attendance neglected, grammar schools abandoned or half full, convents emptied, monasteries merging into nursing homes and Catholic academia collapsing into post-Christian protestantism.
The episcopate has some work on its plate, and it appears the only plate they don’t want to munch down.
While writing my comment of 10:47 CWR was publishing my comment of 6:29. Obviously my accusation of quarantine is happily withdrawn. Such a delay here had not come to my notice previously, though it is a common practice and far, far longer elsewhere. I appreciate that my criticism of CWR was unfounded.
Keep up your valuable work.
Why so optimistic? About the “dearth of [clerical] vocations,” we overlook the much broader loss of even the very idea of “vocations”. Vocation, what’s that?
Prayers for “vocations to the priesthood and the religious life” fall on a desert wasteland when the much broader (not more ‘common’) vocation to marriage is also at a loss. Marriage, what’s that?
Before we know it, post-Christian anomie will be swept up in internet/post-secularist AI tribalism, or maybe multi-state tribalism under the pre-modern and resurgent Islamic umma.
You present a raw possibility, but we need always recall the promise of Christ. Hope is as essential to the Faith as Charity.
God reward you.
The promise of Christ was that the Church would not fail, not that the Churches of a particular region would not fail, or that an established Christian culture in a country would not fail, to the great loss of souls. Look at the Catholic history of the Middle East and Africa, and see it has already happened.
This is not a matter of Christ’s promise regarding the gates of hell, it is a matter of whether we will beg for and cooperate with God’s grace… or not. Since He also promised to give to those who asked of Him. That is not a promise to be merely recalled though, but to be engaged in. We *will* have the consequences of our choices, either way.
Where were these bishops when prior administrations were deporting a few million more than Trump has. The reason they are speaking up today is Trump cut off their slush fund money and it’s popular to join in with the Minority Leftists.. The Bishops have lost my respect since they buckled under to Biden and closed and locked their doors over fake COVID..
The Church’s voice on immigration is not supposed to rise or fall based on which political party is in power or what funding streams exist. The Gospel consistently centers on human dignity, care for the stranger, and pastoral responsibility for those on the margins. That teaching predates any modern administration and applies regardless of who occupies the White House.
It’s also important to be careful about motives. Federal funding for refugee resettlement programs was not a political “slush fund.” Those funds were generally tied to specific services — housing, food, case management, and assistance for families. People can debate the wisdom of those programs, but accusing Church leaders of speaking out only because money was reduced oversimplifies a far more complex issue.
As for COVID, it is simply not accurate to call it “fake.” Millions of people worldwide died. Hospitals were overwhelmed. Governments and institutions — including churches — were making decisions in real time with incomplete information. Some decisions can certainly be questioned in hindsight. But responding cautiously during a global pandemic was not evidence of cowardice or political surrender. It was, for many leaders, an attempt to balance public health, legal obligations, and pastoral care under extraordinary circumstances.
Reasonable Catholics can disagree about how well those decisions were handled. But dismissing the pandemic itself or reducing every action to partisan motives does not move the conversation forward.
The Gospel is deeper than politics, and it challenges every administration — not just one.
Off Topic … sort of…Can someone here explain to me why or how the California Catholic Conference became the official “voice” of the USCCB ? I thought each Bishop was his own voice and not part of a collective. Seriously without sarcasm I would like to know. Thanks
The bishops won’t solve anything on immigration. Christ called the Church to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God and baptism and repentance.
I have no interest at all in what the Bishops say about illegal immigration. Especially as it always comes with a critical tone, attacking the country. The rest of us do not have the good fortune to live in the protected bubble that the Bishops do. ANY ILLEGAL needs to be removed. You cannot have effective law when it is unequally or arbitrarily applied. ANYONE who breaks the law is a problem and should face penalties. I dont care what they do for a living. I would point out that the illegals who were given commercial driver licenses by low IQ blue state officials are officially non-violent until they mow down American families and kill them, as has happened far too often lately. Many of the 9/11 attackers became illegal the day their visas ran out. Why were they not arrested and removed? They stayed, and killed 3,000 Americans. I am sure that up until then they were careful to be peaceful.
Remember that if the democrats get back into power this disgusting situation will get exponentially worse when they throw open the borders again. Make it your business to vote so they remain stripped of the power to harm the rest of us.
