Trump border czar defends immigration policy against papal condemnation

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a tepid reply to the Pope’s letter condemning the policy.

President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan reacted harshly to Pope Francis’ condemnation of the US administration’s indiscriminate measures against immigrants.

“I wish he’d stick to the Catholic Church and fix that and leave border enforcement to us,” said Homan, who is a Catholic. He also accused the pontiff of hypocrisy: “He’s got a wall around the Vatican, does he not?”

The Pope’s intervention in a letter on 11 February came as Homan and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency began a series of raids targeting those already awaiting deportation, which have ensnared many others who have committed no crime. Being in the country without proper immigration papers is a civil, not a criminal, offence under US law.

Religious leaders of all denominations have expressed concern about the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the “sensitive locations policy” which barred ICE agents from conducting raids in churches, schools and hospitals.

Homan defended the draconian policies, saying they respect the human dignity of the migrants and noting the sufferings migrants endure to get to the US.

“So when President Trump has illegal immigration down 90 per cent, how many women aren’t being sexually assaulted?” Homan asked. “How many children aren’t dying crossing the river? … President Trump’s policies save lives.” He did not explain how sending migrants back across the border would reduce their suffering.

Homan also defended cutting government contracts with social services agencies, such as Catholic Charities, which help migrants, arguing that “you are feeding a monster that kills thousands of people every year” by funding

The Archbishop of the Military Services Timothy Broglio, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a tepid reply to the Pope’s letter.

“We all turn to the Lord in prayer that families suffering from the sudden withdrawal of aid may find the strength to endure. With you, we pray that the US government keep its prior commitments to help those in desperate need,” Broglio said. He thanked the Pope for his promise of prayers, “so that we may find the courage as a nation to build a more humane system of immigration, one that protects our communities while safeguarding the dignity of all”.

The conference announced it was laying off 50 people who work in migrant and refugee services, due to Trump’s policy changes.

Pope Francis condemns US deportations ‘damaging human dignity’

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