Address of Archbishop Blase Cupich USCCB Justice for Immigrants Convening

Address of Archbishop Blase Cupich
USCCB Justice for Immigrants Convening
November 11, 2015

As I thank Bill Canny, for his generous introduction, I want to say to you Bill how pleased I am
that you accepted the invitation to become the new executive director of Migration and Refugee
Services (MRS) of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). You and your co-workers
have my abiding gratitude and respect. I am grateful for your invitation to speak this evening.

To all of you, welcome to Chicago! I can say that now, as I am just shy by one week of the first
anniversary of my installation. I cannot think of a better way to mark that occasion than by
hosting your gathering here. It is also appropriate that this Justice for Immigrants conference is being held in the Windy City, for everything that defines the United States as a melting pot is here with our city’s great diversity. Last spring, I addressed the City Club and I noted that
Chicago is a city of many languages, where people use different words, but when they use the
word for home in whatever language, they all mean Chicago. Living downtown I can walk to
work from Holy Name Cathedral to the Quigley Pastoral Center, and hear no fewer than half
dozen languages. Mass is celebrated here every weekend in 47 languages in addition to English.

There is ample evidence that the diversity which immigration brings has enriched our city, not to
mention this country. From its earliest days Chicago has drawn immigrants and refugees here
because this is a city that readily gives the impression that it welcomes newcomers to call
Chicago home, and that it honors people who take the risk of starting out fresh. Their aspirations have always been the same as all of us, to find a better life, to care for their family, to leave behind poverty, violence, and oppression.

I want to speak to you tonight about these people, persons on the move—migrants, refugees,
victims of human trafficking, and others who seek security and opportunity. My purpose is not
to tell you something new about them. You already know their stories and their challenges better
than I do. Rather, I simply want to recall for you what is at stake or better why your advocacy
and efforts on their behalf is singularly important to the Church, our world and our nation. Pope
Francis has been unrelenting in reminding us what is at stake, and again during his address to
Congress this fall. He asked our elected officials to apply the Golden Rule in responding to
those less fortunate who ask us for help: “In a word,” he said, “if we want security let us give
security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunity, let us give opportunity. The
yardstick by which we measure others is the yardstick by which time will measure us.”
My hope is that this gathering will be an occasion for you to rekindle the big-hearted impulses
that prompted you to take up this work and to find fresh encouragement for what you do,
particularly in hearing that the generous measure you are measuring to others will be measured
back to you.

Let’s start with the present situation, a situation you know all too well. Simply put, as we look
across the global landscape at the plight of migrant people, the signs of the times are troubling.

The United Nations reports that there are more displaced persons in the world than any time
since World War II—as many as 60 million persons driven from their homes by wars and
conflicts, and the destitution they bring, and half of them are children. The Holy Father made the same point by noting that the humanitarian crisis in Europe today is larger than we faced during World War II, with hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing persecution and conflict.

Closer to home, we see tens of thousands of unaccompanied children and families—young
mothers with children—fleeing violence in Central America, attempting to find safety in
neighboring countries and the United States. Likewise, we have witnessed record deportations
over the past several years, with thousands of families being torn apart—children separated from
their parents, spouses from each other. Sadly, a broken political system means that our elected
officials continue in their failure to fix a broken immigration system – both dysfunctions harm us all. We cannot overlook the relationship between these two broken systems.
Yes, these are challenging times for persons on the move, those in search of a better life for their children or those merely attempting to survive. All of this puts into perspective why your
advocacy on their behalf is needed now more than ever. Let me spell that out more precisely
what your advocacy contributes to the lives of people on the move, but also to the public debate
and the good of our Church and nation.

First, your advocacy gives hope. By standing with people on the move, you let them know they
are not making this journey alone. Your personal presence but also the presence of the whole
church which you represent is a light in the shadowy darkness that marks their lives.
Your witness of solidarity is especially important for young people, whose entire futures seem to
be at constant risk. The present failure of our leaders to act on immigration reform has serious
consequences for our youth as they live with the daily fear that their families could be torn apart by deportation. All of this undermines their confidence in the political process, which can only do harm to the nation as they mature into adults. Your voice for them and your presence to them are critically important lest they let their disappointment turn into cynicism about politics and government. Your advocacy reminds them that there are people who work each day to invest in their lives. Knowing that you are the source of hope for so many, is an installment on the promise of what will be measured back to you.

Second, your advocacy keeps the topic of migration alive in the public square and provides the
language and moral framework needed to clarify the issues and respond to misinformation.

Undoubtedly the issues related to immigration and immigration reform are very complex. As
pastoral leaders who work every day with families caught in a broken system, you understand
that if we are to improve the situation, the only way forward is to give this discussion a moral
framework. Yes, there are valid economic, security and political concerns. But, as you know
when we begin with valuing the lives of these people, a path opens up for saner voices to prevail
over the kind of fear mongering that depicts immigrants and even refugees fleeing terrorism as a
threat to us - a threat because they supposedly take jobs, or because they come from a different religious background and way of life. Framing our discussion of people on the move as a moral
issue helps us encourage the general population to take a step back and see the dignity and value
of these people. For instance, we need to be honest about something that is seldom reported—
our country benefits from the toil, taxes, and purchasing power of a large number of
undocumented workers (8 million), yet we do not at the same time offer them the protections of
the law. The moral issue here is that we cannot have it both ways—exploit and use these people
without honoring their God-given rights. The basic sense of fairness that is very much alive in
the American spirit and we should appeal to it as we talk to others about immigrants.

