Catholic leaders cross US-Mexico border in plea for migrant dignity

More than 100 Catholic bishops, nuns, priests and parishioners crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near Nogales, Arizona, in a public appeal for migrants to be treated with dignity and respect. The procession began after Mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, 272 N. Rodriguez St., and continued into Nogales, Sonora, where participants were joined by their Mexican counterparts.

Border Mass 250 was organized by the Kino Border Initiative, the Diocese of Tucson, the Hope Border Institute and the Center for Migration Studies. A Diocese of Tucson advisory described the gathering as a binational expression of faith, solidarity and recognition of immigrants’ contributions, timed to the United States’ 250th anniversary.

The day began with a pastoral conversation at Sacred Heart of Jesus before the rosary procession moved toward Mexico. Coverage before the event said four bishops from three states were expected to take part: James Misko of Tucson, John Dolan of Phoenix, John Wester of Santa Fe and Mark Seitz of El Paso. Local reporting said the bishops gathered under a bright 98-degree sun, a physical reminder that the border is not only a political line but a place where ritual and hardship meet.

Bishop James Misko of Tucson framed the march as both a faith gathering and a moral claim on the country’s language around migration. “We want to be well together. This is what the Church is all about,” he said. The cross-border route gave that message a visible form, linking the Arizona parish and its sister city in Sonora through prayer rather than protest.

The event came amid a broader national fight over immigration policy, in which Catholic leaders have repeatedly criticized tougher enforcement and the damage it can do to families and asylum seekers. In November 2025, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a rare special message on immigration, saying it was troubled by the “vilification of immigrants” and warning about threats to houses of worship, hospitals and schools. It was the first special message the bishops had issued in 12 years.

Against that backdrop, the Nogales liturgy was designed to do more than commemorate a calendar milestone. By walking from Arizona into Sonora, the bishops and lay participants used a shared Catholic ritual to argue that migration should be discussed not only as a legal problem, but as a human one.