Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, offers a pastoral reflection on the national conversation surrounding immigration and the human cost of current enforcement policies.
Click here to read his message to the Los Angeles community originally published on Angelus News.
Archbishop Gomez acknowledges the anxieties many Americans feel about border security and economic uncertainty. At the same time, he urges us not to lose sight of the human dignity of immigrants — men and women who have lived, worked, and raised families in our communities for many years.
“My brother bishops and I have seen how this deportation policy is ruining people’s lives and breaking up families; in our parishes and neighborhoods, people are now living in constant fear,” he writes. “Surely a great nation can find a generous solution for these people — to hold them accountable for breaking our laws, but also to provide them with a pathway to a permanent legal status.”
He encourages national leaders to pursue a balanced approach: one that directs enforcement toward genuine threats to public safety while also establishing a compassionate, realistic path for the many who contribute peacefully to American life.
Archbishop Gomez concludes by inviting all people to ask the Blessed Mother to “help our leaders to find compassion, wisdom, and courage.”
Photo: OSV News/Brian Snyder, Reuters
