Cardinal Tobin: Human dignity and the need for comprehensive immigration reform
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Vol. 7. No. 16
“What’s required is a comprehensive, long-term solution that reflects reality rather than ideology” (Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda)
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
My brother bishop, Bernard A. Hebda, Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, has written an urgent appeal for comprehensive immigration reform, which the Wall Street Journal published on January 20, 2026, as a Free Expression Commentary. (See below.) Having witnessed first-hand the recent chaos and violence in Minnesota, Archbishop Hebda has concluded that “we can no longer put off the hard work of immigration reform” because “the chaos benefits no one.”
The Catholic Church in the United States is an immigrant Church with a long history of embracing diverse newcomers and providing assistance and pastoral care to immigrants, migrants, refugees, and people on the move. For many decades, the bishops of the United States have advocated for substantive change to our country’s immigration laws and policies. As Archbishop Hebda notes, the immigration reform we desire needs to be based on the reality of our situation rather than in any particular ideology.
For example, in 2003, the Bishops of the United States, together with the Bishops of Mexico, in the pastoral statement, “Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope” acknowledged that the current immigration system is badly in need of reform and offered a comprehensive set of recommendations for changing U.S. laws and policies to bring about a more humane and just immigration system in the United States.
As Archbishop Hebda notes, “we had a chance in 2013, when a bipartisan bill passed the Senate. It was a strong bill that provided billions for border security and a 12-year path to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented immigrants. The House never took it up.” Sadly, the Archbishop says, “each year of inaction has made the debate louder, angrier and less humane.”
Our Church is passionate about the dignity and human rights of everyone without exception. As Pope Leo XIV pointed out in his address to members of the Vatican’s diplomatic corps earlier this year (see below):
In its international relations and actions, the Holy See consistently takes a stand in defense of the inalienable dignity of every person. It cannot be overlooked, for example, that every migrant is a person and, as such, has inalienable rights that must be respected in every situation. Not all migrants move by choice, but many are forced to flee because of violence, persecution, conflict and even the effects of climate change, as in various parts of Africa and Asia. In this year, which also marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the International Organization for Migration, I renew the Holy See’s hope that the actions taken by States against criminality and human trafficking will not become a pretext for undermining the dignity of migrants and refugees.
Yes, nations have the right, and the responsibility, to safeguard their borders and to regulate the flow of legal immigration, but in the process, they must always respect the dignity of persons and guarantee that their basic human rights are protected. And, as Pope Leo insists, actions taken in response to the criminal behavior of a small percentage of undocumented migrants should not undermine the human rights and dignity of all migrants and refugees.
These two fundamental principles, the dignity of every person and the responsibility of nations to regulate immigration in ways that ensure the common good, are not mutually exclusive. In fact, as Archbishop Hebda notes, when either principle is neglected or abused, the resulting chaos benefits no one.
On behalf of all the people served by the Catholic Church here in northern New Jersey and beyond, I want to express my solidarity and wholehearted support for the principles articulated by our Holy Father Pope Leo and by my brother bishop Bernard Hebda in support of human dignity and comprehensive immigration reform.
The Catholic Church is not aligned with any political party or partisan agenda. We stand with Jesus Christ and with the Gospel values clearly expressed in Catholic social teaching. We stand with every person made in the image and likeness of God. And we aggressively advocate for laws and policies that guarantee the freedom and dignity of all.
May Mary Immaculate, Mother of the Church and Patroness of the United States of America, intercede for us and for our nation’s leaders as we undertake the hard work of comprehensive immigration reform. And may she accompany all of us as we seek to ensure the dignity and human rights of all our sisters and brothers in Christ.
Sincerely yours in Christ the Redeemer,
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R.
Archbishop of Newark
We Need Comprehensive Immigration Reform Now
As the leader of the Catholic community in St. Paul-Minneapolis, I see the human cost on all sides. The chaos benefits no one. (Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda, Free Expression Commentary posted by the Wall Street Journal, Jan. 20, 2026. Reprinted with permission.)
If recent events in Minnesota have clarified anything, it’s that we can no longer put off the hard work of immigration reform. Each year of inaction has made the debate louder, angrier and less humane. A difficult policy discussion has hardened into a cultural and political battleground. It’s playing out on the streets here, where federal immigration officers are clashing with protesters.
We had a chance in 2013, when a bipartisan bill passed the Senate. It was a strong bill that provided billions for border security and a 12-year path to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented immigrants. The House never took it up.
The longer Washington waits, the worse the problem gets. Communities are strained and millions live in a constant state of uncertainty. This serves neither justice nor the common good.
As a bishop entrusted with the care of souls, I want to reiterate the consistent call of Catholic bishops around the U.S. for true statesmen to step forward, set aside partisan calculations and enact meaningful federal immigration reform.
