Feb. 27, 2014 – I am happy to join my Evangelical brethren today to call upon the House of Representatives to act this year on immigration reform.

It is a moral imperative that Congress act this year. Each day, families are being divided by deportations, with as many as 100,000 U.S.-citizen children being separated from their parents each year. Is this how we invest in these young citizens – the future leaders of our nation? No doubt we are undermining their trust in America when their own government – whose purpose is to protect these children – takes their father or mother away. There is a large social cost to inaction, a price we pay in this country every day.

In this debate, often the humanitarian consequences of our broken system are ignored. Families are divided, migrant workers are exploited, and human beings continue to die in the desert. This suffering must end.

The U.S. Catholic bishops and the Catholic community will continue to work toward a just and humane immigration system. We do not see the current impasse as a setback, but as an opportunity to re-engage with our lawmakers.

Immigration reform will happen – it is a matter of when and what. Support for immigration reform – already at record highs among the American public – will only grow. We stand ready to work with members on both sides of the aisle in the House of Representatives to find a solution to our broken system this year. Thank you.