Immigration has continued to dominate the news in the United States as changes in immigration policy starting in 2025 brought about the following impacts:  

• Over a million legally present immigrants in the U.S. lost their legal status and their jobs since early 2025. 

• The Presidential Determination on refugee admissions for Fiscal Year 2026 has been set at 17,500 people and only for Afrikaners from South Africa.

• Thousands of people have been detained by ICE, most without any criminal record.  

• According to a study by the Brookings Institution, as many as 205,000 children, including 145,000 US-citizen children, have been separated from their parents under the current mass deportation campaign.

Immigration has also become a pressing issue for Pope Leo and the USCCB.  

• In November 2025, the USCCB issued a Special Message, the first since 2013, expressing their opposition to indiscriminate mass deportation. 

• In February 2026 the bishops from border states published Recommended Reforms to Immigration Enforcement in the United States to help protect the human rights of immigrants and their families.

• In September 2026 for World Day of Migrants and Refugees , Pope Leo XIV recognized the tragedy of children being separated from their parents: “Finally, we cannot forget the tragic situation of those separated from their parents because of repatriation. In particular, it is essential to prevent the solitude, isolation, and rejection that do not infrequently affect the children of migrants.”

The concept of solidarity may be easier to understand as a concept than it is to live in action.  One element of this is the belief that everyone should be able to live in a country free of persecution.  Many of our ancestors left countries precisely because they were being persecuted.  Today, we have thousands of people who migrated to the United States in the last few decades for the same reason, to reside in a country where they could live free. 

Some people, unfortunately, came to the United States for more nefarious reasons. And every nation has the right to protect their borders through a series of border controls that are just and lawful.

But when we speak of justice, we also need to speak of mercy. Not everyone who was born in another country is a threat to the rest of us. And some of us born in the United States might be perceived as a threat to them. That’s where the concepts of solidarity and mercy come into play.  

Solving this dilemma is not an easy fix. But what may be easier is finding someone who needs your support. They may not look like you, speak the same language, live in your immediate neighborhood or share your customs. But if we believe that solidarity is rooted in a belief in the inherent dignity and worth of every human being, then listening to their story may be a good way to start. 

For more on this topic, you can visit Justice for Immigrants – United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Donate to organizations that support immigrants such as the International Institute of New England , Jesuit Refugee Services and Catholic Charities.

Volunteer at local organizations that support immigrants such as the International Institute of New England in Lowell MA and Catholic Charities.

Become an Advocate.  Join the Jesuit Refugee Service court observation project or join the weekly Bearing Witness standouts outside the ICE facility in Burlington MA.

Pray for vulnerable immigrant populations through resources provided by Justice for Immigrants.

Migrants, Immigrants, Refugees, Asylum-Seekers, Parolees: Understanding the Key Differences

How Does the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program Work?

On the Ground and In the Courts: Responding to Federal Attacks on Refugee Protections - May 28, 2026 

The Church Position on Mass Deportations of Children - September 2026

One Part of the Body: The Potential Impact of Deportations on American Christian Families - January 2025