A moral framework also provides us with the language to speak about the humanitarian
challenges in our own backyard in a way that helps our citizens take a second look at the
problem. Since the spring of 2014, we have witnessed thousands—close to 110,000 each of
unaccompanied children and families--flee to our southern border in search of protection from
violence in the Northern Triangle of Central America—Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador—
countries with some of the highest murder rates in the world. As a response, our government has
deployed a policy of deterrence to this migration, characterized by the detention of families in
the United States and the U.S.-backed interdiction of children and families in southern Mexico
and in parts of Central America. We must replace this policy of deterrence with one of
protection, both here in the United States and in the region. Your telling of the stories of the
threats to life these children and families face because of violence in their homeland is important to the public debate. Their stories give a sure footing for making the case that those interdicted must be provided a real chance for asylum, with children being assessed under a best interest of the child principle. All refugees should have a real opportunity to tell their stories to a judge, assisted by legal counsel, and should not be detained unnecessarily. Family detention, which further traumatizes women and children, should be ended.

The Church and her agencies, including Catholic Charities and the Catholic Legal Immigrant
Network, Inc, are ready to help and partner with the government to provide material support and
legal aide. Instead of exporting enforcement resources, we must export development assistance,
especially targeted at youth development, and protection systems that give fleeing persons a
chance at safe haven in the region. All of this has enormous consequences for our stature in the
world. If we are unable to meet the humanitarian challenge in our own backyard, we will lose
our stature as a humanitarian leader globally. The world will measure what we say about liberty
and justice against our actions. So, if we want liberty and justice, let us give liberty and justice.

Third, your advocacy puts a human face on the issue and your voice is credible because you
know these people. You not only make a moral case from principles of human dignity, but from
your own personal experience and that is a very powerful witness. This is what Pope Francis is
doing as he reads the signs of the times, and highlights for the world our responsibility to care
for persons on the move who are escaping desperate situations. In his first trip outside Rome, in
July, 2013, he traveled to Lampedusa Island in the Mediterranean to call attention to the deaths
of migrants attempting to reach Europe by sea, but he also met with refugees, wanting to be
present to them. Out of that experience, he decried the “globalization of indifference” in the
world to the plight of migrants and refugees and the “throwaway culture” that uses them and then
disposes of them. “Migrants are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity,” he said in his 2014
World Day of Migrant and Refugee message.

The Holy Father is calling on Catholics in Europe to personally become involved and receive
refugees. The heartbreaking picture of Aylan Kurdi lying lifeless on a Turkish beach riveted the
world’s attention. The pope is asking people to reflect on the fact that this could be my child.
We American Catholics have to do our part. It is true that the United States has led the world in
providing financial support to Syria’s refugees, which is necessary and appropriate, but we also
have to point out that only about 2,000 refugees have been settled in the United States, out of
about 4 million Syrian refugees globally. The US Catholic bishops have urged our government to
accept a larger number of vulnerable refugees from Syria, beyond the 10,000 our government has
announced they will resettle this year.

Here in Chicago and around the country Catholic dioceses have received thousands of calls of
support for the Syrian refugees, many asking how they can help—can I sponsor a family, can I
give to help refugees overseas. We are working with the ecumenical community, aid agencies,
the government, business and labor to organize our efforts here. It is very heartening to know
that Catholics and others of good will are not shunning these persons, but reaching out to help.
We also have to make sure that for our voice to be credible we have to be morally consistent.
That means speaking in solidarity on behalf of our Christian and Catholic brothers and sisters
being persecuted in the Middle East and around the world. Such a consistent ethic of solidarity
also means urging our government and other governments to offer them material assistance and
safe haven, if needed, and protection in their home countries. In doing, Christian communities in
the Middle East will understand that they are forgotten victims of this terrible violence.
Our moral advocacy on behalf of migrant people has an enormous impact. Our experience of
knowing the real life situations of people on the move gives our voice credibility. Our Church is
taking the lead, as the Catholic Church in the United States is the largest private resettlement
organization in the world. We should continue to embrace this proud record and build on it and
make the words of Pope Francis our own as we encourage our nation to act justly, reminding
them that if we want security, let us give security.

Fourth, your advocacy for the common good gives the nation an example of solidarity in a time
of deep political division. Last year, I addressed a group of leaders and made the point that
comprehensive immigration reform is not just about rights of individuals but the good of
families, and because it is about the good of families, it is about the good of neighborhoods and
cities. What we have seen over the last several years is families being split apart by
deportations, thus weakening our nation’s social fabric as it weakens immigrant communities.
The Golden Rule says so much in this situation or as the Holy Father put it, if we want
opportunity, we must give opportunity.

