Bishop William F. Medley sprinkles holy water on visitors entering St. Stephen Cathedral on Oct. 4, 2025, prior to the Diocese of Owensboro’s closing Mass for National Migration Week. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

Dcn. Chris Gutiérrez hears a common argument when discussing the increased detainments and deportations of people throughout the United States over the past year.

The argument holds that individuals have been detained and deported out of the U.S. for decades; therefore, why should Catholics be any more concerned today?

“The big different is that there is now an effort to dehumanize,” said Dcn. Gutiérrez, referring to rhetoric used by political leaders and other authoritative voices “ramping up the fears” towards immigrants or people who look different from oneself.

This prevailing perspective is being used in a way to “automatically justify cruelty,” he said, referring to the Trump administration’s escalated crackdown on migrants who have an irregular residency status. 

According to internal Department of Homeland Security documents obtained by The New York Times, it was reported on Feb. 18 that the administration seeks to purchase 20 warehouses for detainees, with the goal of 92,600 beds.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a Feb. 20 statement on this situation, commenting that, “Aside from the internment camps used to incarcerate Japanese Americans in the 1940s, such facilities have no precedent in American history.”

“The federal government does not have a positive track record when it comes to detaining large numbers of people, especially families, and the proposed scale of these facilities is difficult to comprehend,” said Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, in the statement.

Dcn. Gutiérrez, who serves as the Diocese of Owensboro’s director of Hispanic/Latino ministry, said that even “our Catholic community can fall into the trap of dehumanizing and seeing immigrants as ‘just a number.’”

He described “a resistance, and a blind eye, and a convenient silence” among many Catholics, when it comes to concerns about the treatment of migrants in the U.S.

“It needs to be talked about and addressed,” he said, while at the same time understanding the hesitancy to go against the status quo.

“We’re afraid of being ostracized, of being labeled; we tiptoe and are very cautious,” he said. But neglecting to speak up means that “we are willing to drop the dignity of the human person.”

Instead, “it’s time for us to be brave,” he said.

Susana Solorza, coordinator of Latino youth and young adult ministry for the diocese, said that growing fears in immigrant Catholic communities has led to a decrease in faith opportunities for young people.

Last year, the diocese’s quinceañera retreat for girls turning 15 and their mothers had to be cancelled when registrants were too afraid to drive to the retreat. Solorza recalled receiving messages from the parents, who were worried that they might be racially profiled and stopped on the road by law enforcement.

In fall 2025, as teens of the diocese prepared to attend the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis, “a parent was not comfortable sending their children because they didn’t have documents,” said Solorza.

After consultation with their pastor, who shared these concerns, the youths ultimately had to miss out on the opportunity because crossing state lines, in the current climate of immigration crackdown, was deemed too high-risk.

Solorza said that the teens and young adults she ministers to are looking to the Church to support them during this time.

“Our young people across the board are looking to us in leadership roles, (that we) walk in the footsteps of Christ in his call for mercy and compassion,” she said.

Dcn. Gutiérrez said another side effect of this tense climate is immigrant communities’ growing distrust of law enforcement, as some local departments have “entered into agreements” with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE.

As a result, said Dcn. Gutiérrez, if a person without proper legal documentation becomes the victim of a crime, they may no longer report it out of fear of being targeted and detained by ICE.

He urged Catholics and all people of goodwill to pray for comprehensive immigration reform, for immigrants who live “in a constant tension of fear and uncertainty,” and for national leaders and decision-makers.

“Why can’t we look at things in light of the Gospel?” he asked. “Does Jesus make sense to us anymore?”

Originally printed in the March 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.