Bishops of Mexico and the US: the migratory system is “broken” and should be reformed

The bishops of the border dioceses of Mexico and the United States recently pointed out that in the United States there is “a broken migratory system that does not respond to reality” and demanded that the political class fulfill their responsibility to reform it.

This statement was made at the close of the biannual bishop meeting of the border dioceses between Mexico and Texas, held from February 28 in San Antonio, Texas. During this meeting, which has taken place for 40 years, they focused on the situation of migrants and refugees.

The event was held in a context of hardening of the migratory policies of the Donald Trump administration that includes the emergency declaration on the southern border, measures that directly affect Mexico.

Among these actions, the Latin American and Caribbean Ecclesial Net He has denounced The military deployment on the border between both countries, as well as massive raids in schools, churches and hospitals.

In addition, the United States has suspended the CBP One application, used by thousands of asylum applicants, restored the “remain in Mexico” program and eliminated rights such as automatic citizenship by birth.

The Catholic Church will continue with its commitment

In your joint statement, Read before the media, the bishops of both countries directed a message to migrants and refugees in which they were assured that the Catholic Church “and their agencies are still committed to the mission of announcing the Gospel, giving living testimony of the charity of the Lord Jesus by serving all people with dignity and compassion.”

The bishops assured that they will continue to support migrants through “processes of reception, protection, promotion and integration of vulnerable, including collaboration in refugee resettlement to achieve self -sufficiency.”

In addition, they reiterated that the Catholic Church has been and will continue to be a “reliable ally of our governments, our peoples and, especially, of all those in need”, and called for co -responsibility in the promotion of the common good.

“We must safeguard everyone’s dignity, finding a balance just between various human rights: that of workers and their families to regularization, the right not to be exploited, the right to migrate, the right not to have to migrate and the right of all to which their government guarantees security in their own country,” they said.