The bishops of Guatemala are pleading for better treatment for migrants from their country, just as the European Union is hoping to finalize its new policy on immigrants. In a statement Thursday, the prelates expressed their "regret and concern" over the worldwide situation of immigrants, noting that migrants are motivated by "extreme reasons -- poverty, unemployment, insecurity, natural disasters, war, and others." Meanwhile European Union officials, at informal talks in France today, expressed optimism that the "European Pact on Immigration and Asylum" could be finalized by October. Many are criticizing the measure as xenophobic, though defenders say it is just an attempt to control and regulate human movement in the union.