House passes pair of bills aimed at tighter immigration enforcement

Last updated on: July 10, 2017 at 8:17 pm by CNA Daily News

House passes pair of bills aimed at tighter immigration enforcement 2017-07-10T20:17:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Washington D.C., Jul 10, 2017 / 02:17 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The United States House of Representatives on June 29 passed two bills in an effort to crack down on undocumented immigration and sanctuary cities.

The “No Sanctuary for Criminals” Act, also known as HR 3003, would strip federal grant eligibility from sanctuary cities which seek to harbor and protect undocumented immigrants from federal immigration authorities. It would ban any legal authority from seeking to prohibit or impede the enforcement of or compliance with national immigration law.

Dozens of such cities exist throughout the country, largely concentrated in California, which have some law or set of laws seeking to inhibit local cooperation with national policies.

The topic had been addressed just weeks before by Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Cardinal DiNardo said June 9 at a migration conference that local law enforcement authorities should not be compelled to enforce federal immigration law, as this “would fundamentally alter the relationship between our local law enforcement officials maintain with our local communities, especially immigrant communities.”

He also warned that this “burden” would “tak(e) away from their efforts to ensure public safety” as they “pursu(e) those who are otherwise-law abiding.”

The House also passed a bill dubbed “Kate’s Law” which would establish mandatory minimum sentencing for deported immigrants who return to the country.

According to the Washington Post, the American Civil Liberties Union has criticized the bill for penalizing those fleeing persecution in their home country.

The U.S. bishops have spoken up repeatedly in recent years on the subject of immigration. In 2003, they issued the pastoral letter “Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope.” In the document, they defined the rights of persons to migrate, as well as nations to control their borders. They called for refugees and asylum seekers to be protected, and for respect for the human rights of undocumented migrants.

The bishops have been very vocal in recent months in speaking out against the Trump administration’s immigration policies and proposals, calling for a balance of national security and welcoming migrants.

In a November 11 statement, Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, auxiliary of Seattle, congratulated Donald Trump on his election and called for the protection of immigrant families. In the letter, he expressed the bishops’ desire “to ensure that refugees are humanely welcomed without sacrificing our security or our core values as Americans.”

Following the president’s January executive orders to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and increase immigration detention centers, Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin, Texas warned that “(t)he policies announced today will only further upend immigrant families.”

Acting in his role as chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration, Bishop Vásquez stated that the bishops “strongly disagree” with a decision to halt refuge admissions in a similar order.

In a similar letter in response to two memoranda implementing January’s orders, Bishop Vásquez “recognized “the importance of ensuring public safety” and called for “reasonable and necessary steps to do that.”

However, he condemned the memoranda, saying that “the policies contained in these memoranda will needlessly separate families, upend peaceful communities, endanger the lives and safety of the most vulnerable among us, breakdown the trust that currently exists between many police departments and immigrant communities, and sow great fear in those communities.” He also warned against “the militarization of the U.S./Mexico border.”

The U.S. bishops’ conference voted to give permanent status to their working group on migration at their annual spring meeting in June. The leader of the group, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, stated that “(t)here was a desire to express solidarity with and pastoral concern for those at risk, but also a desire to avoid encouraging exaggerated fears.”

On June 18, Archbishop Gomez celebrated a Mass in Recognition of All Immigrants and in his homily praised “the immigrant spirit that makes America wonderful.” In a July 2 interview, Crux reported, the archbishop came close to tears when recalling that “(i)n the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, many times children don’t want to go to the Catholic schools because they think that their parents are not going to be home in the evening.”

The current administration has deported nearly 66,000 undocumented immigrants, according to Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly. This constitutes a spike from President Obama’s final years in office.

Previous Post

July 10, 2017

Are you grateful for the work of sailors? You should be, the Vatican says

Next Post

July 10, 2017 Ordained a priest, former Manchester United footballer's goal is Christ

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What year did the Great Schism occur, splitting the Eastern and Western churches?

Select your answer to see how you score.

325 AD 500 AD 1054 AD 1517 AD