More than 100 Catholic bishops, priests, nuns and parishioners took part in a cross-border procession between the United States and Mexico on June 26, calling for migrants to be treated with dignity and respect amid ongoing debate over U.S. immigration policies.


The procession began in Nogales, Arizona, after a Mass at Sacred Heart Church and continued into the Mexican city of Nogales, Sonora, where participants prayed the rosary alongside Mexican clergy, Reuters reports. 


"We want to be well together. This is what the Church is all about," Bishop James Misko of Tucson said during the Mass.


Sister Eileen McKenzie, a Franciscan nun who works with migrants in the border region, said the extreme heat underscored the dangers faced by people crossing the desert.


"The heat is terrible, the heat is actually deadly," she said.


"We realized, there are people crossing the desert right now, and they don't have any (respite). It puts perspective on it. There are more and more people who are going farther and farther out. They are more desperate and they are still crossing."


The procession came as Catholic leaders in the United States and Pope Leo have continued to criticise Trump-era immigration policies, including mass deportations, detention conditions and enforcement operations.


Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso also raised concerns about conditions at the Camp East Montana detention centre in Texas, saying religious chaplains have at times been denied access to detainees.


"These are people, 80% of which are probably Catholic and, and many of which, because of their circumstances, are even more needing God in their lives. It's so unfortunate that we can't serve them," Seitz said.


A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security previously said Immigration and Customs Enforcement "is always looking at ways to improve [its] detention facilities."


The demonstration coincided with commemorations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States and comes ahead of Pope Leo's planned Mass on July 4 in Lampedusa, Italy, a major arrival point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean.


By Sabina Mammadli