The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), affiliated with Georgetown University, last month published a study on Catholic attitudes toward immigration, migrants, and refugees. It is a significant study, not just about attitudes on migrant issues but also about Catholic attitudes on other social issues. Catholic social teaching has been a concerted effort of the Church to apply moral teaching to everyday life issues. 

Do you commemorate or observe an anniversary? It all depends on how you see it, either as a positive or a negative event. This is the very case that we have today with the anniversary of the 1924 Immigration Act, which severely curtailed immigration from Southern and Eastern European countries as well as Asian nations.

Public opinion on immigration has never been more negative. The latest Gallup Poll as of Feb. 24 shows that only 28% of the population is satisfied with the current immigration situation, making 72% dissatisfied. For comparison’s sake, it is the same percentage of dissatisfaction that the population has with public schools. 

What will America become? The migration issue we confront today will greatly determine our future self-awareness and identity as a nation. It cannot be denied that we are a nation of immigrants. The current negative national narrative on migration has been influenced by various attitudes, such as racism and the fear of the strangers, for sure, but most of all by a misunderstanding of the present migration situation.

On March 8 of this year, a film titled “Cabrini” was released; that day is also International Women’s Day. The film is the story of an extraordinary woman, an immigrant to the United States, an advocate for the poor, and a saint. 

January was National Slavery and Human Trafficking prevention month, leading up to the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita whose feast day is Feb. 8. St. Josephine Bakhita was a young southern Sudanese girl who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. She eventually was bought by an Italian diplomat and taken to Venice, where she encountered the Catholic faith.

Because the issue of migration evokes disparate responses from different parts of the electorate, it never will be resolved unless there are compromises, which are an essential element of our political system. After many years of experience in dealing with migration as a social policy issue, I would like to offer some ideas of how this politically charged social problem might be resolved.

In the past two years, we have seen in the media two major refugee flows: first people fleeing Ukraine after the Russian invasion and more recently the Palestinian people moving from the north of Gaza to the south. 

Many would say undocumented migration is harmful to the country. I would say that undocumented migration is more harmful to the migrants. However, what is the reason why we seem to have tolerated it in our country for the past 40 years? Those who seem to oppose immigration cite the rule of law, whereby illegal migration by definition is presumed to be harmful. On the other hand, we see a labor market, especially in the agricultural and other sectors, that relies heavily on undocumented migration. 

A very common question people are asking today about migrants is, “Why are these people not coming legally like my ancestors did?”