Immigration Through a Catholic Lens
An Omaha meatpacking plant lost half of its staff in an ICE raid. Conservatives will cheer. Liberals will cry. But as Christians we have to think differently about this.
Immigration is one of those issues that exposes our deepest divides — political, cultural, and even religious. It’s easy to take sides, to shout slogans about borders or compassion, but the Truth is rarely that simple. When news breaks, like an ICE raid that guts a meatpacking plant in Omaha, Catholics and other Christians are forced to ask ourselves: How should we really think about this? Should we view it through the prism of our politics, or that of the Gospel? How should we view this not as conservatives or liberals, but as Christians.
An Omaha meatpacking plant just lost half of its staff (about 80 workers) in an ICE raid on June 10th 2025. Some of those taken away had been there for years. Conservatives will cheer for this. Liberals will cry over it. But as Catholics/Christians — we have to view this through the prism of the Gospel first. Here are some facts to consider
These were not deadbeats. They were working; many of them long-term.
They likely paid taxes. Even if they only had a small tax burden, they were probably paying some taxes. They were at least paying sales tax on the purchases they made with the money they were earning.
They were presumably law-abiding. Even working people can be criminals, but most (if not all) of these folks were likely not gang bangers.
However…
Not to nullify what I’ve just said but in the interests of fairness and respect for the Truth we have to also acknowledge that:
Working people can still cheat the system and draw more money from government programs than is justifiable.
Working people can still be criminals or even terrorists Having a job helps you to blend in, and stay beneath the radar. I’m not suggesting those who were arrested in this particular raid were likely criminals. I’m only saying the possibilities remain. We have to be balanced in our considerations, always.
Justice, or Outrageous?
So was this ICE raid in Omaha justice? Might there have been a better way to handle cases like these where the illegal immigrant is not a degenerate, but is contributing to society and the local economy? Should there be a fast track or some kind of exceptional path to legal status status for people like these—maybe accompanied by a fine for coming to the U.S. illegally (as Hillary Clinton advocated for in 2016)? Or should they be held to the letter of the law and deported like everyone else?
I don’t have the answer. This is more of a thought experiment for you. If you’re conservative, your first reaction may be to applaud the ICE raid. If you’re liberal, your first reaction is probably outrage. There’s a case for each of those reactions. But as Christians, we have to think differently from our political tribes — we have to see this through the lens of our faith. Because we’re presented with a collision between two Goods here: The good of human life, and family life (working people supporting their families, the good of local economy, and the lives affected by it); and the good of the Law—defense and security of our borders, protection of jobs and salaries for American citizens, and an act that serves as a deterrence to others who consider coming to the United States illegally.
Something to consider on the side: “Every seat in the waiting area of Glenn Valley Foods was occupied with people filling out job applications early Thursday” two days after the raid, according to NBC News.
I wonder if there’s a middle ground that honors both Goods in this scenario. Certainly upholding one good "(The Law, security, etc) is causing harm to another good (Individuals, families, local economy). So I have to believe there is a better way of managing these situations—not all immigration violators, but at least cases like this one, where the “violators” are working people, devoted to real jobs, are supporting families and contributing to local economies.
A blanket approach to immigration enforcement is not a good strategy. But keep in mind, we don’t know the full picture of what becomes of people arrested or detained in raids like this particularly one in Omaha, and so we don’t know that there necessarily is a blanket approach following immigration enforcement raids.
Here’s how the Omaha raid has played out so far, according to NBC news
As of Friday night [following the June 10th raid], criminal charges had not been filed against those arrested in the raid. About a dozen of them have already been deported or transferred out of state. At least 63 others were taken to the Lincoln County Detention Center. The county’s sheriff, Jerome Kramer, said none of the detainees are “violent offenders” and he hopes to help them “complete the process to correct their work status and reunite them with families or employers.”
-NBC News
What I want you to take from this is that the judge between opposing political viewpoints should always be Jesus Christ (The Gospel, orthodox Christianity) The Truth transcends the simplicity of political party lines. We can’t call ourselves Catholic and think like Republicans or Democrats. Our political ideas and ideals need always to be guided by our Christian faith. Yes, that means mercy, but it also means Justice and both of those virtues require due consideration. Our political party identity must be secondary to our Christian identity.
Here is another source for you, The Nebraska Examiner Some of the rhetoric in the reporting made me just a little suspicious about its integrity, so approach it with a “trust, but verify” attitude, as I did. Even stating facts doesn’t always mean you’re telling the truth. You can tell many different stories with the same facts, depending on how you write and compose the piece.
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