Proposed new federal regulations on asylum to the U.S. would have devastating consequences, the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration said.

In particular, the regulations would hurt people fleeing domestic violence or gang persecution in their home countries, Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville said in a statement on the proposed asylum rule.

“The Catholic Church teaches us to look at the root causes of migration, poverty, violence, and corruption, Dorsonville said, the statement reported. “ Pope Francis reminds us that ‘we must keep our eyes open ..., keep our hearts open ..., to remind everyone of the indispensable commitment to save every human life, a moral duty that unites believers and non-believers.’ We cannot turn our backs on the vulnerable.”

The proposed new rules would refine the phrase “particular social group” to bar immigrants fleeing domestic violence or gangs, the statement said.

“We believe this rule, which attempts to curtail our nation’s long-standing commitment to providing individuals and families with humanitarian protection, is not only unlawful, but contrary to the public interest,” the bishops group said in written comments to the federal Executive Office for Immigration Review.