Faithful Citizenship: Open Borders Conflict with Catholic Teaching

All Catholics Should Support the Trump Administration's Efforts to Reign In the Immigration Industrial Complex

Ten days after the elections, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, along with Bishops Mark J. Seitz and Jaime Soto, posted what’s known as a ‘statement of pastoral concern’—a kind of official Catholic ‘think piece’ offering moral and spiritual guidance on hot-button issues of the day. Their topic: immigration. My reaction? Let’s say it left me scratching my head.

While I can’t say for sure, I have a hunch Archbishop Broglio might have taken a different tack if he were still in his old post. Some chairs have armrests, and others have statements of pastoral concern. I searched the USCCB website and could not find a recent post about the importance of law and order, a critical part of the immigration debate. Before reading on, read the statement of pastoral concern.

As Catholics, we are called to reflect Christ’s love and mercy in our actions, particularly toward the vulnerable and those in need. The immigration issue touches on many aspects of our faith, including the call to “welcome the stranger.” However, the Catholic Church also teaches that justice, order, and the rule of law are essential for the common good.

In this light, the increasingly popular notion of open borders is impractical and inconsistent with Catholic teaching. In fact, the Catholic Church does not advocate for open borders. For centuries it has recognized the right and responsibility of nations to regulate immigration for the common good.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2241) states:

The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.

Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption.