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Welcome to the Texas Catholic Conference, the Official Public Policy Voice of the Catholic Bishops of Texas.
OUR MISSION
The primary purpose of the Conference is to encourage and foster cooperation and communication among the dioceses and the ministries of the Catholic Church of Texas.
A major function of the Conference is to be the public policy arm of the Conference's Board of Directors, the bishops of Texas, before the Texas legislature, the Texas delegation in Congress, and state agencies. The public policy issues addressed by the Conference include institutional concerns of the Catholic Church as well as issues related to Catholic social teachings.
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Responsorial Psalm |
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Gospel |
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Video Reflection |
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Saint of the Day |
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Immigration Issues
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We recognize the historic and present-day contributions of immigrants in Texas by supporting their ability to work in a healthy environment in order to provide for their families and continue their valuable participation in the community. Immigration Legislative Priorities
Support comprehensive immigration reform including a pathway to legalization.
Support efforts to ensure students who attend Texas public schools have access to in-state tuition.
Oppose efforts to reduce access to education for immigrants.
Oppose attempts to reduce access to healthcare for immigrants.
Oppose federal and state funding for a fence along the Texas-Mexico border.
Oppose local and state law enforcement acting as federal immigration agents.
Click here to download all 81st Legislative Session Priorities
Click here to look at Immigration legislation that the TCC supported or opposed during the last legislative session.
Statements of Bishops
Pastoral Statement by the Catholic Bishops of Texas on Immigration Reform Legislation (H.R. 4437)
January 23, 2006
Public Testimony & Letters on Immigration
Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Letter to Senator John Cornyn
May 9, 2007
Human Trafficking Testimony
House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, E2.016
April 17, 2007
Testimony of Bishop James Tamayo, Bishop of Laredo, Texas
Joint Hearing of State Affairs and Border & International Affairs
March 28, 2007
Testimony SB 1287: Human Trafficking Hotline Posting
Catholic Teaching
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church
2241. The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.
From the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
297. Immigration can be a resource for development rather than an obstacle to it. In the modern world, where there are still grave inequalities between rich countries and poor countries, and where advances in communications quickly reduce distances, the immigration of people looking for a better life is on the increase. These people come from less privileged areas of the earth and their arrival in developed countries is often perceived as a threat to the high levels of well-being achieved thanks to decades of economic growth. In most cases, however, immigrants fill a labour need which would otherwise remain unfilled in sectors and territories where the local workforce is insufficient or unwilling to engage in the work in question.
298. Institutions in host countries must keep careful watch to prevent the spread of the temptation to exploit foreign labourers, denying them the same rights enjoyed by nationals, rights that are to be guaranteed to all without discrimination. Regulating immigration according to criteria of equity and balance [643] is one of the indispensable conditions for ensuring that immigrants are integrated into society with the guarantees required by recognition of their human dignity. Immigrants are to be received as persons and helped, together with their families, to become a part of societal life.[644] In this context, the right of reuniting families should be respected and promoted.[645] At the same time, conditions that foster increased work opportunities in people's place of origin are to be promoted as much as possible.[646]
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI FOR THE 94th WORLD DAY OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES
(13 January 2008)
Laborem exercens (on Human Work)
Pope John Paul II, September 14, 1981
FAQs
Does the Church support illegal immigration?
What does Comprehensive Immigration Reform entail?
Click here to visit our FAQ page
Resources
Justice for Immigrants
This campaign provides resources for immigration advocacy groups, including Catholic teaching on the value of immigrants and the Bishop’s proposals for achieving reform in the government
USCCB Department of Migration & Refugee Services
Catholic Relief Services (USCCB)
Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People
Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Committee for Refugees
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration
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immigration issues