Immigration

As people of faith, justice-seekers, and members of immigrant communities, we are united in our commitment to protecting one another. We will continue to stay informed, tell the truth, condemn scapegoating, care for each other, and advocate for a country where everyone thrives, no exceptions.

Our Position

We strive for an immigration system that values the basic dignity and human rights of all people with policies that uphold the right to seek asylum, remove barriers to citizenship, and promote and support welcoming communities across the U.S.

Issues

NETWORK Advocates for Federal Policies That:

Racism in immigration policy persists. Black and Brown asylum seekers in the U.S. are expelled and deported without due process. When allowed to remain, Black and Brown immigrants face racially-motivated obstacles to care, transportation, and other basic needs.

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Immigration Executive Orders and Actions

Executive Order or Action
Increasing random, illegitimate arrests and detentions of naturalized U.S. citizens, green card holders, and foreign tourists by ICE, including at least one illegal deportation and detention at the notorious El Salvador prison where hundreds of migrants were sent without due process. These arrests and detentions have created widespread fear among immigrants living in the U.S. and visitors attempting to enter or leave the U.S.
Expedited removal: A DHS directive that authorizes fast-track deportations for people who cannot prove they have been in the U.S. for two years. Deportation to third countries: In a directive that was not published, the Trump administration encouraged the re-detention and removal of individuals who had previously won protection from immigration court. The directive allows the Administration to deport people who do not have legal status to “third countries” rather than their home country. Without any due process, the Trump administration has sent individuals to third countries where they are at risk of persecution, torture, and even death.
Sensitive Locations: Authorizes ICE raids on schools, churches, and hospitals. Establishes quotas for daily ICE arrests. Allowing ICE arrests at sensitive locations has a chilling effect on our communities, keeping worshipers away from church and students away from school, and the sick and injured away from medical care.
Tripling the DHS deportation force: A Trump administration executive order calls for the deputization of 20,000 local and state police and other law enforcement officers to staff mass abductions, detentions, and deportations. This action will stoke fear and instability in our communities by militarizing our neighborhoods and using local law enforcement to abduct our neighbors.
Invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798: Allows for summary deportation of people from countries at war with the U.S. Hundreds of Venezuelans accused of being gang members have been sent to prisons in El Salvador. Prisons in El Salvador are notorious for their inhumane treatment of inmates. This EO may be used more broadly and will deprive individuals of due process rights and subject them to abuse and torture.
Militarizing the southern border: After first declaring a national emergency at the border and suspending the entry of migrants, President Trump has now ordered the Pentagon to take control over a 60-foot strip of land along the border to install additional troops and military equipment to detain people seeking safety so that ICE may arrest them. This action effectively completes the militarization of the southern border despite laws that limit the use of the military for domestic law enforcement. It closes the southern border to people seeking safety and gives President Trump sweeping authority to impose further restrictions.
Targeting immigrants and communities who help them: This action greatly expands immigrant detention facilities; orders the hiring of more border patrol agents; cuts off federal funds to sanctuary states and cities and threatens to prosecute officials who do not cooperate with DHS enforcement initiatives; and denies public benefits to undocumented immigrants. This poses massive potential increases to ICE and migrant detention capacity. Threatens to dismantle sanctuary protections by cutting off federal funding to “sanctuary” states and cities that seek to protect their residents. Threatens to prosecute local officials in those jurisdictions who do not cooperate with efforts to detain and deport their residents.
Limiting access to legal representation for immigrants: Cuts off funding that was appropriated by Congress in 2024 to allow certain detained immigrants to have access to legal representation. Ends funding of legal representation for unaccompanied minors. Hinders the right of people in immigration detention to access legal representation, including children. Puts unrepresented minors at greater risk of exploitation, trafficking, and abuse.
Revocation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS, or humanitarian parole) for hundreds of thousands of immigrants: DHS is revoking humanitarian parole for nationals from Cuba, Haiti, NIcaragua, and Venezuela, leaving them without legal status in the U.S. within 30 days of the revocation announcement and facing ICE arrest and deportation. This strips 600,000 Venezuelan migrants, 500,000 Haitian migrants, and tens of thousands of other migrants now legally in the U.S. of their legal immigration status. It subjects them to deportation to countries in crisis where they will face violence and persecution.
Ending birthright citizenship: Seeks to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants. This is a blatant violation of the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Sharing confidential tax records: The IRS is disclosing information to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for immigration enforcement purposes. Already, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has declared 6,000 immigrants “dead,” leaving them unable to secure jobs, use banks and other financial services, or receive benefits, and exposing their personal information to the public. This is a dangerous weaponization of sensitive personal information that exposes millions of taxpayers to aggressive immigration enforcement. Undocumented workers pay almost $100 billion in taxes, including to Social Security and Medicare, although they are not eligible for this benefit.
Prohibits people seeking asylum from staying in the U.S. while they pursue their claim. This prohibition puts people who are fleeing war and persecution in harm’s way.
Designating cartels as terrorist organizations: Names foreign drug cartels as terrorist organizations and expands law enforcement measures and penalties for those organizations and those who participate in their activity. This raises the risk that NGOs, including Catholic organizations, that aid undocumented immigrants with services like food or housing may be labeled as supporting “terrorists.”
“Vetting” immigrants: Requires all agencies to conduct “vetting” to ensure that a person has no “hostile” attitudes toward the U.S. or “terrorist” history. This applies to immigrants seeking entry and those already in the U.S. Requires information from the individual’s country of origin and allows for full exclusion of all migrants from non-cooperating countries. This threatens serious obstacles to the ability to both enter and remain in the U.S., even for those with otherwise legal status. Allows the government to entirely block immigration from selected countries.
Suspending refugee arrivals: Suspends the entry into the U.S. of already-vetted refugees. Bars refugees even if they had plane tickets, including 1,600 Afghan refugees. Deprives recently arrived refugees from statutorily mandated support and defunds refugee assistance organizations.
Opening camps at Guantanamo: Directs the opening of immigrant detention camps at Guantanamo.
Discontinuing the CBP One app: The Biden administration created the app to allow asylum seekers to schedule appointments to request asylum.
Eliminating the DHS offices that safeguard immigration processes: Eliminates the three DHS offices responsible for handling complaints regarding the immigration process and providing oversight and reporting to Congress. This action wipes out any internal scrutiny over errors and abuses by DHS offices and personnel, along with annual accountability regarding DHS conduct to Congress.
Rescinding TPS: Rescinds the recent renewal of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan and Haitian immigrants. Strips 600,000 Venezuelan migrants and 500,000 Haitian migrants in the U.S. of their legal immigration status and subjects them to deportation to a country in crisis.
Opening camps at Guantanamo: Directs the opening of immigrant detention camps at Guantanamo.
Sharing confidential tax records: The IRS is disclosing information to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for immigration enforcement purposes. This action exposes millions of taxpayers to aggressive immigration enforcement. Undocumented workers pay almost $100 billion in taxes, including to Social Security and Medicare, although they are not eligible for this benefit.
Eliminating the DHS offices that safeguard immigration processes: Eliminates the three DHS offices responsible for handling complaints regarding the immigration process and providing oversight and reporting to Congress. This action wipes out any internal scrutiny over errors and abuses by DHS offices and personnel, along with annual accountability regarding DHS conduct to Congress.