At its meeting this past November, the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops issued a “special message” on the mass deportation campaign being implemented by the Trump administration. Expressing concern about the effects of the enforcement initiative upon immigrants and their families, the bishops expressed solidarity with them, saying that “we stand with you in your suffering.”

The bishops also urged the clergy, consecrated religious and lay faithful to continue to “accompany and assist immigrants in meeting their basic human needs.” Finally, they repeated their intent to continue to advocate, as they have for decades, for comprehensive reform of the U.S. immigration system. Pope Leo, who has encouraged the U.S. bishops to speak out on mass deportations, welcomed the message and urged Catholics in the United States to heed it.

These expressions of support are consistent with past statements issued by the bishops. The significance of the special message, however, is revealed in a short amendment to the original text offered by Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago: “We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.”

While this sentence might not strike the casual reader as important, it marks the first time the U.S. bishops have spoken directly to the issue of mass deportations. It refers to what the Trump administration is pursuing now, right in front of our eyes: courtroom arrests, the detention of noncriminal immigrants in substandard conditions, worksite raids, the separation of families, the wearing of masks by law enforcement officials as a fear tactic, the denial of sacraments to detainees, the use of violence (as evidenced by the recent fatal shooting of a U.S.-citizen in Minneapolis), and the sudden revoking of legal status as a means to detain and remove immigrants, among other violations of due process. It also reflects the real concern of the bishops about the effect of the deportation campaign on many who sit in their pews each Sunday.

To be sure, many in the U.S. church, including bishops, have already acted to defend the rights of immigrants and their families. Bishop Michael Pham of San Diego has called for his clergy and others to accompany them at their court hearings. Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami has called attention to the detention of immigrants in substandard conditions, strongly opposing the use of the cruelly named Alligator Alcatraz, a notorious detention facility located in Florida’s Everglades. Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C., has led a procession for migrants and given strong homilies defending their rights.

And the bishops and priests of Chicago have highlighted the right of immigrants to religious freedom, attempting to offer the Eucharist to detainees in a detention center in Broadview, Ill. The faithful have also carried out an untold number of other acts of solidarity, including the offering of rosaries and Masses for immigrants.

Much more, however, should and must be done to turn the tide of public opinion against mass deportations, as the Department of Homeland Security, equipped with $170 billion by Congress over the next few years, intends to ramp up its enforcement campaign in 2026 and beyond.

In this regard, the two Catholic-based organizations we work for—the Hope Border Institute of El Paso and the Center for Migration Studies of New York—have joined forces to help dioceses and archdioceses organize themselves to respond pastorally, publicly and materially to the plight of immigrants and their families. The initiative, known as Catholic Impact (Catholic Immigrant Prophetic Action Project), is designed to support dioceses in responding to the human consequences of mass deportations.

In conjunction with the U.S.C.C.B. and diocesan officials, as a first step we intend to hold regional gatherings over the next year in various parts of the country to educate clergy, religious, diocesan staff and others on the human rights issues involved in a mass deportation campaign and how to respond in support of immigrants. The first gathering was held for the New England region in Providence, R.I., on Dec. 11, where 100 diocesan staff, religious and parish leaders from six dioceses and archdioceses were in attendance. Bishop Bruce Lewandowski of Providence hosted the gathering.

In addition, the Hope Border Initiative and the Center for Migration Studies have created three new staff positions, known as community engagement specialists, to work with willing diocesan staff and others to execute their plans, including offering communications, research and organizing support.

The goal is to bolster the national network of Catholic activists to walk in solidarity with immigrants through accompaniment, public witness, advocacy and material support. Such a network should be strengthened not only to defend the rights of migrants in the short term, but to advocate for their legalization over the long term.

As we stated above, it is important that the U.S. bishops have officially come out against “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.” Now is the time for the U.S. church—priests, religious and the lay faithful—to act to end these policies and build support for immigration reform that allows our long-contributing immigrant brothers and sisters to finally become permanent members of our parishes and communities.

J. Kevin Appleby is a senior fellow at the Center for Migration Studies of New York and the former director of migration policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Dylan Corbett is the executive director of the Hope Border Institute, a Catholic research, advocacy and humanitarian action organization on the U.S.-Mexico border. He is also a former official of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development and of the Vatican’s Migrants Refugees Section.