Haitian Senator Nenel Cassy described the situation as “truly catastrophic.”

"We are in solidarity with people who have been incarcerated for no other reason than seeking a better life for themselves and their families," Hendrik Voss said.

The Catholic Church acknowledges and supports the right of nations to control their borders and to enforce their laws.

Images of drowned babies washing ashore in Libya have circulated widely.

On the Feast Day of Mother Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants, a call to make room for today's migrants and refugees.

Missing from most of the national immigration debate has been the humanitarian aspects of the migration phenomenon.