Immigration
Rooted in the Catholic teaching that
"The stranger should
be welcomed just as
Christ himself”
The Office of Human Life & Dignity at the Archdiocese of San Francisco provides compassionate, Church-informed support for immigrants and their advocates
Immigration
The Office of Human Life & Dignity has gathered resources to support our immigrant communities
Archdiocesan contact:
Free Legal Consultations
The Archdiocese of San Francisco partners with trusted organizations to provide free immigration legal consultations. If you or someone you know is in need of legal guidance, please see the options below:
1. Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities offers free Immigration legal consultations.
Virtual Consultations: Available every Thursday.
Schedule by clicking this link: Schedule a consultation with Catholic Charities
2. Pope Francis Legal Clinic – In Oakland
The Pope Francis Legal Clinic offers free 30-minute legal consultations either in person or virtually.
Times:
Tuesdays: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Thursdays: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
How to Schedule:
Contact the Archdiocese’s Immigration Ministry for assistance:
(415) 614-5616 | perezsa@sfarch.org or immigration@sfarch.org
3. Free Legal Clinic – San Francisco Residents Only
This free legal clinic is open to San Francisco residents only.
No registration is required — consultations are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
When: Every third Monday of the month
Time: 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Ignatian Spiritual Life Center
1611 Oak Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
Guidance for parishes from the California Catholic Conference
All people in the United States, including undocumented immigrants, have Constitutional rights and protections.
Neither immigration nor the police will assume you want to exercise your rights. You are responsible for asserting them by showing your Know Your Rights card or by telling the officer you are exercising your rights.
The Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) has created a set of very useful, know your rights resources for immigrant communities that are available in a wide range of languages. We urge you to distribute these resources to populations who might benefit from them. These resources are available at the CLINIC website : Resources on Know Your Rights
For some particularly useful know your rights resources, see below:
Know your Rights card
Know your Rights card: This wallet-sized card can be printed in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.
Know Your Rights Flyers
Know Your Rights Flyers: These flyers explain your rights in various contexts.
5 Principles on Immigration with Archbishop Cordileone
In this video, Archbishop Cordileone outlines the principles on immigration, derived from the body of Catholic Social Teaching.
“Dear brothers and sisters, and, in a special way, young people! If we want to cooperate with our heavenly Father in building the future, let us do so together with our brothers and sisters who are migrants and refugees.”
Resources
See below a variety of resources related to Church teaching on the topic of immigration:
- “Human Dignity is Not Dependent on a Person’s Citizenship or Immigration Status”
- Am I not here, I who am your mother? – California Catholic Conference
- California Bishops Call for Solidarity with Migrants and Refugees (2021)
- Immigration: The In-Between Life Issue – School of Pastoral Leadership Online Course
- Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope – A Pastoral Letter Concerning Migration from the Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the United States
Banner photo: Close up of Timothy P. Schmalz’s sculpture, ‘Angels Unawares.’ Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA