The Diocese of San Bernardino joined the U.S. Catholic Church and the Vatican in supporting and advocating for immigrant communities in the wake of a series of immigration law and enforcement changes enacted by President Donald Trump in his initial weeks of office.
The response of the local Church has been a combination of practical assistance, information sharing, public policy advocacy and pastoral support. More than 25 parishes have hosted Know Your Rights (KYR) workshops designed to help undocumented immigrants voice their constitutional rights in the event that they are detained or apprehended by immigration authorities. Organizations such as Catholic Charities, TODEC, Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights Los Angeles (CHIRLA), San Bernardino Community Service Center and Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC) have coordinated with the Diocesan Office of Advocacy and Justice for Immigrants to provide the KYR workshops.
“Since January 20, our immigrant communities have experienced fear and uncertainty, including those who are authorized to be here.” said Wilfredo Aguirre, Director of Advocacy and Justice for Immigrants for the Diocese. “It is important that they know that the Church stands with them and that we help equip them with the information they need should be they find themselves confronted by immigration enforcement officers.”
President Trump issued 13 executive orders related to immigration and national security in his first 30 days of office. His administration has stated a focus on prioritizing the removal of undocumented persons with a criminal background. His policy changes also have an impact on the wider undocumented population. In particular, thousands of immigrants residing in the United States who had begun the process of applying for legal residency under the previous presidential administration have had their cases “paused” by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), casting uncertainty over there legal status. Related, some federal funding for refugee resettlement programs that are carried out by the Church and others has been suspended.
The Trump Administration has also resumed efforts to rescind the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) program that has allowed millions of young immigrants to live, work and study in the United States, legally, since 2012.
At the national and international levels, Church leaders have responded with words and actions in opposition to the new policies. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) filed a lawsuit against the federal government over its suspension of refugee resettlement programs and funding. Earlier, after the Trump administration rescinded a policy that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would not enter schools, churches, hospitals and other places related to public service for enforcement actions, Catholic leaders responded emphatically.
“Turning places of care, healing, and solace into places of fear and uncertainty for those in need, while endangering the trust between pastors, providers, educators and the people they serve, will not make our communities safer,” read a statement from Bishop Mark J. Seitz, chairman, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, president and CEO, Catholic Health Association of the United States, and Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO, Catholic Charities USA.
Pope Francis provided further encouragement to the American Church in a February 11 letter to the U.S. Bishops. The Holy Father wrote in favor of a “policy that regulates orderly and legal migration” but added, in reference to the U.S. government’s stated plans for mass deportations, “What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly.”
At the annual Diocesan Migration Mass held just days after President Trump’s inauguration, Bishop Emeritus Gerald Barnes in his homily spoke of the fear in the immigrant community over potential enforcement actions. Bishop Barnes urged the Catholic faithful to support and accompany immigrant communities in their time anxiety, “because they are part of the body of Christ and when they suffer, we suffer.”
The Servants of the Most Holy Trinity religious community, which staffs Our Lady of Soledad parish in Coachella and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mecca, issued a statement “You Are Not Alone, We Journey with You,” to express solidary with immigrant communities.
“People are not “illegal” or “undocumented,” but beloved sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father, redeemed by the blood of Jesus on the Cross, the ultimate symbol and sign of God’s infinite love for every person without exception,” the statement reads.
Immigrant advocates, including many Catholics, have taken to the streets in several cities in the diocese and on local college campuses to express opposition to plans for mass deportations. A February 15 march organized by ICUC began at St. Bernardine Church and wound through the streets of downtown San Bernardino to City Hall. Anysia Aguirre is a 22-year-old resident of Redlands, a lifelong Catholic and an immigrant. She helped organize the San Bernardino march to demonstrate that immigrants are an important part of the community and the country as a whole, she said. Catholic Social Teaching is the foundation of her activism, she added.
“Being taught to be an active participant in my community is something I get from my Catholic faith,” said Aguirre. “It’s a privilege that we have to be able to speak out.”
Bishop Alberto Rojas had issued a strong message of support to the immigrant community in December saying, “our parishes are places of help, refuge and accompaniment.”
At press time, tentative plans were in place for Bishop Rojas to lead an interfaith procession and prayer service in Riverside on April 12 to express support for immigrant rights.