US Bishops Issue Declension Against Immigration Raids

The Bishops' Cry: A Prophetic Voice Against Inhumane Deportations

In the shadow of a nation once hailed as a beacon of hope for the weary and the oppressed, a storm brews—not of weather, but of human suffering. On November 13, 2025, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released a poignant video that has pierced the veil of political indifference, condemning the Trump-Vance administration's aggressive deportation raids as "inhumane." This is no mere press release or fleeting tweet; it is a clarion call from shepherds of the faith, speaking not from ivory towers but from the trenches of pastoral care, where families are torn asunder and dignity is trampled under the boot of expediency. As the video's views climb past five million, it resonates far beyond Catholic circles, echoing the Gospel's unyielding demand for justice amid a policy that treats human beings like refuse.

The video, a somber montage of bishops addressing the camera directly, opens with a stark montage of raids: masked agents storming workplaces, children wailing as parents are handcuffed, and detention centers overflowing with the vulnerable. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, his voice steady yet laced with sorrow, intones, "We stand with the migrants, not against the law, but against the cruelty that has hijacked it." Bishop Robert Barron, ever the articulate defender of faith, follows: "The indiscriminate nature of these operations—sweeping up the undocumented alongside the documented, the criminal with the innocent—violates the sacred dignity bestowed by God on every person." The clip builds to a crescendo with Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles declaring, "This is not enforcement; this is exile without mercy. We oppose the mass deportation of people who have built lives here, contributed to our communities, and sought only refuge from despair."

At its core, the video embodies the bishops' "Special Message" approved overwhelmingly—216 to 5, with three abstentions—at their Baltimore assembly. This rare invocation, unused since 2013, reads like a lamentation from the prophets: "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. We pray that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation." The bishops decry the raids' toll: families separated at gunpoint, churches raided during Mass, schools emptied by fear, and hospitals treating the wounded from clashes. They invoke the "God-given human dignity" of all, urging "all people of good will" to accompany immigrants in their plight. It's a moral indictment, not a partisan jab, framing the policy as a betrayal of America's founding ethos and Christianity's foundational ethic.

This condemnation did not emerge in a vacuum. It follows Pope Leo XIV's own fiery words just weeks prior, where he labeled the raids "inhuman," a treatment of migrants as "garbage" that constitutes a "serious sin." The first American pope, Leo XIV—elected in a conclave that stunned the world with its transatlantic pivot—has made immigration his signature crusade, urging U.S. bishops to speak "with one voice" against such brutality. In the video, the bishops credit this papal nudge, positioning their stand as fidelity to Rome's unyielding defense of the vulnerable. Yet, for all its gravity, the message is laced with hope: calls for "meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws," dialogue with officials, and a vision where borders secure without savaging souls.

 The Catholic Church's Timeless Teaching on Borders and the Stranger

To grasp the bishops' outrage, one must delve into the Catholic Church's rich tapestry of teachings on immigration—a doctrine woven from Scripture, tradition, and the lived witness of saints and sages. Far from a modern invention, this ethic roots in the Hebrew Scriptures, where Yahweh commands Israel: "The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 19:34). This mandate echoes through the New Testament, where Jesus identifies with the outcast: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Matthew 25:35). The early Church Fathers amplified this, with St. John Chrysostom thundering in the fourth century, "Do you not see how the Lord received the Canaanite woman, a foreigner, with compassion? So must we embrace the sojourner, lest we reject Christ Himself."

The Church has never been naive about borders. Popes across centuries affirm the right of nations to regulate entry for the common good. Pope Pius XII, in his 1952 apostolic exhortation Exsul Familia, balanced hospitality with order: "The sovereign power of the State... has the right to control the movement of foreigners within its borders." Yet, he insisted this authority must bow to natural law, ensuring migrants are not "treated as enemies" but as brothers. St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, echoed this in his Summa Theologica, arguing that while property and sovereignty demand just limits, charity compels aid to the needy, even across lines drawn by man.

Enter the modern era, where popes have confronted the global migration crisis with pastoral fire. Pope Leo XIII, in Rerum Novarum (1891), laid the groundwork by decrying the exploitation of the poor, many of whom fled famine and oppression—foreshadowing today's caravans. He wrote, "The concentration of so many men in the cities... drives the laborer to seek refuge in foreign lands," urging nations to welcome without prejudice. Pius XI extended this in Quadragesimo Anno (1931), condemning xenophobia as a "poison" that erodes Christian solidarity.

