What Can ICE Learn from the Byzantine Migration Enforcement?

Antônio Lemos argues in Public Discourse that the Catholic intellectual tradition provides a framework for both regulating migration and protecting the dignity of vulnerable migrants. Writing in the context of recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions and criticism from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Lemos points to an early historical example of migration management.

Lemos examines Novel 80, a 539 decree issued by Byzantine Emperor Justinian that regulated migration to Constantinople and established an office similar to ICE. The analysis suggests that this historical decree demonstrates how migration can be legitimately enforced while simultaneously upholding the human dignity of those moving between territories.