Catholic Health World Articles

February 02, 2026

CHA joins Catholic groups helping dioceses coordinate response to immigration crackdown

CHA is one of several Catholic organizations supporting regional diocesan convenings focused on the Catholic community's response to the ongoing mass deportations of immigrants.

The first of the gatherings was in December in Providence, Rhode Island. That convening was hosted by Bishop Bruce Lewandowski. It was titled "Witness to Hope: Responding to Mass Deportations." The Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut, was a co-sponsor and people from six dioceses participated. Two more convenings are scheduled: March 12 in Phoenix and May 6 in Detroit.

The topics addressed in the daylong gatherings include the church's teaching and position on immigration, the end of the "sensitive locations" policy that had protected places such as churches and hospitals from detentions, and how to accompany immigrants. Each session is being sponsored by a bishop, who invites other bishops in the region to participate.

Curran

The gatherings are coordinated by the Center for Migration Studies of New York, a Catholic think tank focused on immigration policy, and the Hope Border Institute, a Catholic organization that advocates for immigrants nationally and serves the immigrant community in and around El Paso, Texas. Other organizations besides CHA that are sponsoring the gatherings are the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities USA, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network and Jesuit Refugee Service-USA.

Kathy Curran, senior director of public policy at CHA, said the involvement of the various groups demonstrates that the church and its ministries "are united in our commitment to the well-being of immigrants." The groups are supporting the gatherings by attending and providing speakers.

Curran said CHA's participation is important and appropriate for several reasons:

  • CHA members serve immigrants in their hospitals and clinics every day.
  • Protecting the health and well-being of immigrants is deeply rooted in CHA's mission and values as a ministry of the Catholic Church.
  • Participating in the gatherings is consistent with CHA's commitment to defend human dignity and its vision of promoting human flourishing.

'Coordinated and collective action'
The convenings are part of an initiative led by the Center for Migration Studies of New York and the Hope Border Institute. That initiative, Catholic Immigrant Prophetic Action Project, or Catholic IMMpact, officially launched Jan. 21.

In launching the initiative, Dylan Corbett, founding executive director of Hope Border Institute, referenced a comment by Pope Leo XIV in an address on Jan. 9. The pontiff said "every migrant is a person and, as such, has inalienable rights that must be respected in every situation."

In addition to the regional convenings, the Hope Border Institute and the Center for Migration Studies are offering direct outreach to bishops and dioceses to implement plans to help immigrants. They are also offering advice on rapid response for dioceses in areas targeted by immigration crackdowns.

 

Catholic IMMpact's goal: 'Translate compassion and prayer into coordinated action'

During a Jan. 21 webinar launching the Catholic Immigrant Prophetic Action Project, Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, Texas, and chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, mentioned the "special message" on immigration released by the U.S. bishops when they met last fall.

That statement said in part: "We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement. We pray that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation, and we are grateful for past and present opportunities to dialogue with public and elected officials." 

Bishop Cahill said the discussion around that statement "showed the unity of the bishops on the dignity, God given, of every human person, and our almost unanimous desire to make public we oppose indiscriminate mass deportation."

He noted that the bishops began an initiative in November, You Are Not Alone, that calls on Catholics to stand with immigrants and their families amid the Trump administration's rapid deportation efforts. The initiative is part of the USCCB’s broader Justice for Immigrants campaign. CHA is a member of that campaign.

Dylan Corbett, founding executive director of Hope Border Institute, said during the webinar that what’s been commonplace along the nation’s southern border in El Paso "is now touching every corner of the country: the inflaming of racial bigotry, unchecked violence, the militarization of law and order, the widening of the gap between neighbors and the undermining of human fraternity."

Corbett said that based on a social tradition rooted in values such as human dignity, Catholics are called to act.

"Catholics' historic contribution as Catholics right now needs to be in the public square, in coordinated and collective action, promoting healthy tension, overcoming polarities, building peace, moving beyond the fracturing and the blame seeking and the side picking," he said. "This is what evangelization looks like in 2026. Productive tension is the pathway towards meaningful change."

In her remarks in the webinar, Elisabeth Román, president of the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry, said the initiative, Catholic IMMpact for short, is meant to help "dioceses and parishes and organizations translate compassion and prayer into coordinated action."

She added: "We are living in times of profound urgency, and we must call it out and name it honestly. This is not only a humanitarian crisis, it is a spiritual crisis, because when human dignity is treated as disposable, the moral fabric of society begins to tear, and when the church is silent, the world begins to believe that silence is permission."

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