LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Archbishop José H. Gomez continued to call for restoring “order and peace to our streets” on Wednesday, Jan. 28, following violence stemming from immigration enforcement actions, along with limiting “deportations to violent criminals or those guilty of other serious offenses” and hearings on a bill to change immigration laws.
“I am deeply troubled by the violence in Minneapolis and the ongoing climate of fear and uncertainty here in Los Angeles and in cities across the country, as federal immigration enforcement actions continue,” Gomez wrote in his weekly column, which was published Tuesday in Angelusnews.com, the multimedia news platform of the Archdiocese of LA.
“As a pastor, my heart aches for our people and for our country. We pray for those who have lost their lives or been injured. We pray for the safety of our law enforcement officers and for wisdom for our leaders. We pray especially for our immigrant brothers and sisters, who are powerless and caught in the middle of this struggle, living in fear for their futures. The country cannot go on like this.”
Gomez wrote that in response to Saturday’s shooting death of nurse Alex Pretti by federal officers who tried to take him into custody during a protest in Minneapolis, “federal authorities, city and state officials, and those protesting the enforcement actions” take “a step back in the interests of the common good.”
“We are caught in a dangerous pattern of angry rhetoric, provocations and violence,” Gomez wrote. “It needs to stop. There is no question that the federal government has the duty to enforce immigration laws. But there must be a better way than this.”
Gomez said, “It serves no national interest to deport undocumented men and women who are contributing to the good of our society; it only leaves children without their parents. Surely, we can find another way to hold these men and women accountable for breaking our laws.”
Gomez called for a hearing on H.R. (House of Representatives) 4393, billed by its sponsors as the “Dignity for Immigrants while Guarding our Nation to Ignite and Deliver the American Dream Act of 2025.”
“The bill would reform the visa and asylum processes, tighten border security and enforcement measures and establish a mandatory, nationwide electronic verification system for employers,” Gomez said. “It would provide a path to a legal status for the millions of undocumented people who have been living and working in the country for five years or more and also a path to citizenship for the 2.5 million Dreamers,’’ referring to a term for people who were brought to the United States illegally as children by family, based on never-passed proposals in Congress called the DREAM Act.
“The bill holds undocumented immigrants accountable for breaking federal law, requiring them to undergo a criminal background check, pay back taxes they owe, and it imposes a stiff penalty fee. The bill would also sharply limit enforcement actions at ‘sensitive locations’ such as churches, hospitals, schools and courthouses.”
Gomez said, “There is much to improve in this legislation, but it is a genuine, good-faith starting point. And we need to start somewhere. And we need to start now.”