A Pastoral Letter on Immigration
from Archbishop Shawn McKnight, Bishop Carl Kemme, and Bishop Gerald Vincke
14 August 2025
Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe
To the people of God in Kansas and to all people of good will: Greetings to you in the Peace of Christ!
As Catholic Bishops serving in Kansas, we speak with one voice to affirm the sacred dignity of every human person, especially those fleeing hardship, who now call our state home. Amid political division and fear, we remind our communities that at the center of every immigration debate are real people: families in our pews, children in our schools, workers in our neighborhoods, and volunteers in our parishes. Their bishops see, pray, and stand with them.
Treating all migrants and refugees as if they were violent criminals is simply unjust. They are human beings made in God’s image: mothers, fathers, children, and grandparents, motivated not by malice but by a desire for safety, stability, and the chance to provide for their families. Like generations before them, including our ancestors, they strengthen the fabric of our society through hard work, perseverance, and faith.
Furthermore, when we allow ourselves to see other people as less than human, as mere problems to be solved, we degrade our own humanity. When we consider an unborn child only as a complication to be eliminated, and when we consider new arrivals only as problems to be removed, we become less merciful, less just, less human.
The Church teaches that when people are driven by poverty or violence to leave home, they retain their full dignity and must be treated accordingly. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (no. 2241) affirms that while nations may regulate borders, they must also welcome those seeking security, especially when home countries cannot provide it. This balance demands just and merciful policies.
We support the role of law enforcement in protecting public safety. Violent crime and unsecured borders must be addressed, no matter a person’s legal status. Criminals are taking advantage of our country’s broken immigration system to abuse those most vulnerable and cause chaos in our communities. Working migrants, those volunteering in our parishes, paying taxes, sacrificing for their families and following our laws, deserve not fear and intimidation but protection, solidarity and a welcoming community.
We call on public officials to use existing legal discretion to treat undocumented migrants humanely. Unnecessary raids, mass detentions, and family separations betray the values of our nation and the Gospel.
We urge the faithful to encounter immigrants as neighbors and build welcoming parishes where politics never poisons compassion.
We are called to serve Christ in the poor, the alien, and the outcast. May we never forget His words: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).
With gratitude to God for you and the good works you do, we are
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Carl A. Kemme, Bishop of Wichita
Most Reverend Gerald Vincke, Bishop of Salina
Most Reverend Shawn McKnight, Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas