Virginia Catholic Bishop Advocates for ‘Well-Regulated Borders’ Amid Vance Controversy

The Catholic bishop of the diocese of Arlington, Virginia came to the defense of secure border policies, amid debate over Vice President JD Vance’s criticism of Catholic assistance to illegal immigrants.

The “Pastoral Statement on American Immigration Law” envisions a form of border security which works for the Catholic vision of the common good.

In the letter, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge wrote of “the Church’s teaching that every country has the right and the responsibility ‘to promote public order, safety, and security through well-regulated borders and just limits on immigration.”

“As the Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes, Catholic teaching does not support an open border policy, but rather emphasizes a common sense approach where the duty to care for the stranger is practiced in harmony with the duty to care for the nation.” added Burbridge, whose diocese includes Northern Virginia cities just outside Washington, D.C.

He emphasized the need to protect “human dignity” of all, including illegal immigrants.

“Even when immigration reform includes repatriation of those persons who have committed violent crimes, or who otherwise violate the terms of a right to remain, human dignity can be respected. We must not presume a conflict between human dignity and the rule of law.”

Burbridge wrote that the Catholic Church “has historically emphasized two crucial points,” namely “the rights of persons to the integrity and unity of their families irrespective of where they settle,” and access to the sacraments of the Church.

“I plead with those responsible for law enforcement to refrain from entering our sacred spaces unless absolutely and unequivocally necessary to ensure the safety of all persons,” he added.

Burbridge’s letter comes amid controversy in the Catholic Church over PResident Donald Trump’s tough border policies.

Cardinal Robert McElroy, who will soon be installed as archbishop of the Washington, D.C. diocese, has harshly criticized deportation efforts.

At the press conference announcing his appointment, McElroy said that “having a wider, indiscriminate, massive deportation across the country would be something that would be incompatible with Catholic doctrine.”

Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a Jan. 22 statement that “[s]ome provisions contained in the Executive Orders, such as those focused on the treatment of immigrants and refugees, foreign aid, expansion of the death penalty, and the environment, are deeply troubling and will have negative consequences, many of which will harm the most vulnerable among us.”

“Other provisions in the Executive Orders can be seen in a more positive light, such as recognizing the truth about each human person as male or female,” added Broglio, who heads the archdiocese for the Military Services, which supports Catholics in the U.S. military.

Vance, himself a convert to Catholicism, was asked about Broglio’s statements in a “Face the Nation” interview that aired Jan. 26.

“As a practicing Catholic, I was actually heartbroken by that statement,” Vance said. “I think that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognize that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line?”

Vance added that if the bishops were “worried about the humanitarian costs of immigration enforcement, let them talk about the children who have been sex trafficked because of the wide-open border of Joe Biden.”

The vice president also defended on social media Thursday his remarks on “Face the Nation” that “you love your family and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then, after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.”

Writing on X, Vance said a critic should Google “Ordo Amoris”—the idea that humans have a heightened moral obligation to those closest to them (in this case, one’s family and nation).

“The idea that there isn’t a hierarchy of obligations violates basic common sense,” wrote Vance.

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