91探花

At this year’s Immigration Summit, keynote speaker Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, spoke passionately on the theme, “Opening Our Hearts to Faith in Action.”

Now in its ninth year, the summit is a day of music, storytelling, an update on the law from 91探花 Law Professor Zaida Rivera, a presentation on Catholic School Teaching from the Seattle Archdiocese and the Washington State Catholic Conference. The day concluded with a Mass presided over by Bishop Seitz.

Dr. Jeanette Rodriguez, executive director of 91探花’s Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture, opened the gathering by stressing the importance of a summit like this—perhaps more than ever before—and the urgent need to support those who live in the margins.

Dr. Jeanette Rodriguez with Bishop Mark Seitz and 91探花 President Eduardo Peñalver. 

“We live in a world where millions are displaced, by violence and poverty and climate change and families are separated and torn apart and communities are tested,” Rodriguez said. “So, as I understand it, immigration is not simply a policy issue, but it’s a moral one.”

The summit created a space for those gathered to hear and share stories of migrants and their families and to learn from experts and advocates about the challenges and realities shaping immigration. This provided an opportunity to take what was learned back to their communities to work to meet those challenges.

In introducing Bishop Seitz, 91探花 President Eduardo Peñalver said El Paso, Texas, is a perfect example of the human dimensions of migration and the complexities that go along with it. Sitting on the border with Mexico, El Paso County is more than 80% Hispanic and while Kamala Harris won the county in the 2024 election, Donald Trump saw a significant increase in votes from 2020.

Seitz, who was appointed by Pope Francis as the 6th Bishop of El Paso in 2013, has focused his work on migrants and refugees with the idea that parishes and communities within his diocese should welcome them with compassion, love and solidarity.

We are conditioned to consider migrants as outsiders and threats, he told those in attendance, but we don’t think about how mass deportations and poor treatment of fellow human beings diminishes us socially, economically and morally. He added that it’s vital we address the reasons people are migrating in the first place.

“None of these things can cancel the rights and dignity of those who migrate,” Seitz said. “It’s for this reason that the Catholic Church in the United States vigorously opposes the current campaign of mass deportations. It violates core human and civil rights.”

Seitz said that most people in this country agree there needs to be thoughtful immigration reform, but instead what we’re seeing are migrants being used as scapegoats and that is leading to enforcement that doesn’t consider the humanity of those impacted.

“We do well to recall something Pope Leo recently said when discussing immigration,” Seitz said. “There is no justice … without compassion. There is no legitimacy without listening to the pain of others.”