US Bishops Urge the Government to Respect the "God-given dignity of each person" in Immigration with New Letter on the Reconciliation Bill
Nearly 50 people have died in I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detention centers since January 20, 2025. In a letter addressed to Congress on May 15, 2026, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) expressed deep concerns over the failure to advance a bipartisan appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security, warning that political expediency is undermining the common good. Highlighting the limitations of an enforcement-only approach to immigration, the bishops urged lawmakers from both parties to reject partisan reconciliation funding and instead collaborate on sensible reforms that protect national security while upholding human dignity.
May 15, 2026
Dear Senator/Representative:
As Congress considers a reconciliation bill to provide annual funding for agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), we write on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to raise concerns about the failure to advance a bipartisan appropriations bill that furthers the common good.
As Pope Leo XIV has stated, “To be authentic, democratic processes must be accompanied by the political will to pursue the common good, to strengthen social cohesion, and to promote the integral development of every person.”[1] Through this reconciliation effort and the circumstances that gave rise to it, we see the unfortunate absence of that will and therefore the failure to achieve reasonable and necessary reforms to current immigration enforcement practices.
There is no question that Catholic social teaching recognizes, for the sake of the common good, the legitimate role of the state to regulate immigration, including by bringing to justice those among us who seek to inflict harm. And yet, the enforcement of immigration laws cannot truly advance the common good without reasonable conditions that ensure respect for the God-given dignity of each person, inherent in which is the exercise of certain fundamental rights. The bishops of the United States affirmed this last year when stating “[h]uman dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of good will work together.”[2]
Consistent with that fact, the USCCB has urged Congress to adopt sensible measures on a bipartisan basis to align immigration enforcement more closely with the moral order. These include the avoidance of immigration enforcement at or near sensitive locations such as houses of worship, absent exigent circumstances, and mandating consistent access to religious and pastoral services for all immigration detainees, regardless of a detention facility’s operator.[3] Rather than pursuing such measures through a bipartisan process, Congress now risks setting a concerning precedent—one in which furthering the common good is undermined for the sake of political expediency.
Moreover, the USCCB’s Committee on Migration has already urged Congress to limit additional funding increases for immigration enforcement after the unprecedented amounts provided through last year’s reconciliation bill (H.R. 1).[4] Our previous concerns regarding the use of that funding have been confirmed in various ways since its enactment.[5] Once more, we reiterate that an enforcement-only approach to immigration can never meet the demands of the moral law, nor does such an approach truly support the welfare and prosperity of American communities.
In light of all this, we encourage members of both parties to reject partisan appropriations funding and instead rededicate yourselves to a collaborative process that pursues the common good and promotes human dignity and flourishing.
Respectfully,
Most Reverend Paul S. Coakley
Archbishop of Oklahoma City
President
Most Reverend Brendan J. Cahill
Bishop of Victoria
Chairman, Committee on Migration
[1] Address of Pope Leo XIV to Members of the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See. (Jan. 9, 2026), https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/speeches/2026/january/documents/20260109-corpo-diplomatico.html.
[2] Press Release, USCCB, U.S. Bishops Issue a “Special Message” on Immigration from Plenary Assembly in Baltimore (Nov. 12, 2025), https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/us-bishops-issue-special-message-immigration-plenary-assembly-baltimore.
[3]Letter to Congress on Immigration Enforcement and Religious Liberty (Feb. 24, 2026), https://www.usccb.org/
resources/USCCB%20Letter%20on%20Immigration%20Enforcement%20and%20Religious%20Liberty.pdf.
[4] Letter to Congress on Migration-Related Appropriations for FY 2026 (Aug. 28, 2025), https://www.usccb.org/
resources/USCCB%20Letter%20to%20Congress%20on%20Migration-Related%20Appropriations%20for%20FY%
202026.pdf.
[5] See, e.g., Press Release, USCCB, Archbishop Coakley Calls for Holy Hour as a Moment of Renewal for Our Hearts and Our Nation (Jan. 28, 2026), https://www.usccb.org/news/2026/archbishop-coakley-calls-holy-hour-moment-renewal-our-hearts-and-our-nation; Press Release, USCCB, “The Thought of Holding Thousands of Families in Massive Warehouses Should Challenge the Conscience of Every American,” Says Bishop Cahill (Feb. 20, 2026), https://www.usccb.org/news/2026/thought-holding-thousands-families-massive-warehouses-should-challenge-conscience-every; Press Release, USCCB, Bishop Chairmen Urge Administration to Extend Commitments on Life to All Vulnerable Mothers, Infants, and Children in the Womb (Apr. 13, 2026), https://www.usccb.org/
news/2026/bishop-chairmen-urge-administration-extend-commitments-life-all-vulnerable-mothers.
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