Syracuse’s Catholic bishop among 216 in U.S. to condemn Trump deportations
“We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures.” Syracuse Bishop Douglas Lucia is one of 216 Catholic bishops nationwide to condemn the Trump administration’s national mass deportation efforts. Leonardo Eriman | Photo Edtior
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Syracuse Bishop Douglas Lucia is one of 216 bishops nationwide to condemn President Donald Trump’s administration’s recent mass deportations in a Nov. 12 message.
Lucia, the bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse, voted “yes” on the joint statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which opposed the “contemporary debate” and “vilification” of immigrants, detention center conditions and targeting places of worship.
While the message recognizes the importance of establishing immigration laws for the sake of protecting borders and preventing human trafficking, it says the Catholic Church rests on “foundational concern for the human person.”
“Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants,” the statement reads. “We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of good will work together.”
The Trump administration has taken several measures in a crackdown on immigration since Trump took office in January, including increasing the budget for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to over $100 million by 2029 and enforcing expedited removal. Over 527,000 people have been deported during Trump’s second term so far, the Department of Homeland Security reported last month.
There have been several instances of ICE activity in Syracuse, with the detention of two Chinese restaurant owners in September, another four people in Westcott in March, and, most recently, two Upstate Medical University workers.
The message also highlighted the Catholic Church’s role in providing assistance to immigrants and “basic human needs,” and encouraged others to continue providing such efforts.
“Despite obstacles and prejudices, generations of immigrants have made enormous contributions to the well-being of our nation,” the statement reads. “We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity. For this very reason, we feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.”
On Thursday, Lucia issued his own message affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse titled “For You Too Were Once Aliens …” where he referred to “both the documented and undocumented members of our communities” who are “made in the image and likeness of God.”
In the Thursday statement, he also refuted that the church’s comments were political.
“I know some will accuse the Catholic Church of meddling in politics and violating the rule of separation of Church and State,” the Thursday statement reads. “This could not be further from the truth!”
The same day, he cosigned a similar message by the Catholic Bishops of New York State. It encouraged Catholics to sign the “Cabrini Pledge,” which promises to join Pope Leo XIV in praying for migrants and refugees. The pledge is named after Mother Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants.
“Most important to recall is the law of Christ set down in the Great Commandments: To love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves,” the statement reads. “All other imperatives are subject to this law of charity, and it is concerned neither with legal status nor country of origin.”
