Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles wrote this week that, while the U.S. has the right to control its borders, aspects of the current mode of enforcement are wrong and a better way exists.
In his Nov. 18 article for Angelus News, the archbishop described immigration as “the defining issue of our times.” “The [2024] election results were more than a reaction to the previous administration’s loose border enforcement policies,” he wrote. “They also reflect growing anxiety and fears about how the global economy is reshaping local economies and communities.”
He also discussed the shift in attitudes toward immigration in recent years.
Archbishop Gomez described some of the many steps taken by the Trump administration to secure the border and limit both legal and illegal immigration. He spoke specifically about the practice of deportation raids, referring to the Department of Homeland Security’s recent announcement that more than two million people who were in the U.S. illegally have either been deported or fled the country since January.
The archbishop explained that this is the context for the much-discussed document on immigration released last week by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
“My brother bishops and I have seen how this deportation policy is ruining people’s lives and breaking up families; in our parishes and neighborhoods, people are now living in constant fear,” Archbishop Gomez wrote.
He described how many of those being detained have never committed a violent crime and that many are grandparents, parents, and ‘hardworking men and women who are pillars in our parishes and communities.” Some, he said, are detained without the ability to contact their families or even access religious services or legal counsel.
“As pastors, we understand the popular anger about uncontrolled borders and large numbers of undocumented people in our country,” Archbishop Gomez wrote. “But this is no way to defend the rule of law or the sovereignty of our great nation.”
He argued that the real blame lies not with the people who have entered the U.S. illegally but with the powerful people who made this happen in the first place.
“Many who are here illegally came with the implied understanding that the authorities would look the other way because businesses needed their labor,” he wrote. “Politicians, business leaders, and activist groups have long exploited this issue for their own advantage. That is why the problem persists.”
Archbishop Gomez wrote that “the border has been secured,” which provides time to pause and consider the government’s next action.
He called on the Trump administration to refocus its efforts on apprehending those who pose threats to law and order and to “work with Congress to address the reality that millions of undocumented men and women in this country have no criminal record and have been living and working here for decades.”
Those illegal immigrants who have shown themselves to be “good neighbors” should be treated differently from those who are violent and dangerous, according to the archbishop.
“Surely a great nation can find a generous solution for these people — to hold them accountable for breaking our laws, but also to provide them with a pathway to a permanent legal status,” he wrote.
Archbishop Gomez assured readers of his prayers and asked for theirs. He closed by invoking the Blessed Virgin, imploring her “to help our leaders to find compassion, wisdom, and courage.”
>> Archbishop Gomez: For Catholics, ‘thoughts and prayers’ are not useless <<
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