As immigration issues dominate public policy discussions at the national and state levels, the Catholic Church in Indiana is adding its voice to the debate with a call to place human dignity at the forefront.
While recognizing every nation’s right to protect its citizens and its borders, a recent statement by Archbishop C. Thompson of Indianapolis advocates for “the just and dignified treatment of migrants” as well as for national immigration reform and a pathway to citizenship for longtime residents who are undocumented. The Indiana Catholic Conference (ICC) – the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Indiana – has echoed these sentiments in recent testimony concerning immigration-related bills that have been introduced at the Statehouse.
Among this high-profile legislation is House Bill 1393, which would require local police to notify federal authorities if they have probable cause that a person they arrested for a felony or misdemeanor is an undocumented immigrant. The bill is moving forward at the Statehouse despite concerns of potential overreach raised by advocates including the ICC.
“The Church teaches that the federal government, in cooperation with state and local governments, has a responsibility to maintain public safety and if necessary to detain and deport undocumented immigrants who harm U.S. citizens and other immigrants,” said Alexander Mingus, executive director of the ICC, during a Jan. 23 hearing on the measure in the House Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee.
But he emphasized to lawmakers that the Church is deeply concerned about the “unwritten impact” of this bill on immigrant communities at large.
“The Church cares about these immigrants because they possess, as all humans do, an inalienable dignity despite their immigration status,” Mingus said. “These immigrants are often beloved members of our communities. Some are members of our Catholic parishes who kneel next to us at Mass, share their beloved traditions from their various countries of origin, send their children to our schools, and participate as they are able in fruitful contributions to public life.”
Toward that end, as in previous years, the ICC is again supporting legislation to provide undocumented residents with legal driving privileges so that they could drive to work, church or the grocery store without fear. Driving cards would allow these residents to drive legally and to purchase car insurance but could not be used for voting or other purposes.
Driving card legislation has stalled in the last several years at the Indiana General Assembly. Now, with the state’s focus increasingly shifting to identification and deportation of undocumented immigrants, Mingus said that the bishops of Indiana “remind us that immigration enforcement should always be targeted, proportionate and humane.”
“The flaws in our federal immigration system have been caused by years of minimal federal immigration reform that has perpetuated real national security threats – the presence of drug cartels, human trafficking, drug trafficking and violent crime,” Mingus continued. “It is most concerning that these real issues hide among the men and women and children who are really suffering and who are in great need of loving care.
“Ultimately, we believe that the deputization of local law enforcement for immigration enforcement would not adequately protect the most vulnerable and would instead leave them open to subjective immigration enforcement that does not meaningfully advance public safety for Hoosiers or our immigrant brothers and sisters.”
Hundreds of years of Catholic moral teaching form the basis for the Church’s position on immigration. In a Jan. 27 public statement, Archbishop Thompson noted that the Church “has long recognized the right and responsibility of each sovereign nation to maintain proper border security to protect its citizens while simultaneously remaining clear on the respect owed to the dignity of every person as created in the image of God.”
“As Pope Francis exhorts us, we must be especially attentive to the needs of the poor and vulnerable, which includes immigrants and refugees,” Archbishop Thompson wrote. “Christians are keenly aware that the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph were refugees for a time, traveling to another country to escape violence and death as imposed by the unjust decree of King Herod.
“As pastors, we hear the concerns of our brothers and sisters, heightened by recent threats of aggressive immigration enforcement actions, who flee to escape various forms of injustice, such as violence, war and persecution,” the archbishop continued. “Using the foundational principles of the Church’s social and moral teaching, we will continue to advocate for the just and dignified treatment of migrants as well as for national immigration reform that includes targeted, proportionate, and humane enforcement, and reasonable pathways to citizenship for long-time residents with an emphasis on family unity.”
Adding immediacy to this issue is an executive order by recently elected Indiana Gov. Mike Braun requiring all state law enforcement agencies to “cooperate fully” with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) to remove undocumented immigrants in Indiana, beginning with those charged with serious crimes.
Another bill at the Statehouse aims to assist in that effort. House Bill 1158 would require Indiana sheriff’s departments to assist ICE in deporting undocumented immigrants.
The Catholic Church has a number of concerns with this proposed legislation, Mingus told a crowded hearing room at the Statehouse on Jan. 28.
“If we emphasize enforcement without adequate reforms in the system, we will certainly ensnare those immigrants who have become valued members of our communities,” Mingus said during a hearing on the bill in the House Local Government Committee. “While we understand that your intent is to keep Hoosier citizens safe, an intent that is laudable, we ask you to instead prioritize policies that are not solely focused on enforcement, but rather assisting the federal government in a twofold pursuit of public safety and solidarity with our migrant brothers and sisters in need.”
Mingus explored the topic of solidarity – along with the related concept of subsidiarity – during the recent weekly podcast that he co-hosts with Roarke LaCoursiere, the new associate director of the ICC.
Both principles are addressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, they explained. And while they may appear to conflict with one another, they are actually complementary, Mingus said – and both aid in discerning answers to difficult questions related to immigration.
In terms of solidarity, the Church states in the catechism that “more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin.” (#2241)
“On the other hand, we have this beautiful principle of subsidiarity – how nations have a right to care for their own and to make decisions that impact the nation as a whole,” Mingus said during the podcast. “And the catechism states this clearly: that sovereign nations have a right to control their borders. Public safety is incredibly important. But so is our responsibility to care for those in need.”
To follow priority legislation of the ICC, visit www.indianacc.org. This website includes access to ICAN, the Indiana Catholic Action Network, which offers the Church’s position on key issues. Those who sign up for ICAN receive alerts on legislation moving forward and ways to contact their elected representatives.