Attendees at the April 10 First Friday Forum of Lorain County got a look at the complex issue of immigration from attorney Stephen Squeri.
The longtime St. Ladislas parishioner felt called to serve others through immigration advocacy, so he provided pro bono (no cost) legal assistance to individuals seeking political asylum before retiring from the Jones Day law firm after nearly 40 years. He volunteers with the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and through Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland’s Welcoming the Stranger initiative. Squeri and his wife Therese also co-chair St. Ladislas’ social justice ministry.
He gave a snapshot of immigration in the United States, pointing out more than 15% of U.S. residents, nearly 52 million people, are immigrants, accounting for about 19% of the labor force. He also reviewed the Catholic Church’s teaching on immigration, shared immigration history, policy developments for those with protected status – refuge, asylum, temporary protected status, etc. – and information on immigration and crime.
Statistics show about 14 million people are “unauthorized,” with about 6 million on some protected status under U.S. law, including nearly 4 million who are seeking asylum and those with protected status under various programs such as refugee, humanitarian parole, temporary protected status and DACA (deferred action for childhood arrivals).
Squeri said the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a “special message” last November addressing its concerns about the “evolving situation impacting immigrants” in the country. He called the move “unusual” and “significant.” The vote was 216-5 in favor of the measure, with only three abstentions. The statement said, “Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants.” It also recognized that nations have a responsibility to regulate their borders “and establish a just and orderly immigration system for the common good.”
Squeri discussed immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries, showing how some groups, especially Asians and those from southern and Eastern Europe, experienced opposition. The Immigration Act of 1924 set quotas on countries of origin, resulting in a huge immigration decrease from 1924-1940, especially among European Jews fleeing persecution in Europe.
Congress passed the last significant immigration legislation in 1986. The bipartisan act provided amnesty for undocumented immigrants who had lived in the country since 1982 and increased the number of border control agents. Since then, there have been failed attempts to fix what Squeri called “a system that is broken and needs reform.”
Refugees undergo extensive screening and vetting that can take years, he said, and there are strict limits on the number of people who can seek humanitarian parole and TPS – a legal, temporary immigration status. An internal review is underway for refugees who arrived between Jan. 20, 2021 and Feb. 20, 2025. Processing of green cards for this group was stopped and there are attempts to cut back on asylum, with many asylum seekers detained.
Squeri said the surge of entries at the southern border had been high but exaggerated in some cases. Border security continues, with an estimated 4 million people apprehended and deported.
Regarding immigrants and crime, Squeri said studies show that immigrants have a significantly lower crime rate than native-born U.S. citizens and places with more immigrants tend to have lower crime rates.
Assertions that the Biden administration allowed thousands of “immigrant murderers” into the country are “grossly inaccurate and misleading,” Squeri said, based on an ICE-generated report from September 2024, which noted the numbers quoted were cumulative and dated back to the Reagan administration. He said there also is no proof that there are immigrants here who were released from prisons and asylums in other countries.
Only about 5% have ever had a violent criminal conviction, with 73% having no conviction. Squeri also debunked beliefs that immigrants use social service programs and drain tax dollars, noting they generally are not eligible for the programs.
He said there is evidence that immigrants “significantly benefit” the economy and their removal from the country “would be economically harmful.”
In summary, Squeri said it’s important to recognize that immigrants are needed to power the U.S. economy, that immigrants are human beings, they make significant contributions and the goal is to get a just immigration system “for the sake of the common good.”
Veteran broadcaster Paul Orlousky will discuss lay involvement in the Church at the May 1 lunch program at Tom’s Country Place in Avon. Doors open at 11 a.m. with a lunch buffet at 11:30 and the program at noon. Cost is $25. Click here for information.