Catholic leaders say deportations hurt safety more than help
Catholic leaders on the front lines of working with immigrants and refugees are expressing alarm over recent memoranda from the Department of Homeland Security that appear to set the stage for widespread deportations, calling the policy neither humane nor just.
Mark Zimmermann
February 23, 2017
WASHINGTON - U.S. Catholic officials whose agencies serve and advocate for immigrants voiced strong opposition to recently announced Department of Homeland Security guidelines for border security, immigration enforcement and enhancing public safety.
Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, said the Feb. 20 DHS memoranda could “harm public safety rather than enhance it.”
In a Feb. 23 statement, the bishop also said those policies “will needlessly separate families, upend peaceful communities, endanger the lives and safety of the most vulnerable among us, break down the trust that currently exists between many police departments and immigrant communities, and sow great fear in those communities.”
President Donald Trump in his order on immigration enforcement called illegal immigration “a clear and present danger” to the United States, and he said a wall should be built along the country’s southern border with Mexico, staffed by increased personnel to “prevent illegal immigration, drug and human trafficking, and acts of terrorism.”
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2017/02/23/catholic-leaders-say-deportations-hurt-safety-help/