What Do Church Teachings Really Tell Catholics About Immigration Policy

For Catholics and Christians, it is not always easy to reconcile Biblical teachings with public policy – though believers are called to vote according to their faith. One area where this can be particularly difficult is on immigration.

In this election cycle, former President Donald Trump has proposed, among other measures to secure the border, a program of mass deportations of illegal aliens currently in the United States. Democrats have conversely favored mass amnesty – with some making the argument that this approach is more in line with Catholic and Christian teachings.

Compassion for migrants is an essential and valuable part of Christianity, and Catholic social teaching in particular. But so is the right of nations to protect their borders, maintain order, and safeguard families and communities. Moreover, having a secure border and orderly immigration process is the most compassionate approach for migrants, as opposed to the chaos and mass human suffering that reigns at the border now.

Here’s why deportations are a morally sound policy proposal based on scripture and church teaching:

First, although Church teachings affirm a God-given right to migrate, they do not condone rampant illegal migration without consequence that we are seeing today. A moral distinction exists between legal and illegal immigration. Upholding laws and maintaining order is not contrary to Catholic principles; rather, it reflects a moral obligation to protect communities and ensure justice in society.

The reality of immigration currently is that most migrants who come to the United States illegally do not have a legal right to be here and are not fleeing persecution. At least 80 percent do not end up qualifying for asylum or refugee status. Supporting mass deportations is not a rejection of any migrant’s humanity, but a reflection of the importance of the rule of law and the proper order of immigration processes.

Second, Church teaching clearly affirms that governments have a right to protect their borders, and scripture obliges us to respect laws that do not directly contravene Biblical teachings.

The Catholic Church has long acknowledged the right of a nation to secure its borders. In scripture, Romans 13:1-7 reminds us that God expects us to be subject to laws of government, so long as they do not violate His laws.

The catechism takes this a step further, stating that “political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions.” According to the Church, not only can a nation justly enforce its borders, but it can impose consequences on those that break its laws.

For the millions of illegal aliens who have unlawfully come to the U.S., sending them home is a perfectly acceptable method of enforcing the law, so long as it is done humanely.

Third, mass deportation is not intrinsically wrong or evil.

Though some on the left have pointed out that the Church has at times condemned specific instances of mass deportation, the cultural context of this is mass expulsion associated with genocide, such as the Nazi deportation of Jews and other ethnic groups to concentration camps.

This is far removed from the current situation in the U.S., where deportation is proposed for just causes like preserving the rule of law and alleviating the enormous strain put on American law enforcement and everyday citizens. Donald Trump has indicated that he would deport individuals with no legal grounds to be in the U.S., beginning with known public safety threats and those whose asylum cases have already been adjudicated and denied. He has not stated an intent to return migrants back to home nations where they would become victims of persecution.

Moreover, there is a strong argument that the current situation – where human trafficking has become a billion-dollar industry and fentanyl is flooding into American communities – produces far more needless human suffering than the alternative, which is a secure border with strong deterrents to illegal immigration. Creating incentives for millions of people to make the dangerous journey to the United States is the opposite of compassionate.

Fourth, deportation acts as a deterrent to fraudulent asylum claims, meaning that it will help migrants truly in need of refuge.

At the Southern border, the Mexican drug cartels coach migrants to make an asylum claim to be let into the U.S., whether or not they qualify as a victim of persecution. There are at least 2 million asylum cases currently pending in U.S. immigration courts, forcing some people to wait 10 years or more for a decision.

Deporting migrants without legitimate asylum claims is a necessary, legal, and practical way to ensure genuine victims of persecution can be welcomed and offered swift assistance.

Fifth, Catholic teaching counsels nations to form their immigration policy based on practical considerations; it does not bind them to take in every migrant that arrives at their borders.

The catechism states that “the more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.”

In his address to the U.S. Senate in 1947, Pope Pius XII reminded us that the welfare of the host country must be balanced with global circumstances, and that sometimes, restrictions on immigration may be necessary.

The United States is not, nor will it ever be, in a position to accept 10 million immigrants over the course of four years, as it has since 2020. There are hundreds of thousands of homeless Americans, at least 35 million people living in poverty, and countless others who are barely able to pay grocery bills, send their kids to college, or afford rent. Taking care of Americans first should always be the top priority of the American government.

The reality is that illegal aliens drive down wages for American workers and further squeeze the housing supply, resulting in suffering on all sides. Beginning deportations is both a necessary and moral first step to remedy this – and let us not forget that we can do that while maintaining a robust legal immigration system that supports our nation’s needs.

We should also remember to live by the words of Pope Saint John Paul II, who said on the 2003 World Day of Migrants and Refugees, “building conditions of peace means in practice being seriously committed to safeguarding first of all the right not to emigrate, that is, the right to live in peace and dignity in one’s own country.”

Currently, that right is threatened in the United States by unchecked mass illegal immigration. Restoring order to an open border and deporting those who have made breaking American laws their first act in this country is the first step toward restoring peace and dignity at home.

Kristen Ziccarelli is a graduate of Christopher Newport University and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.