MIGRANTS AND DEPORTATION: Pope Francis' letter to the bishops of the United States of America

In the face of recent mass deportation measures in the United States, Pope Francis addressed a letter to the country's bishops, reaffirming the infinite and transcendent dignity of every human person, regardless of their migration status. The Pope emphasizes that migration policies that disregard this dignity can lead to negative consequences, warning that "it will end badly". He criticizes narratives that discriminate against migrants and refugees, stressing the need to recognize the equality of all human beings. Below is the full text of the note.

Dear brothers in the episcopate: I would like to say a few words to you in these delicate moments that you are living as Pastors of the People of God who walk in the United States of America.

1. The journey from slavery to freedom that the People of Israel traveled, as narrated in the Book of Exodus, invites us to look at the reality of our time, so clearly marked by the phenomenon of migration, as a decisive moment in history to reaffirm not only our faith in a God who is always close, incarnate, a migrant and a refugee, but also the infinite and transcendent dignity of every human person.

2. These words with which I begin are not artificially articulated. Even a cursory examination of the Church's social doctrine shows with great force that Jesus Christ is the true Emmanuel (Mt 1:23), so he did not live outside the difficult experience of being expelled from his own land because of an imminent risk to his life, and the experience of having to take refuge in a society and a culture alien to his own. The Son of God, in becoming man, also chose to live the drama of immigration. I like to remember, among others, the words with which Pope Pius XII began his Apostolic Constitution on the care of migrants, which is considered to be the magna carta of the Church's thinking on migration: "The family of Nazareth in exile, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, emigrants to Egypt and refugees there to escape the wrath of a wicked king, are the model, the example and the consolation of emigrants and pilgrims of every age and country, of all fugitives of every condition who, spurred on by persecution or necessity, are forced to leave their homeland, their beloved family and endearing friends to go to foreign lands."[ 2]

3. In the same way, Jesus Christ, loving everyone with a universal love, educates us in the permanent recognition of the dignity of every human being, without exception. In fact, when we speak of "infinite and transcendent dignity", we want to emphasize that the most decisive value that the human person possesses surpasses and sustains every other consideration of a juridical nature that can be made to regulate life in society. Therefore, all Christian believers and people of good will are called to look at the legitimacy of norms and public policies in the light of the dignity of the person and their fundamental rights, and not vice versa.

4. I have been closely following the major crisis that is taking place in the United States as a result of the start of a mass deportation program. A well-formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that identifies, tacitly or explicitly, the illegal status of some migrants with criminality. At the same time, a nation's right to defend itself and keep its communities safe from those who have committed violent or serious crimes while in the country or before arrival must be recognized. That said, the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or the serious deterioration of the environment, undermines the dignity of many men and women, of entire families, and places them in a state of special vulnerability and helplessness.

5. This is no small matter: a true rule of law is found precisely in the dignified treatment that all people deserve, especially the poorest and most marginalized. The true common good is promoted when society and government, with creativity and strict respect for the rights of all - as I have said on numerous occasions - welcome, protect, promote and integrate the most fragile, unprotected and vulnerable. This does not preclude promoting the maturing of a policy that regulates orderly and legal migration. However, this "maturity" cannot be built through the privilege of some and the sacrifice of others. What is built on force and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, evil begins and evil ends.

6. Christians know very well that only by affirming the infinite dignity of everyone can our own identity as people and as communities reach maturity. Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that gradually expand to other people and groups. In other words: The human person is not a mere individual, relatively expansive, with some philanthropic feelings! The human person is a subject with dignity who, through the constitutive relationship with everyone, especially the poorest, can gradually mature in his or her identity and vocation. The true ordo amorisco we need to promote is what we discover by constantly meditating on the parable of the "Good Samaritan" (Lk 10:25-37), that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception. [3]

7. Worrying about personal, community or national identity, regardless of these considerations, easily introduces an ideological criterion that distorts social life and imposes the will of the strongest as the criterion of truth.

8. I recognize the valuable efforts of you, dear bishops of the United States, as you work closely with migrants and refugees, proclaiming Jesus Christ and promoting fundamental human rights. God will abundantly reward all they do in favor of protecting and defending those who are considered less valuable, less important or less human!

9. I urge all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of good will, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and make our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters suffer unnecessarily. With charity and clarity, we are all called to live in solidarity and fraternity, to build bridges that bring us ever closer together, to avoid walls of ignominy, and to learn to give our lives as Jesus Christ offered them, for the salvation of all. (10) Let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe to protect people and families who experience migration and/or deportation with fear or pain.

Fraternally,

Francis. Vatican City, February 10, 2025.