Introduction

Immigrant policies have been a controversial topic in the United States, especially in recent years, when debates over border security, legal status, humanitarian responsibilities, and enforcement practices continue to shape public discourse. As a Vietnamese Catholic immigrant living and working among the other Vietnamese immigrants, both documented and undocumented, I have witnessed how the legal status and policies affect their life, especially those undocumented immigrants facing their fear of being deported and the limited access to health and social services, along with the increased vulnerability to exploitation.

In this context, Catholic Social Teaching provides a meaningful moral framework to understand the experience of Vietnamese undocumented immigrants in the U.S. Grounded in the dignity of the human person, solidarity, and the preferential option for the poor, Catholic Social Teaching emphasizes compassion, justice, and responsibility toward your migrant brothers and sisters regardless of legal status. By applying these principles, this paper examines how current U.S. immigration policies impact Vietnamese undocumented immigrants and how Catholic Social Teaching calls Catholics and society to respond with both respect for the law and commitment to human dignity.

Social reality

Within the last two decades, more and more Vietnamese leave their country for labor export to developed countries like Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Australia, etc. With the impact of Covid-19, the economic downturn has negatively affected millions of people in Vietnam. As of June 2020, there were 30.8 million people over the age of 15 whose jobs were affected through job loss, reduced work hours, reduced income, being laid-off from their job, etc. Informal and low-skilled workers were particularly vulnerable, and young workers experienced disproportionately high levels of unemployment and underemployment. For many families, the income barely allows them to provide for themselves, not to mention their multigenerational families with children and the elders. Economic pressure is the most common reason that leads to the wave of immigrants in recent years, especially the youths, to the developed countries, and the United States is one of the most targeted destinations–they called it the “America dream”.

In 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey announced the number of more than 1.3 million Vietnamese immigrants resided in the U.S. According to the Center for Migration Studies, approximately 104,000 Vietnamese immigrants in the U.S. are undocumented. Although the number of undocumented people does not take a large portion of the Vietnamese population in the U.S., their legal status exposes them to many social and economic injustice and vulnerability. Living alongside the undocumented immigrants, I have witnessed the harsh reality of their migration experience. Many enter the United States through the Mexican or Canadian borders, undertaking journeys that are weeks to months long, dangerous, and costly, often requiring tens of thousands of dollars. As a result, those who arrive often do so exhausted and burdened with significant debt.

To repay these debts and support their families, undocumented immigrants seek to regularize their immigration status so that they can obtain lawful employment. However, the process sometimes can take months or even years; they are not guaranteed to get approved for legal residency in the U.S., and during this period, undocumented immigrants are often unable to work legally or receive fair wages. Consequently, they are compelled to seek immediate employment to repay their debt along with providing for themselves and their families, and they frequently accept low-wage and precarious work.

Their legal status not only causes economic insecurity but also subjects them to social inequality and limited access to healthcare. In addition, undocumented immigrants face persistent fears in their daily lives, including fear of discrimination, fear of exploitation or scams, and, most significantly, fear of deportation. These fears come from the experience of being discriminated against in their own community, workplace, school, being betrayed and scammed by their own people and those who took advantage of their legal status. Witnessing the effects of immigration enforcement, including raids, detentions, and deportations in their communities and other immigrant communities, the most significant fear of these people are fear of deportation.

The fear of deportation or detention exists not only in recent years immigrants, but also the pre- 1975 immigrants who probably have been living in the country their whole life. These challenges affect not only individuals but also their families and communities, shaping their ability to work, pursue education, and fully participate in society.

From the perspective of Catholic Social Teaching

The current U.S. context raises a critical moral question: can human dignity be defined or limited by legal status? If someone is undocumented, does that make them “less human” and deserve less than those who are documented?

Catholic Social Teaching responds that human dignity is inherent and cannot be granted or withdrawn by legal systems. Rooted in the belief that every person is created in the image and likeness of God, the Church affirms that dignity is inherent and universal (Gaudium et Spes, no. 12; CCC, no. 1700). While nations have the right to control their borders and regulate immigration, the Church’s teaching insists that this authority must be exercised in ways that respect the dignity of every human person. The U.S. Catholic bishops explicitly state that “regardless of their legal status, migrants, like all persons, possess inherent human dignity,” a teaching that challenges policies and attitudes that justify exclusion or exploitation based solely on legal status (Strangers No Longer, no. 38). Instead, it requires people to recognize the undocumented immigrants first as persons, as an equal human being whose dignity demands protection, justice, and compassion.

So if they possessed full human dignity, what does that require society and the Church?

Catholic Social Teaching of solidarity invites individuals and societies to recognize their connections and shared responsibilities for one another, as “we are all really responsible for all” (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, no. 38). For Vietnamese undocumented immigrants, solidarity challenges the tendency to view immigration solely as a legal or political problem but calling us to see them as our brothers and sisters who are suffering and in need of help.

Another central principle of Catholic Social Teaching relevant to the experience of Vietnamese undocumented immigrants is the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable. This principle affirms that in social, economic, and political decisions, special consideration must be given to those who are most vulnerable and marginalized, in this context, the undocumented immigrants (Gaudium et Spes, no. 27). These people usually face hardships like language barrier, lack of legal protection, and limited access to healthcare and social services. The preferential option for the poor also serves as a moral critique of enforcement policies that are worsening the vulnerability of these people, such as workplace raids, family separations, and prolonged detention.

In practice, there are many examples of how Vietnamese communities, especially Vietnamese Catholic communities, have offered to help others: by providing them legal, pastoral and material support, language and job training, healthcare access, a living place, a chance to work regardless of immigration status, and preventing them from being exploited and scammed. In the meantime, the Church also raises their voices for the human dignity of these people, asking the authorities to treat undocumented people with fairness, respect, and compassion. Not only do they offer the immigrants aid but more importantly, they bring a sense of belonging and human dignity to the undocumented immigrants.

Conclusion

The experience of Vietnamese undocumented immigrants in the U.S. illustrate how legal status alone does not determine human worth. Catholic Social Teaching affirm that human dignity is inherent, universal, and inalienable, and undocumented immigrants are also complete human beings made in the image of God. The principles of Catholic Social Teaching, especially the preferential option for the poor and solidarity, challenge the current society to prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable people, advocating for justice, protection from exploitation, and access to essential services. In the U.S. context, these teachings require Catholic communities to accompany the undocumented immigrants through providing them their basic needs while calling authorities to treat them with human dignity.

By centering migrants as brothers and sisters in need, Catholic Social Teaching provides a moral framework that brings hope and turns all the disadvantages of the vulnerable into opportunities for compassion, justice, and shared responsibility. More than that, Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that “the measure of a just community is how it treats its most vulnerable members.”

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