The Bishops would do well to stick to more spiritual matters, like getting folks back to confession again. Or figuring out how to pay the judgements on the church’s sex abuse cases.
My family came here in the early 1600’s. I am American first. I suggest the Bishops butt out of issues like this, which they clearly dont understand.
Non-violent crimes include DWI, fraud, theft, identity theft, drug trafficking, child pornography possession, and some forms of human trafficking and child molestation.
“Non-violent” is just a phrase to make people think of traffic tickets instead of what’s really being done.
Add a federal tax to cover the direct cost of illegals and also an indirect cost tax for Healthcare and education. This will keep the electorate awake in the future.
It is also important to recognize institutional competence. Immigration enforcement, detention policy, canon law, and ecclesial governance are not matters of financial engineering. They involve legal authority, moral theology, and pastoral responsibility. When commentary reduces the Church’s mission to a contracting strategy, it substitutes balance sheet thinking for ecclesial judgment.
Accounting expertise is valuable within its proper sphere — compliance, reporting, stewardship, and financial controls. But it does not confer authority to redefine the Church’s mission or prescribe its moral posture. The Catholic Church is not governed by quarterly revenue targets or operational efficiencies. Its decisions about pastoral care, prophetic witness, and canonical discipline are rooted in doctrine, not spreadsheets.
There is a meaningful difference between advising on fiscal management and instructing bishops on how to operationalize detention policy. The former is professional counsel; the latter ventures into theological and ecclesial territory well outside the accountant’s competence.
Financial realities may inform prudence. They do not dictate conscience.
ICE Chater: Remove the “worst of the worst.”— not really.
To understand the impact of ICE detentions on INNOCENT immigrants, consider the following points:
>Estimates suggest that thousands of innocent immigrants are detained each year.
>Many detentions occur due to errors in identification or profiling.
>A significant portion of those detained have no criminal records.
>Advocacy groups report that innocent individuals often face lengthy detention periods. The most egregious acts were ICE sending innocent migrants to the Cecot prison in El Salvador with no hope of release.
>Legal challenges and reforms are ongoing to address wrongful detentions.
>Data on specific numbers can vary widely based on reporting and definitions.
Congress: Immigrants with no criminal record are now the largest group in ICE detention Congress.com: Data shows 16,523 people with no record.
versus 15,725 with a record and 13,767 with pending charges.
There are 90 ICE detention centers with more to come, costing taxpayers $billions. Reports say many of the prisons have bunk beds and old inadequite bathrooms that have not been upgraded. Trump, Noem, and Homan are guilty of these continuing poor, unsanitary conditions.
This week, Noem switched planes and fired the pilot for not transferring her blanket. Then, she realized that she had no pilot to fly the plane. WOW!
ICE optics reveal they are out of control.
https://www.congress.gov/119/meeting/house/118692/documents/HMKP-119-JU00-20251118-SD001.pdf
Four accounting professors have written an opinion about immigration detention…. It sounds like the start of a bad dad joke.
A simple question: Why? Don’t accounting professors have enough to do? Clearly not.
If accounting professors want to analyze federal spending, that makes sense. They could examine whether the $45 billion in detention funding has proper oversight. They could question internal controls at DHS. They could analyze procurement risk and waste. That would fall squarely within their field.
When accountants move into immigration strategy and institutional mission, their accounting professional credentials do not suddenly make them experts in those areas.
There are plenty of real accounting problems in this country — rising federal deficits, pension shortfalls, nonprofit governance failures, procurement waste, and financial reporting fraud.
Every profession has its lane. There are plenty of financial statements that need close review.
Focus on those.
Four accounting professors have written an opinion about immigration detention and the Catholic Church……
It sounds like the opening line to a bad dad joke.
A simple question: Don’t accounting professors have enough to do?
If accounting professors want to analyze federal spending, that makes sense. They could examine whether the $45 billion in detention funding has proper oversight. They could question internal controls at DHS. They could analyze procurement risk and waste. That would fall squarely within their field.
When accountants move into immigration strategy and institutional mission, their professional credentials do not suddenly make them experts in those areas.
There are plenty of real accounting problems in this country — rising federal deficits, pension shortfalls, nonprofit governance failures, procurement waste, and financial reporting risks. Those are accounting issues.
Every profession has its own lane.
There are plenty of financial statements that need close review.