Common Questions About Catholic Teaching and Immigration
Below are common questions Catholics may have regarding the Church’s teaching on immigration and the Church’s care for migrants. Responses are grounded in Church teachings that include the Catechism of the Catholic Church and papal encyclical guidance.
Does the Catholic Church advocate for “open borders”?
No. The Catechism states that political authorities “may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions.”1 This includes a sovereign country’s right to regulate and secure its borders. The Church does maintain, however, that this right must always be balanced with the duty to welcome newcomers with charity and respect for the human person, as well as the rights to life and religious liberty.
What does the Church say about illegal immigration and undocumented migrants?
The Catholic Church affirms the rule of law and encourages the use of lawful immigration pathways. The Church does not encourage unnecessary or irregular migration: “Ideally, unnecessary migration ought to be avoided.”2 The Catechism states that “immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.”3
Forced migrants, such as refugees and asylum seekers, may be precluded from pursuing a visa or some other advance permission to enter the country because they face life-threatening situations or other serious dangers. The element of danger or being forcibly displaced gives rise to a human right to seek protection through irregular means as opposed to migrating through ordinary channels. Within the reality of irregular entry to the United States, authorities must protect the dignity and safety of vulnerable persons from forms of evil such as human, labor or sexual trafficking.
Why do Catholic organizations serve people who enter the U.S. without authorization?
Faithful to Jesus’ mandate to “welcome the stranger,” Catholic-affiliated organizations provide basic human needs to migrants in acknowledgment of their inherent God-given dignity and as a visible sign of God’s love and mercy to those in need. Pope St. John Paul II said that “As a sacrament of unity and thus a sign and a binding force for the whole human race, the Church is the place where illegal immigrants are also recognized and accepted as brothers and sisters. It is the task of the various Dioceses actively to ensure that these people, who are obliged to live outside the safety net of civil society, may find a sense of brotherhood in the Christian community.”4
What services do Catholic organizations provide to migrants and refugees?
The Church provides humanitarian aid to migrants and refugees, often at the request of local, state, and federal governments. Among the services Catholic organizations provide include resettlement and integration services to newly arrived legal refugees, affordable immigration legal services, and basic humanitarian needs like meals, clean clothes, medical attention, and temporary shelter. The Church and its clergy also endeavor to provide access to the Sacraments for migrants, including in their native languages.
Does USCCCB profit from its programs for migrants and refugees?
No. The U.S. bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services receives federal funding to assist with the lawful resettlement of refugees who have been vetted by the federal government, but the costs of the program exceed the funds received for the program. An independent report confirmed that USCCB’s financial numbers indicate that it spends more on refugee resettlement than it receives from the federal government. For example, in 2023, the U.S. bishops’ office spent $134 million in services while receiving $130 million from the federal government. The USCCB also notes that most of the funding received from the federal government is passed onto local organizations, such as the regional Catholic Charities agencies, which directly serve these newcomers.