Catholic Bishops Hold Border Mass 250 at Nogales Arizona After Trump Ends Temporary Protected Status

More than 100 Catholic bishops, nuns, priests and parishioners joined a procession at the U.S.-Mexico border as part of “Border Mass 250,” with the group gathering in Nogales, Arizona and then continuing into Nogales, Sonora.

“More than 100 Catholic bishops, priests, nuns and parishioners took part in a cross-border procession between the United States and Mexico on June 26, calling for migrants to be treated with dignity and respect amid ongoing debate over U”

Caliber.Az

Tucson Bishop James A. Misko led the congregation in prayer at Sacred Heart Church in Nogales, where he said, "First and foremost, the human condition is a migrating experience."

Devdiscourse

The KGUN 9 report said the service centered on faith, migration, and human dignity just ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

The procession was also framed as a response to the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Trump Administration to end Temporary Protected Status for thousands of asylum seekers on Thursday, scaling back protections for immigrants.

In the same event, Deacon Robert Vigil of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe described the gathering as solidarity, saying, "I think tonight is going to be a good representation of solidarity, that people are people, and we all need each other."

Sister Eileen McKenzie, a Franciscan nun who works with migrants in the border region, said the extreme heat underscored the dangers faced by people crossing the desert, telling participants, "The heat is terrible, the heat is actually deadly."

The Caliber.Az account said the procession called for migrants to be treated with dignity and respect amid ongoing debate over U.S. immigration policies, and it noted that participants prayed the rosary alongside Mexican clergy.

Dicastero per il Servizio dello Sviluppo Umano Integrale

Caliber.Az also reported that Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso raised concerns about conditions at the Camp East Montana detention centre in Texas, saying religious chaplains have at times been denied access to detainees.

Seitz said, "These are people, 80% of which are probably Catholic and, and many of which, because of their circumstances, are even more needing God in their lives."

The Devdiscourse digest added that the Trump administration is pressing for immigration detention authority and seeking Supreme Court validation to detain immigrants without bond as part of its crackdown.

The South China Morning Post said the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops opposed “the vilification of immigrants” in the US under President Donald Trump as more than 100 Catholic leaders urged humane treatment of migrants.

“The Archdiocese of Montreal hosted a gathering on the pastoral care of human mobility, with the participation of bishops from Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and of the Observatory of Human Mobility and Pastoral Care for Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean (OSMECA)”

Dicastero per il Servizio dello Sviluppo Umano Integrale

In Nogales, Arizona, Misko celebrated mass at Sacred Heart Church and told participants, "We want to be well together. This is what the Church is all about," as the procession moved from the U.S. to Mexico.

KGUN 9 reported that Misko addressed the Church’s position on border policy directly, saying, "The Church has never been for open borders, but rather the Church is for borders being managed properly."

Caliber.Az said the demonstration came as Catholic leaders in the United States and Pope Leo continued to criticise Trump-era immigration policies, including mass deportations, detention conditions and enforcement operations.

Devdiscourse said the procession coincided with America’s 250th anniversary commemoration and comes ahead of Pope Leo's planned Mass on July 4 in Lampedusa, Italy, a major arrival point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean.