Minnesota bishops call for ‘generous but also prudent’ welcome of refugees

Migrants walk alongside the railroad tracks after dismounting from the “La Bestia” train, which they rode through Mexico to reach the Mexico-U.S. border near Chihuahua, Mexico, on Sept. 27, 2023. / Credit: David Peinado Romero/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 10, 2025 / 16:00 pm (CNA).

Minnesota’s Catholic bishops released a statement Feb. 7 advocating for “comprehensive immigration reform to fix our broken system” while urging the Trump administration to refrain from deporting migrants without criminal records.

“Sadly, our nation’s immigration system is broken. For too long, our laws on paper said ‘stop, no entry’ while in fact, for economic and political reasons, undocumented migrants were allowed inside, sometimes with the encouragement of business interests and even our government,” the statement from the eight bishops reads.

“As Pope Francis has said, migrants have been too often treated as ‘pawns on the chessboard of humanity,’” the bishops said. “Elected officials in both major political parties have failed to rise above political calculation and collaborate on a solution rooted in respect for migrants and the common good of the nation.”

“The Biden administration’s migration policies exacerbated these problems, and as a response, President Trump has resolved to instigate measures focused primarily on enforcement and deportations,” the statement reads.

The bishops called on citizens “to appeal to Congress and the president for comprehensive reform of our broken system that includes resources for improved border security, a generous but also prudent welcome of refugees and those seeking asylum that does not overly burden local communities, and pathways to legal status for long-term undocumented residents.”

The bishops in the statement took issue with a Jan. 21 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) directive rescinding Biden-era guidelines that previously required Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to seek their superior’s approval before arresting people at or near “sensitive locations” such as churches, hospitals, or schools.

“We appeal to the administration for a revised order that would establish that, absent exigent circumstances, no immigration enforcement action may take place on Catholic church or school property without a properly executed warrant,” the statement reads.

The statement aligns with others from bishops across the nation in urging the administration to prioritize deporting “those with criminal records” rather than migrants without criminal records, many of whom have lived in the United States for years.

“We oppose any campaign of indiscriminate immigration enforcement that threatens to unnecessarily or unjustly separate the families of those we have come to know as our brothers and sisters in Christ,” the bishops said.

The statement also acknowledges the need for securing borders but calls for human dignity to be upheld while doing so.

“The fact that we advocate for comprehensive immigration reform and the just enforcement of laws against those already residing here is not simple-minded advocacy for ‘open borders.’ We recognize that public officials have the responsibility of protecting their citizens and both promoting public safety and putting the needs of their people first.”