“What is needed is a comprehensive, long-term solution that allows the country to protect its borders, minimise the possibility of illicit trafficking and reasonably regulate any new arrivals.” Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of Saint Paul and Minneapolis says this in an interview with SIR on migration policies in the United States. “It is also essential to guarantee legal status to those who are in the country without documents but have lived here for a number of years, can demonstrate that they have put down roots, have contributed to their communities and show a willingness to respect the law,” the Archbishop adds, stressing the need for “pathways that promote family reunification and prevent separation”. The bishops of the six dioceses of Minnesota, meeting as the Minnesota Catholic Conference, “are seeking to work with government representatives to alleviate the current crisis and to promote a comprehensive reform of immigration laws”. On the pastoral level, Archbishop Hebda explains: “For some time now we have sought to make our immigrants feel at home, serving them in their own languages and respecting their piety and traditions.” To Italian Catholics he appeals: “Continue to pray fervently for peace in our homes, our cities and our country.”