Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory told the leaders that while the federal government recently acted to offer young people brought into the country as children some relief by postponing deportation and granting them work permits, the Catholic bishops will continue to advocate for comprehensive reform with more opportunities, particularly for families and those already living and working in the United States.
The bishops “will resist” any proposal that offers undocumented persons legal status without a path to become citizens, he said in a keynote address.
“We will argue against the creation of a permanent underclass in this country, where certain parts of our population do not have the rights that others do,” said Archbishop Gregory, as the crowd applauded.