These words challenge all of us, the global community, our nation, each of us as individuals to
follow this rule yes, because it is the right thing to do, but also because it builds the solidarity we need in the nation. Practicing the Golden Rule spurs others to do so as well. Likewise by not following this rule, should we be surprised when others treat us in the same way?
Finally, your advocacy is an act of patriotism and contributes to the good of the nation.

Without question the Church supports the right of a sovereign nation to control its borders and
to enforce the law, but at the same time we argue that all of this must be done in a way that
upholds human dignity and American values. Your advocacy for immigrants keeps fresh the
heritage that is part of national identity. In neglecting the immigrant we begin to lose something of our soul as a nation.

When warnings with harsh rhetoric are raised that some immigrants who come from certain
religious backgrounds are a threat to our way of worship and way of life your voice of reason is
needed to remind us all that our nation was founded on the principle of religious liberty.
When some press to criminalize millions of persons who have been here for years, built equities
in this country, worked hard, and paid taxes, you voice on their behalf preserves our heritage as a country of equal opportunity and fair play.

When some want to deprive children of their parents’ love, remove young men and women from
the only country they have known, and tear the fabric of whole communities, you advocacy stirs
the nations memory of the self-evident truth that we are all equally endowed with the rights of
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Let us never be afraid or hesitant to remind the American people that the United States is a
generous land and it has been built by the hands of immigrants. In his second formal sentence on
American soil, at the White House Pope Francis appealed to our collective memory as a nations,,
even to the point of proudly identifying with our heritage: “ As the son of an immigrant family, I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families.” We have a
similar pride in speaking to others about this heritage, our heritage of being identified with the immigrants and their families who have made and continue to make this land great.
Concluding remarks about the need for our advocacy going forward For these and many other reasons your advocacy and work on behalf of people on the move is of great value to those you serve, the nation and our Church. As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops continues to push for comprehensive immigration reform and other laws that preserve the dignity of all people on the move, we respect the work you do on the front lines each and every day.

While our Conference supports President Obama’s executive order, we considered that step just
a band aid to the much bigger problem yet to be solved. Likewise, the USCCB Committee on
Migration has made clear the support of the bishops for the expansion of the Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the implementation of the Deferred Action for Parents
of Americans (DAPA) program. These programs together would protect as many as 5 million
persons from deportation, thus keeping families together. This matter hopefully will be reviewed
by the Supreme Court. There is every reason to accept an appeal of the recent ruling in Texas v.
United States and ultimately permit their implementation. But, we need a permanent fix by
Congress. Trying to block the executive order and deport up millions of people – including
DREAMers brought to the United States as children and the parents of American citizens - is neither a serious proposal nor an adult way to deal with this issue. If Congress disagrees with the President’s actions, then Congress should supersede them by passing comprehensive
immigration reform legislation, consistent with our nation’s values. The majority of Americans
want our Congress to act and pass comprehensive reform—it should not be held hostage to the
views of a small, but vocal minority. If we want opportunity, let us give opportunity.

You who work each day advocating for people on the move should take heart in knowing that
the U.S Catholic bishops have been the strongest advocates of immigration reform. We have
pressed for legislation that is tailored to bring persons out of the shadows, that puts them on a
path to citizenship; that strengthens, not weakens, family unity; and which ensures that migrant
workers are able to migrate safely and work for just wages in humane conditions. I congratulate
all of you here who, despite some setbacks over the years, remain committed to this goal.
I have talked about the people in the world who are on the move and the importance of your
advocacy for them. You are key to the efforts to move our world beyond the “globalization of
indifference” of which the Holy Father spoke. You can continue to count on the Catholic
Church, here in the Archdiocese of Chicago, across the nation, and globally to stand with you
who are on the front lines, as together we urge the world to meet these humanitarian challenges,
consistent with Christ’s call to us to “welcome the stranger.”

In his message to the U.S. bishops at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the Holy
Father made a special point of encouraging the church in America to welcome immigrants: “The
Church in the United States knows like few others the hopes present in the hearts of these
‘pilgrims.’ Offer them the warmth of the love of Christ and you will unlock the mystery of their
heart. I am certain that, as so often in the past, these people will enrich American and its
Church.” In this statement, he was speaking not only to the bishops, but to those here in this room, as well an untold numbers of other Catholics who perform acts big and small on behalf of vulnerable persons seeking safety, freedom, and a better life. As you have in the past, you will continue to set an example that our nation and the world should follow and of which you should be proud.

So much is at stake in what you do. Be proud of that and know that just as you advocate for those
who are on the move, you are helping your own homeland as well. Pope Francis’ spoke to the
Congress about the responsibility we all have for building a nation that is just and welcoming,
for which our country must continue to strive.

“Building a nation,” he said, “calls us to recognize that we must constantly relate to others,
rejecting a mindset of hostility in order to adopt one of reciprocal subsidiarity, in a constant
effort to do our best.”

He concluded, “I am confident we can do this.”
And, so am I. God bless you all.

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Address of Archbishop Blase Cupich USCCB Justice for Immigrants Convening