Immigration Ethics Articles

"It is time for the consciences of Catholics and all citizens to examine policies of detention and deportation in light of the demands of love, truth, dignity and justice — and to act."

From an ethical standpoint, immigration law should be applied consistently and fairly, not selectively based on ideology.

While reasonable people may disagree about the best practical strategies to manage immigration and deportation, certainly a complicated issue, core ethical principles should be considered and followed at all times.

The current state of immigration in America reflects a systemic failure and only attention to addressing these long-term failures will set it on its correct path.

When agencies such as ICE target identity rather than conduct, they violate fundamental principles of governmental ethics: that law enforcement must serve all persons equally and that government power must be exercised impartially under law.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Department of Homeland Security v. D.V.D. raises the question whether the United States is violating both international law and fundamental ethical norms.

These men have put their immense wealth behind the populist nationalism of Donald Trump, and culture-war Catholicism in the United States has gone alone for the ride.

Religions can cultivate a powerful counterforce to the anti-immigrant sentiments and mass deportation threats of the Trump Administration by upholding the belief in the sanctity of all life and building accepting communities.

As COVID-19 continues to spread, inequities in the health care system have become more prevalent among vulnerable populations, particularly among immigrant groups.

Ethically speaking, immigrants who have credible fears of persecution or torture should have a right to a bond hearing in front of an immigration judge and should not be indefinitely detained.