Pope John XXIII, in Pacem in Terris (1963), declared migration a natural right: "Every man has the right to live... and the right to emigrate if his homeland cannot sustain him." John Paul II, the pilgrim pope, personalized this in Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (1987), recounting his own Polish roots amid Soviet oppression: "The Church... is called to respond to the cry of the stranger at the door." Benedict XVI, in Caritas in Veritate (2009), warned against "globalization without solidarity," insisting borders must facilitate, not fortify against, human flourishing.

No voice rings louder than Pope Francis, whose papacy has been a megaphone for the marginalized. In Evangelii Gaudium (2013), he lambasted "anesthetized consciences" that ignore migrants' plight, calling for "a globalization of solidarity." His 2019 visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, where he placed a crucifix atop barbed wire, symbolized this tension: respect for law, rejection of lethality. Francis's encyclical Fratelli Tutti (2020) devotes chapters to migration, quoting St. Oscar Romero: "Let us not forget that the poor and the excluded are not statistics but human beings." He critiques "throwaway cultures" that discard the undocumented like refuse, urging "safe, orderly, and regular" paths while decrying walls as "symbols of fear."

Pope Leo XIV builds on this legacy, infusing it with American urgency. In his first address to U.S. bishops, he invoked St. Oscar Romero's martyrdom for the Salvadoran refugees, declaring, "The blood of the martyrs cries out from the Rio Grande: welcome the stranger, or weep for your silence." Leo XIV's words in the deportation context—"treating migrants as garbage is a grave sin"—channel Francis's fury while grounding it in Aquinas's just limits. Together, these pontiffs form a chorus: borders are not prisons, but portals for providence.

Saints embody this teaching in flesh and blood. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, patroness of immigrants, crossed the Atlantic 30 times in the 19th century to aid Italian newcomers in America's teeming slums, founding orphanages amid nativist riots. "I came to America to work for the millions of immigrants who suffer," she said, embodying Leo XIII's vision. St. John Bosco sheltered street urchins and migrant youth in Turin, teaching that "charity knows no passport." In our time, Blessed Oscar Romero confronted El Salvador's death squads for Central American refugees, assassinated mid-Mass with the words, "In the name of God... stop the repression!" Their lives refute any charge of "open borders" idealism; Cabrini navigated legal hurdles, Bosco built self-sufficient communities, Romero advocated reform over anarchy.

Church Fathers like St. Augustine, in City of God, distinguished the earthly city’s laws from the heavenly: nations guard peace, but never at mercy's expense. St. Basil the Great established xenodocheia—guest houses for strangers—in fourth-century Cappadocia, insisting, "The bread you hold back belongs to the hungry; the coat in your closet to the naked." This patristic wisdom informs the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2241): "The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner, seeking always to relieve the needs of those suffering from want." Yet, it adds, "Political authorities... have the right to impose reasonable limits." Humane borders, not iron curtains.

Scripture seals this edifice. Beyond Leviticus and Matthew, Deuteronomy 10:19 commands, "You shall love the sojourner, for you were sojourners in Egypt." Hebrews 13:2 urges, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) shatters ethnic barriers: the hero is the foreigner aiding the native. In Acts 10, Peter's vision abolishes clean/unclean divides, prefiguring the Church's universal embrace. Paul, in Romans 13, honors authority but subordinates it to love (13:8-10), while Galatians 3:28 proclaims, "There is neither Jew nor Greek... for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Thus, the Church's stance is crystalline: borders are legitimate, but their enforcement must mirror Christ's mercy. Illegal entry is a civil wrong, not a mortal sin; the greater evil lies in systemic cruelty. As the bishops' video asserts, "We do not advocate lawlessness, but a law reformed by love."

 Nuancing the Call: Humane Treatment, Not Open Borders

Lest misinterpretation fester, the bishops' condemnation is no endorsement of chaos. The video explicitly states: "We support secure borders and just immigration laws, but these raids—raiding churches, separating families without due process—cross into inhumanity." This echoes the USCCB's long-standing framework, Strangers No Longer (2003, with Mexico's bishops), which affirms nations' sovereignty while decrying "indiscriminate enforcement" that punishes the vulnerable. The Church distinguishes: immigration status is a legal category; human dignity, eternal.

