WASHINGTON—On January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden revoked Executive Order 13768 of January 25, 2017 on “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States” and implemented a 100-day moratorium on certain deportations, allowing for a comprehensive review of current immigration enforcement policies. Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, issued the following statement:

“Wednesday’s actions by the new Administration are important first steps toward ensuring that immigration enforcement in our country is balanced and humane. Too many people have experienced harsh and heavy-handed enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border and within the U.S. interior, causing families to be needlessly torn apart. Our Catholic faith recognizes the right of nations to control their borders, but we can still uphold the rule of law without denying refuge to the vulnerable, all while recognizing the importance and necessity of family unity. 

“We pledge to work with the new Administration as it reviews enforcement policies that preserve our national sovereignty and, at the same time, recognize the inherent human dignity of every person, regardless of immigration status.”  

For more information and resources on the USCCB’s efforts to reunite separated families and raise awareness on immigrant detention, please visit the Justice for Immigrants website.

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