By Washington, D.C., Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala talks immigration and dialogue with high-ranking Catholics in the Trump administration.
Catholics must educate themselves on “the facts” regarding the U.S. immigration system and the Church’s teachings on the matter, according to Washington, D.C., Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala.
Following his participation in a panel at the New York Encounter titled “Seeking a Home: A Catholic View on the Status of Immigration to the U.S.,” Menjivar-Ayala told EWTN News that he is “very hopeful” about the future of immigration in the U.S. “When people show up for a talk like this, and you see standing room only, that tells you of the great desire of people to get informed, to get educated.”
The D.C. auxiliary bishop emphasized the need to “get the facts,” not only about the immigration system in the U.S. but also where the Church stands on the issue. “For the Church, the first and the most important thing is human dignity,” he said. “It is the dignity of every person, undocumented or citizen.”
While the government must enforce its laws and protect its sovereignty, Menjivar-Ayala said, it is necessary for the government to “look at the eyes of the person, the dignity of every human being,” and to ensure that enforcement is “done in a humane way that respects the dignity of the human person.”
“Let us educate ourselves,” he said, adding: “As they say, the social doctrine of the Church is the best-kept secret. And the Church teaches, has beautiful teachings, about the social dimension of our faith.”
Dialogue with Catholics in the Trump administration
Menjivar-Ayala noted that previous administrations in the past had participated in dialogue with the Catholic Church, consulting with organizations such as the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC) on the issue of immigration. However, he said, the current administration has not.
Menjivar-Ayala noted the disparity between the Church’s emphasis on human dignity and the Trump administration’s position that every unauthorized border crossing is a criminal act.
He said we should be careful about narratives surrounding the issue and refrain from categorizing those who cross the border without authorization the same way as perpetrators of crimes such as murder, rape, or theft.
Menjivar-Ayala said criminals should be prosecuted as criminals and not categorized in the same way as immigrants, noting that “immigration laws are a different set of laws than criminal laws” but that the current administration is now “pulling them together.”
Responding to high-ranking officials who are Catholic, such as “border czar” Tom Homan, who has described the Catholic Church as being “wrong” about immigration, Menjivar-Ayala said he believes “it’s a question for them” about “how are you living the Gospel?”
“I would say that the question is not for me, because for me and for the bishops it is very clear. Every person has dignity, and in every migrant, no matter if they are documented or undocumented, we should see the face of Christ,” he said. “So the question is for them, for those who claim to be Catholic but are not seeing the face of Christ in the migrants.”
Menjivar-Ayala stressed the need for one’s politics to be informed by the Gospels and faith, rather than one’s faith being informed by politics or one’s personal views. “It is the Gospel that needs to tell me how I should see the world and not politics,” he said.
Life for the immigrant community in Washington, D.C.
Immigration enforcement among Catholic migrant communities in D.C. is “dying down a bit,” according to Menjivar-Ayala.
Sacred Heart Shrine in the Columbia Heights neighborhood reported that six of its parishioners were detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in August 2025, including an usher who was on his way to evening Mass.
Menjivar-Ayala said the immigrant community at Sacred Heart Shrine “has been affected the most” in the city but has also become the most tight-knit. During the panel, Menjivar-Ayala described parishioners in immigrant communities banding together to bring food and provide other support for one another. “I was thinking about that parish,” he said.
“I believe right now it’s dying down a bit, but nobody knows when you are going to have ICE in the streets,” he concluded.
Panel highlights broken system, need for congressional action
For the panel, Menjivar-Ayala was joined by Mario Russell, executive director of the Center for Migration Studies, and Ashley Feasley, a legal expert in residence at The Catholic University of America’s Immigration Law and Policy Initiative.
During her remarks, Feasley described the U.S. immigration system as “old,” having not been reformed since the late 1990s.
“What has happened here is people may have many perspectives about the failures of one president or another on immigration reform,” she said. “But the one place where I think we can really circle in on is the failure of Congress to act regardless of who is in the White House or who controls Congress.”
Feasley noted the presence of a number of comprehensive bills seeking to address border security and asylum but have had a difficult time garnering bipartisan support. This, she said, has ultimately been “one of the biggest problems.”
During his remarks Russell, similarly to Menjivar-Ayala, encouraged Catholics to inform themselves about the immigration system by reading reports such as those from the Center for Migration Studies or from diocesan sources.
“What is happening is basically what is happening,” he said. “Robert Reich, the old labor secretary, recently said, ‘Why would the Immigration Customs Enforcement go to Home Depot to find criminals? Why would they go to a posada or a corner to find criminals? Those are workers,’ so the evidence doesn’t support the narrative.”
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Dear Bishop,
Is the Catholic Church equipped to look into the faces of 10 to 15 million recent people coming over or under our border, check their backgrounds, find them places to live, feed them, school their children, weed out the criminals and drug dealers? If you are not, do not expect the US government to do this. The border was invaded and not policed by our corrupt previous administration. Now the current administration has to clean it up. What can the Church do to assist other than to keep saying “have compassion as you look into the eyes of those who come”? A lot of compassionate words with no real helpful solution offered. Pray instead for all involved and leave this one in the hands of the government God gave us. It is not perfect and they might not be talking to you because you have not put forward a solution along with your criticism.
Where is your support and compassion for the government and those in it who are left with the job of cleaning up this mess and are tarnished every day by the condemnation and interference of those who have no answers either? ICE is not the KKK even though many seem to want to say it is. They are men and women who have a job to do and must be allowed to do it. The only humane answer is to help those who came illegally return home and come in the right way. Can the Church offer to help some of them or encourage them to work with the government’s offer of money and a flight home? That would be humane for the illegals and the citizens who did not ask for this. We are a country with laws and all of us must work to obey them, even if we do not always like them. I look forward to seeing the offer of a solution that is doable and humane from you and your brothers.
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, with 50% of illegal alien families on welfare, far higher than the average for non illegals (see below the information), not to mention the STEALING OF BILLIOS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS AS IN MINNESOTA AND CALIFORNIA (see information below), 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/
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
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
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
“it is the dignity of every person, undocumented or citizen”
Note the deceptive “undocumented”.
I have the facts-they are in CCC 2241.
And bluntly, I don’t think he has any loyalty to the United States.
“Every person has dignity”
Yes bishop, but does this include rape, murder, and trafficked children, whose lives are destroyed by many “undocumented” invaders?
Do crime victims not have the face of Christ?
I understand what he’s saying. The folks seeking day labor at the Home Depot are mostly just that: day laborers trying to earn money to send home to their families. But there can be felons mixed in, too. We just don’t know.
There should be a reasonable balance between demonizing entire groups of people and admitting that an unsecured border allows entry to both the good and bad.
To hold that every illegal migrant is Christ knocking at the door, as worded by Leo XIV in Dilexi Te, is to place an unrealistic moral burden on Catholics, Christians throughout the world. It is in effect saying your right to national boundaries and processes for legal entry are defunct.
A Roman pontiff strays from his mission to defend the faith when he applies his office to instead issue religious sounding epithetes that are designed to destroy civil authority and encourage illegal entry. This is religious romanticism at its worst.