Pope Francis clarifies this in Fratelli Tutti: "We need to move beyond the idea of simply closing borders... toward a regulated circulation of people." Leo XIV, in his raid critique, added, "Enforce the law with justice, not vengeance; deport criminals, yes—but give the asylum-seeker a hearing, the worker a chance." Saints like Cabrini lobbied Congress for legal protections, not abolition of them. The Catechism (CCC 1911) binds the common good to subsidiarity: aid the migrant locally, regulate globally.

In practice, Catholic Charities aids legal immigrants and undocumented alike—shelters for DACA recipients, legal clinics for visa holders—without promoting illegality. The bishops' plea is for proportionality: prioritize threats, not blanket sweeps. As Barron notes in the video, "Humane treatment applies whether one arrived by plane or perilously by foot." This is Gospel pragmatism: welcome the stranger, respect the state, reform the system.

 The Tempest of Backlash: Obeying Caesar Over God?

Yet, prophecy provokes. The video's release unleashed a torrent of ire from Protestant quarters and right-wing Catholics, a fury that exposes a rift in the soul of American Christianity. Evangelical leaders like Franklin Graham decried it as "papal meddling in sovereignty," while Franklin's son, Will, tweeted, "Bishops should preach salvation, not amnesty—Romans 13 demands submission to rulers!" On X, Protestant influencers amplified this, one viral post snarling, "The Vatican forgets: God ordained governments to punish evildoers, not coddle criminals crossing borders illegally."

Even among Catholics, the backlash stings. Conservative outlets like Townhall mocked, "Bishops applauding anti-Trump theater while kids are trafficked under Biden—priorities?" X erupted with BishopsBetrayed, users like @CatholicPatriot raging, "These prelates sold out for migrants over unborn babies. Obey Caesar? No—obey God by securing the border!" Tom Homan, Trump's Catholic border czar, fired back: "As a Catholic, I say fix your own house before lecturing on raids." JD Vance, the vice president and self-professed Catholic, earlier jabbed, "USCCB's $100M in fed funds for resettling illegals—humanitarian or hypocritical?"

This anger seethes with a selective Scripture: Romans 13:1-7, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities," twisted into blanket fealty. But the Bible's chorus is more nuanced. Acts 5:29 trumps it: "We must obey God rather than men." When Pharaoh enslaved Hebrews, Moses defied; Daniel prayed against the king's edict; Peter healed on the Sabbath, scorning Sabbath laws. Jesus Himself upended temple tables (Matthew 21:12), calling Herod a "fox" (Luke 13:32). Protestants, heirs to Luther's "Here I stand," ironically echo the Pharisees' legalism, preferring Caesar's sword to Christ's cross.

For right-wing Catholics echoing this, the critique cuts deeper: you are more Protestant than Catholic, unmoored from Magisterial moorings. The Church's social doctrine—enshrined in Gaudium et Spes (1965)—demands prophetic witness against unjust laws. These critics, cherry-picking Aquinas on authority while ignoring his charity imperatives, reveal a catechetical chasm. They don't know—or willfully forget—the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (2004), which states, "The Magisterium... denounces structures of sin" like exploitative migration policies. Their morals? Subordinated to MAGA altars, where "America First" supplants "God First." Politics trumps faith when rallies elicit cheers but refugees rouse sneers. As St. John Paul II warned, "Do not conform to this world" (Romans 12:2)—yet they do, trading the seamstress's mantle for Fox News fearmongering.

This isn't mere disagreement; it's dissent from the deposit of faith. Such Catholics, invoking "render unto Caesar" sans context, embody the "cafeteria Catholicism" they decry in liberals. Their anger blinds them to the bishops' nuance, painting mercy as malice. In truth, it's they who obey Caesar over God, fortifying walls where Christ bids welcome.

 Free Speech, Moral Mandate: Bishops in the Public Square

To those X posts bleating, "Stay out of politics, Fathers—stick to sacraments!" the response is threefold: citizenship, Constitution, and conscience. American bishops are U.S. citizens, vested with First Amendment rights to free speech and petition. As Archbishop Coakley, the new USCCB president, affirmed, "We vote, pay taxes, and bury our dead from wars—we engage as patriots." This isn't clerical overreach; it's civic duty.

