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Catholic Charities Corporation Administrative Offices:

7911 Detroit Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44102

(216) 334-2900

Immigration

The Catholic Church in the U.S. is an immigrant Church with a long history of embracing diverse newcomers and providing assistance to immigrants, migrants, refugees and people on the move.

"The so-called 'illegals' are so not because they wish to defy the law; but, because the law does not provide them with any channels to regularize their status in our country–which needs their labor: they are not breaking the law, the law is breaking them."–Most Reverend Thomas Wenski, Bishop of Orlando

Catholic Social Teaching on Immigration

The Catholic Church has responded to Christ’s call for us to "welcome the stranger among us," for in this encounter with the immigrant, the migrant, and the refugee in our midst, we encounter Christ.

Click the button below to learn more about the Church’s teaching on immigration.

USCCB Immigration


Unaccompanied Migrant Children

Central American children from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras are migrating to the United States alone in record numbers. While not a new phenomenon, the number of children who are making the perilous journey alone has increased exponentially—6,775, on average, arrived between 2003—2011, and upwards of 90,000 are projected to arrive in Fiscal Year 2014. 

The Catholic Church has taken seriously the humanitarian and policy oriented aspects of this situation and is advocating on behalf of increased protections for migrant children and their families who are arriving in the United States.

Visit the USCCB's website for resources to better understand the current situation and and learn more about on the USCCB's position the Church's efforts to help resolve it. 

USCCB Unaccompanied Migrant Children


Recent News

  • Vatican to Support Help for ‘Humanitarian Emergency’ of Child Migrants, July 2014
    The Vatican’s secretary of state pledged full support for addressing the issue of child migrants streaming out of Central America in search of safety and family reunification in the United States.
  • Pope Francis, meanwhile, described the situation a “humanitarian emergency” and called for the international community to act. Read more
  • Reacting to Surge in Unaccompanied Children Crossing Border, July 2014
    Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, auxiliary bishop of Seattle and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, called upon the Administration and Congress to protect unaccompanied children from Mexico and Central America crossing the border and to respond to the root causes of poverty and increasing violence as a long-term solution to the issue. Read more

Online Resources


Documents for Download

resource description
USCCB Unaccompanied Migrant Children Advocacy ToolkitView
USCCB Testimony on Unaccompanied Children 2014View
Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Part of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland

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