For decades, Florida’s bishops, along with their brother bishops across the US, have been consistent in their calls for Congress to pass multifaceted reform of the nation’s immigration system. Church teaching recognizes a country’s right and responsibility to promote public order, safety, and security through well-regulated borders and just limits on immigration. The remedy for our inadequate immigration system should take place at the federal level, not through piecemeal policies at the state level. The USCCB has identified six elements of reform that are grounded in Catholic social teaching and the Church’s teaching on migration, specifically:
Element 1: Enforcement efforts should be targeted, proportional, and humane
Element 2: Humanitarian protections and due process should be ensured
Element 3: Long-time residents should have an earned pathway to citizenship
Element 4: Family unity should remain a cornerstone of the U.S. system
Element 5: Legal pathways should be expanded, reliable, and efficient
Element 6: The root causes of forced migration should be addressed
To read more about these elements of reform, click here.