Immigration Conference: Rethinking Migration Narratives – Catholic Immigration Advocacy in 2025 and Beyond

The Catholic University of America and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will be hosting its Second Annual Immigration Conference “Rethinking Migration Narratives – Catholic Immigration Advocacy in 2025 and Beyond.” This conference will explore the various narratives surrounding Immigration and offer a Catholic alternative to them. The conference will be held at The Catholic University of America's Heritage Hall on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. The organizers will host an opening reception and program in Heritage Hall the evening before the conference.

For questions or accommodations contact: bustamantej@cua.edu.

Become part of a network of individuals and organizations working to address immigration issues collaboratively, and to educate Catholics about Church teaching on the issue.

 

 

Schedule of Events

[Check back for more information.]

Monday, March 3, 2025 (Heritage Hall)

  • Opening Reception
    Evening Program, Reception "The Impact of False Narratives on the Ground"

Tuesday, March 4, 2025 (Heritage Hall)

  • Session 1
    The Power of Narrative in the Immigration Debate
    Drawing on a diverse set of disciplines, this panel will examine the role migration narratives have played in shaping perceptions of migrants and migration and how these perceptions have influenced public opinion in the United States. Panelists will focus on prominent narratives and their impact in both a historical and contemporary context.

  • Session 2
    Immigration Narratives and the Impact on Policymaking
    This panel will focus on the ways in which dominant narratives, once widely accepted, function as an important legitimating source for policy proposals across the political spectrum, including efforts to implement mass deportation and calls to abolish Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This panel will also examine the extent to which race and immigration intersect and how characterizations about race influence immigration policy and its impact.

  • Keynote Speaker

  • Session 3
    A Catholic Alternative to Migration Narratives
    This panel will explore Catholic alternatives to dominant migration narratives. Panelists will explain the role of Catholic Social Teaching on migration, the Church’s engagement in migrant ministry and its commitment to upholding the dignity of migrants, while recognizing a country’s right to protect its border. Through breakout sessions, participants will explore ways in which a Catholic approach might provide an alternative to existing polarizing, unidimensional narratives.

  • Session 4
    Advocacy Day Training
    This panel will prepare participants for the advocacy day on March 5. Panelists will provide a broad overview of the migration policy landscape at play in Washington, DC. It will also present an in-depth analysis of the specific policy recommendations participants will offer as they speak with legislators on Capitol Hill.


Wednesday, March 5, 2025 (Capitol Hill)

  • Migration & Refugee Services/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Advocacy Day


Registration is open, click here to register.