Bishop Michael F. Burbidge said the country can simultaneously protect its borders and treat immigrants with respect, in a Nov. 14 interview with “EWTN News Nightly.”
Bishop Burbidge said the U.S. bishops’ special message on immigration in the United States is a call for respect of the human dignity that belongs to every person as a child of God.
The bishops voted to approve the statement Nov. 12 at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2025 Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore. The message said bishops oppose “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.” It is rooted in Jesus’ teachings, Bishop Burbidge said.
The bishops have called for a meaningful immigration law “that will provide safe pathways” to citizenship, Bishop Burbidge said. “There’s not an easy solution, but there has to be a solution.”
“The bishops understand that a country, of course, has a right to protect its borders for the sake of the common good, but at all times must treat persons with respect,” Bishop Burbidge said. He also said the country must do everything possible so people don’t live in distress.
Pastors in the bishops’ dioceses have said the execution of immigration laws is “causing a lot of fear and anxiety,” Bishop Burbidge said. The bishops are continuing to minister to immigrants who are “contributing to the good of the church” and “the good of our communities,” he said.
“We’re representing those who seek no harm to our country, who only want to do good, and we want them to be treated with the respect that is necessary,” Bishop Burbidge said. “Again, we also say this does not have to be in conflict with a country protecting itself.”
“We express gratitude to our elected officials for the dialogue that we have had in the past and hopefully that we will continue to have. We love our country. We love the immigrants who have contributed to our country, and we would like our country to be freed from this violence, from rhetoric, from fear,” Bishop Burbidge said. “There has to be a way that we can live together in harmony, and we want to work together.”