Moreover, the Church's mission transcends pews. Vatican II's Gaudium et Spes mandates: "The Church... has the duty to speak out on social issues." Prophets like Amos thundered against injustice; Jesus scourged Pharisees in synagogues. Silence on raids—while parishes empty from fear—is complicity. Proverbs 31:8 commands, "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves." The undocumented, voiceless in detention, cry for such advocacy. As citizens, bishops fulfill this; as pastors, they cannot shirk it.

Critics invoking "separation of church and state" invert it: the clause bars government meddling in faith, not faithful meddling in governance. From Wilberforce's abolitionism to King's civil rights crusade—both Christian—the public square thrives on moral voices. The bishops' video is that: not partisanship, but prophecy.

 Abortion's Shadow: No False Equivalence

Another barb: "Bishops blitz immigration but whisper on abortion—hypocrites!" X threads tally "zero videos on baby-killing," contrasting the raid clip. Yet, this is calumny born of amnesia. The Catholic Church birthed the modern pro-life movement. In 1967, before Roe v. Wade, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) formed a Family Life Bureau to combat contraception and abortion. Post-Roe (1973), they sued the government, funded crisis pregnancies, and rallied millions via the Respect Life program—annually since 1972.

Decades of fight: annual marches drawing bishops like Cordileone and Aquila; Evangelium Vitae (1995) by John Paul II, a pro-life Magna Carta; Francis's Amoris Laetitia (2016) integrating mercy with unyielding opposition. The USCCB's 2024 budget: $10M+ for pro-life, dwarfing immigration ops. Videos? Hundreds—YouTube's USCCB channel brims with anti-abortion pleas, from Dolan’s "No Exceptions" series to Barron’s "Why I'm Pro-Life."

No comparison: abortion slays the innocent pre-birth; raids exile the living. Both demand outcry, but the Church's pro-life primacy is etched in blood—saints like Gianna Molla, who died saving her child. The bishops address both; critics spotlight one to silence the other.

 Funding Fables: Motives Unmasked

Then, the conspiracy: "Bishops bark for bucks—$100M in fed grants for migrant aid!" Vance's January quip lingers, amplified on X: "Humanitarian? Or grift?" True, Catholic Charities receives federal funds—$1.8B in 2023 for refugees, per audits. But this beggars logic as motive. Trump, master of retribution, froze USAID grants to NGOs critiquing his first-term policies; his DOJ probed "disloyal" clerics. Issuing this video invites audits, cuts, lawsuits—hardly a funding ploy.

No: the bishops' wealth is in witness, not wallets. They condemned Reagan's El Salvador aid (1980s), Bush's Iraq war (2003), and Obama's deportations (2014)—across aisles. Leo XIV's raid blast risked Vatican-Trump ties, post-Vance's May audience. As Dolan says, "We speak because Christ compels, not contracts compel." Funding claims crumble under scrutiny; courage stands.

 What Would Jesus Do? Mercy Meets the Magistrate

Finally, the incarnate lens: What would Jesus do amid these raids? He’d stride into the detention center, as in Capernaum (Mark 2:1-12), healing the paralyzed—undocumented or not—declaring, "Your sins are forgiven; rise and walk." To the agents, He'd echo the adulteress's accusers (John 8:1-11): "Let the sinless cast first." Yet, to the crowd, He'd remind: "Render unto Caesar" (Mark 12:17)—respect laws, but transcend them with love.

Jesus welcomed Samaritans (John 4), lepers (Luke 17), tax collectors—outcasts all—regardless of status. His Nativity? A refugee family fleeing Herod's sword (Matthew 2:13-15). But He honored Passover laws, paid temple tax—order with obedience. The Church channels this: aid the alien, amend the unjust. As Leo XIV urges, "Be like the Father, who makes sun rise on good and evil" (Matthew 5:45).

 A Call to Conscience: Reclaim the Radical Love

As 2025 wanes, the bishops' video lingers—a mirror to our souls. Will we heed the stranger's plea, or harden Pharaoh hearts? The Church, from Fathers to Francis to Leo, bids us choose: borders of bronze, or bridges of beatitude? In welcoming the least, we enthrone the King. Let this be our Lent: repent the raids' rage, reform with righteousness. For in the end, nations fall, but mercy endures.

