What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Immigration?
You shall not oppress or afflict a resident alien, for you were once aliens residing in the land of Egypt (Exodus 22:20).
We are having something of a Catholic moment in America right now. Both Vice-President JD Vance as well as President Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan are practicing Catholics. And both have butt heads with American bishops over the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Even Pope Francis weighed into the debate with a February 10 letter to the U.S. Bishops.
In and of itself, this disagreement is not surprising. While some political issues, such as abortion, involve clear and objective moral teaching such that disagreement amounts to dissent, many other issues involve matters of prudential judgment about which people of good faith may disagree. We are seeing this play out in real time in American politics today. Both those who support and those who object to President Trump’s immigration policies invoke Catholic social justice principles. This can leave some wondering just what the Church really teaches about immigration.
The most succinct presentation of the Church’s teaching on immigration is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2241. This paragraph comes in the section of the Catechism dealing with “the duties of citizens,” in which the Catechism outlines the obligation of citizens to obey laws, pay taxes, exercise the right to vote, and to defend one’s country, among other things (CCC 2238-40).
It then quotes from an ancient letter written by an anonymous Christian to a pagan named Diognetus, describing Christians as those who “reside in their own nations, but as resident aliens. They participate in all things as citizens and endure all things as foreigners” (CCC 2240). This is an important reminder that Christians are first and foremost citizens of the kingdom of God. While we have certain moral obligations toward the country in which we reside, we mustn’t forget that our true citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20). This is why the Church so often speaks of herself as a “pilgrim people.” We are all travelers in a foreign land until we arrive at our eternal home. It is in this context that the Catechism turns its attention to the matter of immigration.
Paragraph 2241 begins by saying, “The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his own country of origin.” In other words, nations with the means have a moral obligation to help migrants who lack means. This follows from the obligation enjoined upon us by Christ to love our neighbor.
The word “neighbor” is important. Christ teaches us to love those who are near us, precisely because their proximity places a greater demand upon our ability to help. The rich man in Jesus’ parable was not condemned because he was rich, but because he failed to help Lazarus who languished at his doorstep, even though he had the means.
Love of neighbor implies that we must care first and foremost for our families, who are nearest to us not only in proximity but in the social order. (This relates to the ordo amoris or “order of love” that JD Vance has notably invoked — see this excellent article from Dr. Richard Clements for an exposition on this term’s pedigree in Catholic thinking).
The section of the Catechism we have been examining falls under the rubric of the fourth commandment. Children have an obligation to respect their parents, and parents have an obligation to care for their children. But of course, the moral obligation to love one’s neighbors is in no way limited to family. In fact, one could argue that the duty of parents includes teaching their children that charity is not limited by family, tribe or nation, as Christ taught in the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Lazarus wasn’t part of the rich man’s family — but he was at his door. The rich man presumably had more than enough resources to both care for his family and to give aid to his neighbor in need, which is why he was harshly judged for failing to do so.
By saying prosperous nations have the obligation to welcome foreigners “to the extent they are able,” the Church recognizes that the obligation to welcome the foreigner will be limited by the host nation’s ability to receive immigrants in a way that respects the good of its citizens. (And let’s not lose sight of the fact that, despite its economic difficulties, the USA remains the single most prosperous nation that has ever existed on the face of the planet).
The Catechism explicitly states that, “Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various judicial conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption,” and concludes this paragraph by stating, “Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.” This is in keeping with the ancient laws of Israel that both admonished Israel to welcome the foreigner, and admonished alien residents to respect the laws and customs of Israel.
How a nation balances its obligations to its citizens as well as migrants is a matter of prudential judgment for governing authorities, not ecclesial officials or private citizens. But both ecclesial officials as well as private citizens have “the right, and at times the duty, to voice their just criticisms of that which seems harmful to the dignity of persons and to the good of the community” (CCC 2238). The special role of the Church in these situations is to advise — and at times admonish — those with governing authority to ensure that laws and practices respect the human dignity of all involved, especially those who are most vulnerable.
Thus far we have been talking about national policies and enforcement. But what is our personal responsibility in all this?
Most of us will only be called to make a prudential judgment on immigration policies when we enter the voting booth, where immigration may be only one of many considerations that inform our decision about who to support. But all of us are called to be charitable in our personal relations with those in need, no matter what country they are from. My fear is that as the rhetoric around immigration in our country heats up, we risk forgetting this important distinction.
Many years ago I was at a parish council meeting in which the subject was raised of providing charitable assistance to a local migrant community. A debate about immigration ensued. Our wise pastor listened for several minutes as tempers began to rise. He then raised his hand to silence the room and issued this reminder. “It is not the role of this parish council to decide our nation’s immigration policy. It is our role to love our neighbor. If someone comes to this parish who needs our help, we will help them if we can.” That ended the debate.
If the gospel is to be believed, we will be condemned if we fail to help someone in need when we had the means and opportunity to do so (see Mt 25:31-46).
The rich man could have helped Lazarus, but chose not to. The priest and the Levite could have helped the wounded traveler, but chose not to. It was the Good Samaritan who helped the traveler without judgment, and so was “neighbor” to him. According to the Church Fathers, the Good Samaritan is an image of Jesus, who says to each one of us, “Go and do likewise” (Lk 10:37).