In a February 24 letter to members of Congress, the chairmen of the US bishops’ Committees on Religious Liberty and Migration urged Congress to enact laws to ensure “respect for what are commonly referred to as sensitive locations, especially houses of worship, such that immigration enforcement efforts are avoided at or near these locations, absent exigent circumstances.”
Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, and Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, Texas, also called on Congress to ensure “consistent access to religious and pastoral services for all immigration detainees, subject only to reasonable limitations based on clear guidelines and uniform processes, regardless of a detention facility’s operator.”