Bishop leads dialogue on faith, immigration and acting for the common good

Amid the start of a presidential term filled with promises to “secure the border” and “deport criminal aliens,” Drake hosted Bishop Mark J. Seitz, who spoke on his experiences as the Bishop of El Paso since 2013 in an afternoon that fused topics of faith, immigration and the moral imperative to act for the common good.

The event, titled “Broken at the Border,” was part of a new ongoing dialogue series of the St. Catherine Catholic Church called “Faith in Action for the Common Good.” On March 2, hundreds of people of diverse spiritual backgrounds — community members, Catholics and immigrants alike — came together in the Sheslow auditorium as part of this series.

In 1980, Seitz was ordained as the priest for the Diocese of Dallas. Since then, he’s served as a faith leader of a borderland community and a chair on the Committee on Migration for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, where he has been committed to serving poor and vulnerable migrant families.

Over the last 45 years, Seitz has walked with immigrants, conversed with border agents and spoken emphatically with elected leaders in his city in Texas. He emphasized that immigration should be seen through a human lens, not just as a political debate, and condemned the politicization and dehumanization of immigrants in public discourse.

Seitz criticized the Trump administration’s “disturbing actions” of immigration policies, citing rhetoric that labels migrants as outsiders and aliens and strips them of status.

“I don’t have to mention how important immigrants are to our health and economic resilience as a country, disproportionately occupying essential jobs in critical fields of agriculture, health care, elder care, construction and hospitality. If the president’s campaign of mass deportation should come to pass, it would undoubtedly be an economic catastrophe, a social and family catastrophe and, more importantly, a moral catastrophe,” Seitz said.

His keynote speech discussed the role of the Catholic Church in the matter of immigration and the border.

“The turning away of the refugee, the closure of the border to the vulnerable and plans for a campaign of indiscriminate deportation are fundamentally incompatible with the moral law, and certainly incompatible with the gospel,” Seitz said. “It is urgent that we reform our immigration structures in such a way that brings order to the chaos and ensures our security. The Catholic Church has long supported these sensible measures.”

Seitz called for Catholic communities to support immigrants by educating them on their rights, assisting families facing deportation and advocating for sensible local policies that reduce fear and promote security. Through the Border Refugee Assistance Fund, which Bishop Seitz invited the audience to donate to, the Catholic Diocese of El Paso is supporting migrants stranded in Mexico with shelter, medical care and psychological assistance.

“On a deep level, Americans know that immigration is part of our national story, and I really believe that by working against the grain of the isolation and atomization crippling our national life, by building communities on a local level, we can plant the seeds for a renewal of our civic and public culture,” Seitz said.

Seitz encouraged audience members to discuss the status of current immigration issues and approach them with compassion, justice and solidarity in a Q&A following Bishop Seitz’s keynote address.

Of the dozens of audience members who contributed questions, thoughts and remarks in the Q&A panel, several were immigrants. They expressed gratitude for Bishop Seitz, as well as the support of community members in the audience for showing up to this space of discourse and solidarity.

Deacon Francis Chan, the refugee ministry coordinator at St. Ambrose Cathedral, spoke in the Q&A panel about his experience as a refugee, with gratitude to Bishop Seitz and the endeavors of the dialogue series.

He emphasized the importance of turning discussions into meaningful advocacy.

“My hope is all that we have been talking about can be put into action, which is all that will make a difference, not only here in Iowa but in many different places,” Chan said. “You see the numbers. If they really are not concerned, they wouldn’t be here. Especially on Sunday evening.”

Des Moines artist Pat Millin exhibited 10 paintings in response to immigration enforcement at a reception in Levitt Hall following the Q&A. The collection, “Finding Refugee” was inspired by Millin’s own reflections on crossing borders and of Jacob Lawerence’s exhibit, “People on the Move.”  The work explores the human side of displacement and resettlement, a reality for over 28 million refugees worldwide.

Among community members at the reception were John and Beth Amspaugh, who heard about the event on NPR. It piqued the couple’s interest as both have a background in Catholicism and a Master’s in International Relations.

Beth Amspaugh expressed solidarity with local immigrants and refugees.

“I’m just impressed at the people who are brave enough to speak out in this time because it is kind of a time when people are trying to instill fear and terror in the community,” Beth Amspaugh said.

Moving forward for the dialogue series, on Mar. 29 the upcoming “Action Workshop” will offer a closer look at “the human face of immigration,” focusing on the practical needs of immigrant and refugee agencies in Des Moines.

As immigration policies tighten and refugees seek safety, Seitz stressed that this subject extends beyond borders — it’s about shared humanity.

“What is more generative of social peace and more foundational to a healthy society?” Seitz said. “The endless quest to control at the cost of all spontaneity and novelty and the relentless pursuit of individual and naked national interest? Or the human fraternity and the risk of love? We bet on love.”