Recent failures can’t be ignored. The nation was poorly served by those who threw the border open. The flood of migrants overwhelmed local communities, eroded public trust and weakened the rule of law. Compassion divorced from order isn’t compassion at all; it’s negligence.
At the same time, it’s wrong to blame undocumented immigrants themselves, many of whom came here seeking safety, work or family reunification. Solidarity can’t be selective. We must stand with citizens and undocumented immigrants together as human beings created in God’s image.
The Catholic tradition insists on holding together truths that politicians prefer to separate. Nations have the right and duty to secure their borders and enforce their laws. Immigrants are human beings with natural rights that must be respected. Authentic justice requires both the rule of law and mercy, both accountability and hospitality.
In this light, it is right to respect the efforts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers when they are fulfilling their mission to identify and detain serious criminals who have illegally entered the country. The removal of dangerous people serves the common good. Protecting the innocent is a moral obligation.
Yet the current environment is untenable. Even law-abiding immigrants are living in fear that any interaction with authorities could separate parents from children or unravel years of honest work.
What’s required is a comprehensive, long-term solution that reflects reality rather than ideology. That solution must include the granting of a lawful status for those who have put down roots, contributed to their communities and lived here for years. A workable solution would also have to acknowledge that some people will be deported. Mercy doesn’t negate consequences, and compassion doesn’t mean wide-open borders.
The 2013 Senate bill offered a glimpse of what responsible governance can look like: bipartisan engagement, attention to enforcement and legal pathways and a recognition that widespread irregularity benefits no one. That effort sadly failed, not because the problem was unsolvable, but because political will collapsed under pressure from the extremes. We have paid the price for that failure ever since.
As a pastor, I see the human cost on all sides. I minister to immigrant parishioners who are fearful of driving their children to school or shopping for groceries, regardless of their legal status. I also serve those who feel abandoned by leaders who have seemed more interested in political posturing than in protecting their communities. The church can’t choose one flock over another. Neither should the nation.
Immigration reform isn’t about erasing borders or demonizing newcomers. It’s about restoring moral order, strengthening families and promoting the common good. That work demands courage, humility, and a willingness to compromise—virtues that define proper statesmanship. If we continue to delay, the debate will only grow more bitter and the solutions more elusive. The moment to act is now.
Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda leads the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
A Message from Pope Leo XIV:
In the One Christ We are One
The inalienable dignity of every person
At the same time, we must not forget a subtle form of religious discrimination against Christians, which is spreading even in countries where they are in the majority, such as in Europe or the Americas. There, they are sometimes restricted in their ability to proclaim the truths of the Gospel for political or ideological reasons, especially when they defend the dignity of the weakest, the unborn, refugees and migrants, or promote the family.
In its international relations and actions, the Holy See consistently takes a stand in defense of the inalienable dignity of every person. It cannot be overlooked, for example, that every migrant is a person and, as such, has inalienable rights that must be respected in every situation. Not all migrants move by choice, but many are forced to flee because of violence, persecution, conflict and even the effects of climate change, as in various parts of Africa and Asia. In this year, which also marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the International Organization for Migration, I renew the Holy See’s hope that the actions taken by States against criminality and human trafficking will not become a pretext for undermining the dignity of migrants and refugees.
The same considerations apply to prisoners, who can never be reduced to the crimes they have committed. On this occasion, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Governments that have responded positively to my venerable Predecessor’s appeal for gestures of clemency during the Jubilee Year. It is my hope that the spirit of the Jubilee will permanently and structurally inspire the administration of justice, so that penalties are proportionate to the crimes committed, dignified conditions are guaranteed for prisoners, and above all, efforts are made to abolish the death penalty, a measure that destroys all hope of forgiveness and renewal. Nor can we forget the suffering of so many prisoners held for political reasons in many countries.
Furthermore, from a Christian perspective, human beings are created in the image and likeness of God, who, “by calling them into existence out of love, has at the same time called them to love.” This vocation is revealed in a privileged and unique way within the family. It is in this context that we learn to love and foster the capacity to serve life, thus contributing to the development of society and the Church’s mission.
(Source: www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/speeches/2026/january/documents/20260109-corpo-diplomatico.html)
My Prayer for You
Please join me in praying these words from the U.S. bishops’ 2003 pastoral letter concerning migration, Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope:
May the blessing of Almighty God come down upon you and be with you forever: the blessing of God the Father, who loves you with an everlasting love, the blessing of God the Son, who was called out of exile in Egypt to be our Savior, and the blessing of God the Holy Spirit, who guides you to extend Christ’s reign wherever you go. And may Mary of Guadalupe, our mother, bring you safely home.
Amen