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

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

• Presidential Determination on refugee admissions for Fiscal Year 2026 has been set at 7,500 people, the lowest ceiling in the history of the program.

• Thousands of people have been deported by ICE, many without any criminal record, many who have been in the country for decades.

Immigration has also become a pressing issue for Pope Leo and the USCCB.  In fact, in November, the USCCB issued a Special Message, the first since 2013, expressing their opposition to indiscriminate mass deportation.

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 and Jesuit Refugee Services.

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

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.

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