Statement: Catholic Organizations Urge President Biden to Reconsider Immigration Deterrence Policies

12 April 2023

JRS/USA Logo. Jesuit Refugee Service/USA

Catholic organizations from across the country, who work on behalf of migrants and asylum seekers, came together to urge President Biden and the administration to reconsider the use of deterrence policies to respond to the needs of people in states of mobility.

We mourn the lives lost in the recent fire at the immigration center in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and countless others that have been directly impacted by the U.S. government’s policy framework of deterrence. The deterrence approach has not resulted in a safe, secure or border but instead has only brought pain and suffering upon the most vulnerable.

Pope Francis has said, “the sin is to allow these fears to determine our responses, to limit our choices, to compromise respect and generosity, to feed hostility and rejection. The sin is to refuse to encounter the other, to encounter the different, to encounter the neighbor, when this is in fact a privileged opportunity to encounter the Lord.”

We urge the administration to end its reliance upon policies that use deterrence as an approach to manage migration and restrict access to asylum. Together we can ensure that there are no more deaths at our borders and that we are prepared to welcome vulnerable people on the move with dignity.

For the full letter and the signatory organizations please click here.

We encourage you to take action with us here.