As border state bishops, New Mexico prelates urge Trump to reconsider mass deportation plans

(OSV News) -- The incoming Trump administration should "rethink" its plans to carry out mass deportations, the bishops of New Mexico wrote in an open letter.

President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on hardline immigration policies, including his call for mass deportations, arguing in a September presidential debate that those without legal status "destroyed the fabric of our country," and has since indicated willingness to use military force for a mass deportation program.

While Trump has not offered specifics on how he would carry out such a program, in principle, mass deportations run contrary to the Second Vatican Council's teaching in "Gaudium et Spes" condemning "deportation" among other actions, such as abortion, that "poison human society," a teaching St. John Paul II affirmed in two encyclicals on moral truth and life issues.

In their letter, the border state's bishops -- Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces and Bishop James S. Wall of Gallup -- said immigration "remains a complicated and challenging issue for the country."

"While the Statue of Liberty is emblematic of immigration policies that have given immigrants a new lease on life and made our country great, we continue to witness tragic failures in our immigration policy that have put those fleeing injustice, persecution, and crime at great risk," they wrote. "Moreover, our failure to enact comprehensive immigration reform has weakened the moral fiber of our society."

"From the Catholic Church's experience in working with migrants and refugees, we find that many who arrive to our nation are forced to migrate because of oppression and persecution," they said. "They are victims of smugglers, human traffickers, and drug cartels. They suffer severe economic hardship and simply want to support their families with dignity. Most are not electing to migrate on a whim but are forced migrants, fleeing intolerable and inhumane conditions."

The bishops added that at the same time, "we acknowledge that, as with any group, there are those who come for nefarious reasons and who commit violent crimes, and that Americans should be protected from these people. Likewise, we agree that a sovereign country has the right to manage its borders, albeit in a manner which protects human rights and dignity."

Arguing that the immigration system "is broken and is in need of reform," the bishops said policies "that ignore the human rights of those who come to the border and undermine human dignity are not the way to fix things."

"While it is true that sovereign nations have a right and a responsibility to control their borders, this is not an absolute right, as the management of borders must be accompanied with humane treatment and due process protections," the letter said. "We can achieve both goals: the protection of human rights and the security of the border and the nation."

A mass deportation policy, they argued, will not fix those problems but would instead "create chaos, family separation, and the traumatization of children."

"While removing those who cause harm to us is necessary, deporting immigrants who have built equities in our communities and pose no threat is contrary to humanitarian principles and to our national interest," they said. "We urge the new administration to rethink this proposed deportation policy and instead return to bipartisan negotiations to repair the US immigration system."

While they are not politicians, they added, they believe elected officials should embrace these moral principles as a foundation for good and just laws.

"As Scripture tells us, for those to whom much has been given, much is expected," the letter said, in reference to Luke 12:48. "We, the bishops of New Mexico, pray that the United States -- our great nation under God -- will continue to justly receive our fellow human beings into our country, recognizing the many gifts that are ours in the world of great human suffering."

The bishops added they "stand ready to work with the new administration on achieving immigration policies which are just, humane, and reflect the values of America."