Cardinal Mcelroy Calls For Compassion In Immigration Policy As He Prepares To Lead In Washington

Cardinal Robert McElroy , who is getting ready to take over as archbishop of Washington, D.C. in March, called for compassion and dignity for migrants Thursday.

Speaking at a news conference at the Diocese of San Diego, where he has served as bishop for over a decade, McElroy acknowledged that he will head the Catholic Church in the nation's capital as the country grapples with what it means to be a compassionate society.

The removal of immunity for houses of worship from immigration enforcement is particularly problematic, and a "deep moral question," he said, evoking the role of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Trump administration's crackdown.

"When these places become targets of ICE raids, it strikes fear in everyone's hearts, and it acts as a deterrent to people going to church and freely worshipping or going to schools," he said. "That's why it's so deadly."

The Trump administration order giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at churches is a "wider cultural attack on all those who are undocumented," many of whom are fleeing persecution, violence or terrible economic conditions, McElroy said.