Catholics press Congress to put immigrant families before bureaucracy

Catholics press Congress to put immigrant families before bureaucracy
More than 100 Catholics gathered for Mass at St. Peter’s Church on Capitol Hill, then processed to Upper Senate Park and met congressional staff in an appeal for policies they said should safeguard immigrant families. The Sept. 15 action, organized by the Dorothea Project, combined prayer, public witness and lobbying near the U.S. Capitol.

Auxiliary Bishop Gary Studniewski of Washington framed the gathering through the suffering of Mary at the crucifixion. “We want to stand at the foot of the cross of suffering, of the suffering Christ,” he said, describing immigrants, migrants and strangers as people facing injustice rather than abstractions in a policy debate.

Anna Marie Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, argued that immigration status cannot be reduced to a simple legal-versus-illegal distinction. She said people who have worked, worshipped, raised children and contributed to their communities can still face removal when protected status expires or rules change. In her view, policy should protect “family security and human life” and recognize every person’s inherent dignity.

The protesters’ message was both pastoral and political. Participants carried signs calling for “dignity, family, solidarity,” while organizers brought delegations into congressional offices to seek more predictable and humane rules for people with temporary, permanent or uncertain status.

There was also a difference of emphasis among supporters. Katie Holler, the Dorothea Project’s founder, said support from Pope Leo XIV and U.S. bishops offered “fertile ground” for bringing more Catholics into public advocacy. Human-rights lawyer Frank Panopoulos welcomed those statements but said the message had not yet reached enough parishioners to spur action on the scale he believed the issue demands.

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