With the expiration of Title 42, bishops from cities along the southwest border of the United States have released a statement highlighting the significance of welcoming migrants, particularly during times of uncertainty and a surge in the number of migrants at the border.

“Daily, we witness the human consequences of migration, both its blessings and its challenges,” the bishops said in their statement. 

Those behind the release included Tucson Bishop Edward Weisenburger, Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio, Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces, Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Bishop Michael Sis of San Angelo, and Bishop James Tamayo of Laredo, according to a statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

“As pastors of border communities, we minister to migrants and native-born persons alike,” the statement said. “Our congregations include asylum seekers, enforcement officers, landowners, and elected officials, who come together, not as strangers or adversaries but as sisters and brothers, equal in dignity and worth before the Lord.”

Title 42, which permitted authorities to expeditiously reject migrants at the U.S. border, has expired, resulting in the reinstatement of the previous law, Title 8. At the same time, the Secure the Border Act of 2023 (HR 2) was passed in the House last week and is currently awaiting the Senate's vote, NBC News reported. 

“Since our nation’s founding, Catholics across this country have been at the forefront of efforts to welcome newcomers of all faiths and nationalities," the bishops wrote. "As Christians, we are called to see the face of Christ in those who suffer, those who lack the basic necessities of life, and we judge ourselves as a community of faith by the way we treat the most vulnerable among us. We are each bound by a universal call to serve one another and to protect the sanctity of human life in all its forms.” 

Seitz, who serves as the chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Migration, earlier issued a statement urging Congress to prioritize the development of bipartisan legislation that aligns with America's tradition of embracing people, rather than passing HR 2. The letter warned of numerous problematic and potentially dangerous outcomes associated with HR 2, including endangering unaccompanied children, severely restricting access to asylum, limiting legal employment opportunities, and more, the USCCB said. 

"'Free to leave, free to stay' was the title of an initiative of solidarity promoted several years ago by the Italian Episcopal Conference as a concrete response to the challenges posed by contemporary migration movements,” Pope Francis said in a statement. "From attentive listening to the Particular Churches, I have come to see that ensuring that that freedom is a widely shared pastoral concern."