Church leaders continue to urge Catholics to aid immigrants as government defends deportations

Church leaders urged Catholics to pray for, assist, and advocate for policy changes for immigrants during the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Pope Leo XIV titled the observance "Even Just One of These Children," referencing a Gospel passage about welcoming children.

In a homily on Sept. 27, Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C., stated that the United States has witnessed the suffering of undocumented people being magnified by the government over the last 18 months. He noted that many people have ignored this suffering. McElroy said Jesus weeps for children who are arrested, detained, and moved to centers with poor living conditions away from their families.

The cardinal cited the case of Liam Ramos, a 5-year-old boy in Minneapolis who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers alongside his father. The boy was held for a month until U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered his release in San Antonio. In his Jan. 31 order, Biery described the situation as a result of the government pursuing daily deportation quotas through incompetent implementation that traumatizes children.