Following news this week that the state of Nebraska plans to turn the Work Ethic Camp in McCook into a federal immigration detention center Bishop James Conley of the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln says it’s important that any person detained there can access regular and ongoing pastoral care.
“This is fundamental to the dignity of every human person, as each of us is called to union with God,” Conley says. “For decades, the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln has experienced an excellent relationship with the Work Ethic Camp in McCook.
Conley says in response to Jesus’ call to visit the imprisoned, they have celebrated Mass and provided sacramental and pastoral care on a weekly basis for those imprisoned all those years. “Further, the facility in McCook should not be used to detain migrants without documentation who are in the United States simply seeking a better life, but instead those who have committed crimes that endanger public safety.”
He says to do otherwise would undermine the facility’s moral legitimacy and erode public trust. Conley also says that for decades, Catholic Bishops across the United States have called for public officials to engage in meaningful immigration reform.
“This reform cannot be delayed any longer. The president and Congress must work together to develop laws that both respect our borders and also respect the rights of each person to migrate.” In his statement, Conley said we must never forget.
“Every person, whether an immigrant or not, documented or not, is a human being made in the image and likeness of God. This human dignity must be recognized and respected. Let us constantly see each other with the eyes of Jesus Christ, who looks mercifully and lovingly upon each one of us.”
Conley says as the Bishop of Lincoln he remains committed to safeguarding human dignity. “Which maintains public safety and respects our migrant brothers and sisters, and I invite all Nebraskans to this shared vision of hope in the Good Life.”