Statement by the Most Rev. William R. Cavins
Pastor Abiding Presence Faith Community, Auxiliary Bishop, Diocese of St. John XXIII
On the Announcement of Florida’s Plan to Use a Shuttered Prison as a Second Immigration Detention Center

It is with deep concern and pastoral urgency that I respond to the State of Florida’s decision to convert a shuttered prison into an immigration detention facility, following the development already known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Our Catholic faith, as rooted in the Gospel and the consistent teaching of the Church, calls us to see in every migrant the face of Christ. Expanding detention facilities—especially in repurposed prisons—risks further dehumanizing those whose only “crime” is seeking safety, stability, and dignity for themselves and their families.

Detention is not the only answer to the complex challenges of immigration. Communities of faith, service organizations, and local governments have repeatedly demonstrated more humane, effective, and cost-conscious alternatives. Turning to prison structures sends the wrong moral message: that asylum seekers and migrants are criminals rather than neighbors.

I urge state and federal officials to seek solutions grounded in human dignity, due process, and compassion. I call on all people of faith to speak out, to stand alongside the vulnerable, and to work toward an immigration system that honors both our laws and our highest moral values.

As Pope John XXIII reminded us in Pacem in Terris, “Every human being has the right to freedom of movement and of residence within the confines of his own State. When there are just reasons in favor of it, he must be permitted to emigrate to other countries.” Our response must be guided by this truth, not by fear or political expediency.

Let us not become a society that measures security by the height of our fences or the strength of our locks, but by the breadth of our welcome and the depth of our compassion

Most Rev. William R. Cavins
Pastor, Abiding Presence Faith Community
Auxiliary Bishop, Diocese of St. John XXIII
Reformed Catholic Church