(Radio Iowa) – The leaders of Iowa’s Catholic churches say they stand in solidarity with migrants. President-elect Trump says he plans to use the military to deport undocumented immigrants who entered the country illegally. The bishops’ letter says they’ll advocate for just treatment of migrants within the framework of the law. Tom Chapman is executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference.

“What they at least wanted to do initially is to make sure they said something to migrants that says: ‘We’re with you, we’re praying with you, and we will serve you to the extent that we can,'” Chapman said. Last week, the U-S Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement calling for federal policy that welcomes refugees and creates a pathway to citizenship for those who entered the country illegally, but have been here for many years. They also called for a secure southern border. This week’s statement from the Catholic bishops in Iowa says migrants face immense challenges and their letter is meant to send the message that they are not alone.

“We all serve together, you know. We’re supposed to be a community,” Chapman says. “This issue has been a top priority for them both at the state and federal level, so they wanted to make sure that people knew where they stood in terms of trying to stand with people and seeing what policy looks like going forward.” Chapman says Catholic Charities helps people with legitimate claims receive legal status to stay in the United States.

“I know in Sioux City Catholic Charities, they have a very extensive welcome program for immigrants,” Chapman said, “and those are things that are happening in different parts of the state.” The American Immigration Council estimates there are over 52-thousand undocumented immigrants in Iowa.