New York — Florida’s Catholic bishops pleaded with President Donald Trump on Monday to stop Immigration enforcement Activities during the Christmas holidays. In response, the White House said it would be business as usual.
Appeal It was issued by Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, and signed by seven other members of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“The border has been secured. The initial work to identify and remove dangerous criminals has largely been accomplished,” Wenski wrote. “At this point, the most extreme enforcement approach to treating illegal immigrants en masse means that many of these arrests inevitably sweep up numbers of people who are not criminals but are only there to work.”
“The climate of fear and anxiety affects not only undocumented immigrants, but also family members and neighbors who are legally in the country,” Wenski added.
“Since these traces are part of law enforcement operations, we request the government to stop arrest and detention activities during the Christmas season. Such a stop would show proper respect for the humanity of these families.”
In an emailed response, White House Press Secretary Abigail Jackson did not mention the holiday season in her two-sentence response.
“President Trump was elected on his promise to the American people to deport illegal criminal aliens. And he is keeping that promise,” Jackson wrote.
Wenski has earned a reputation as an outspoken advocate for the humane treatment of immigrants. In September, for example, he joined other Catholic leaders in a campaign Plaque at Georgetown University Denouncing the Trump administration’s harsh policies aimed at tearing families apart, inciting fear, and upending church life.
Wenski highlighted immigrants’ contributions to the country’s economy.
“If you ask people in agriculture, ask people in the service industry, ask people in health care, ask people in construction, they will tell you that some of their best workers are immigrants,” Wenski said. “Implementation will always be part of any immigration policy, but we have to rationalize and humanize it.”
Wenski joined the Knights of Columbus ministry, an initiative led by the Knights of Columbus that draws attention to the spiritual needs of people detained in immigration detention centers, including one in the Florida Everglades dubbed “The Alligator of Alcatraz.” He remembers praying the rosary with motorcyclists in the scorching heat outside its walls. Days later, he received permission to celebrate Mass inside the facility.
“The fact that we are calling these detainees to pray, even in this extremely humiliating situation, is a way to affirm and invoke their dignity,” he said.
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