Throughout American history, immigrants facing economic hardship, exploitation and nativism alongside the opportunity for a better life than was available in their countries of origin have found solace and support in the faith community, and today is no different.

This week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Relief Services cosponsored "Renewing Hope, Seeking Justice" to call for fairer, more humane immigration policy. Based on news reports, conference leaders are balancing an appropriately critical description of our current situation and calls for political solutions. Especially encouraging is Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony's call to make immigration reform a top political issue in the campaign.

When families are broken up, people are being rounded up like cattle in and detained in inhuman conditions, and immigrants are getting locked up for months on end before being deported, we're dealing with more than a law-and-order issue, we're dealing with a moral one. It's good to see the Catholic church continuing its tradition of engaging it.