You can read more on this topic from our other articles here:

1. https://www.sacerdotus.com/2025/11/st-frances-xavier-cabrini-beacon-of.html
2. https://www.sacerdotus.com/2025/11/protestants-twisting-scripture-against.html
3. https://www.sacerdotus.com/2025/09/ice-agent-shoves-ecuadorian-mother.html
4. https://www.sacerdotus.com/2025/02/usccb-sues-trump-administration-over.html
5. https://www.sacerdotus.com/2025/01/cardinal-dolan-vs-vp-vance.html
6. https://www.sacerdotus.com/2025/01/mass-deportation-outcry.html
7. https://www.sacerdotus.com/2025/01/the-catholic-churchs-teachings-on.html

 References

1. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025, November 13). Special Message on Immigration. USCCB.org. [web:0, web:6, web:10]

2. Hale, C. (2025, November 13). “The Church Stands With Migrants” — Bishops’ Video Denouncing Trump-Vance ICE Raids Goes Global. The Letters from Leo. 

3. The New York Times. (2025, November 12). Catholic Bishops Rebuke U.S. ‘Mass Deportation’ of Immigrants. 

4. The Washington Post. (2025, November 13). Catholic bishops condemn ‘indiscriminate mass deportation’ in rare statement. 

5. The Independent. (2025, November 13). Catholic Bishops slam the White House’s aggressive deportation push. [web:6, web:11]

6. Townhall. (2025, November 14). Tom Homan Takes Catholic Bishops to the Cleaners Over Video Condemning Deportations. 

7. Mediaite. (2025, November 14). Trump Border Czar Scolds Catholic Bishops’ Public Protest of ICE’s Mass Deportation Tactics. 

8. Not the Bee. (2025, November 14). Catholic bishops go to war with Trump over deportation raids. 

9. The Daily Beast. (2025, November 13). Catholic Bishops Take Rare Step to Slam Donald Trump’s Deportations. 

10. Los Angeles Times. (2025, November 13). U.S. Catholic bishops oppose Trump's 'indiscriminate' deportations. 

11. Pope Leo XIII. (1891). Rerum Novarum. Vatican.va.

12. Pope Pius XII. (1952). Exsul Familia. Vatican.va.

13. Pope John XXIII. (1963). Pacem in Terris. Vatican.va.

14. Pope John Paul II. (1987). Sollicitudo Rei Socialis. Vatican.va; (1995). Evangelium Vitae. Vatican.va.

15. Pope Benedict XVI. (2009). Caritas in Veritate. Vatican.va.

16. Pope Francis. (2013). Evangelii Gaudium. Vatican.va; (2016). Amoris Laetitia. Vatican.va; (2020). Fratelli Tutti. Vatican.va.

17. Pope Leo XIV. (2025). Address to U.S. Bishops on Immigration. Vatican Press Office.

18. St. Thomas Aquinas. Summa Theologica (II-II, Q. 66, Art. 7). New Advent.

19. Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992). §§ 2241, 1911. USCCB.

20. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops & Conferencia Episcopal Mexicana. (2003). Strangers No Longer. USCCB.

21. Second Vatican Council. (1965). Gaudium et Spes. Vatican.va.

22. Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. (2004). Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. Vatican.va.

23. Holy Bible (RSV-CE): Leviticus 19:34; Deuteronomy 10:19; Matthew 25:35; Luke 10:25-37; Acts 5:29; Romans 13:1-10; Hebrews 13:2.

24. St. John Chrysostom. Homilies on Matthew (Homily 50). New Advent.

25. St. Augustine. City of God (Book XIX). New Advent.

26. St. Basil the Great. On Social Justice. St. Vladimir's Seminary Press.

27. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. Letters and Writings. (Selections in Mother Cabrini: Italian Immigrant of the Century. 1998).

28. St. John Bosco. The Biographical Memoirs. Don Bosco Publications.

29. Blessed Oscar Romero. The Violence of Love. Orbis Books (1988).

30. Various X Posts: @chrisjollyhale (post:26, 2025-11-13); @DefiantLs (post:22, 2025-11-14); @DanaLoeschRadio (post:19, 2025-11-14); @mail_american (post:18, 2025-11-14). [post:15-41]