United States President Donald Trump says he will “permanently pause” all immigration from what he called “Third World Countries”, prompting concern from Catholic immigration advocates. Source: Catholic Review.
Mr Trump made the comments in a series of social media posts on Thanksgiving Day followed the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members in the nation’s capital November 26.
The victims were 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, who died from her injuries on November 27, and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, who remained in serious condition on December 1. Authorities identified Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, as the suspect in the shooting.
On November 27, the State Department stopped the issuance of US visas for all Afghan nationals, arguing on social media it was “taking all necessary steps to protect US national security and public safety.”
Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), said in a statement on Monday the organisation “firmly rejects any call to ‘permanently pause migration’”.
“As we enter the Advent season, we remember that the Holy Family themselves were migrants seeking safety,” Ms Gallagher said.
“Catholic social teaching is clear: every person has inherent dignity, and those fleeing danger must be protected, not turned away. Proposals like this betray both our moral values and our nation’s long commitment to offering refuge.”
In his posts, Mr Trump argued the action was part of an “aim of achieving a major reduction in illegal and disruptive populations.”
But J. Kevin Appleby, senior fellow for policy at the Centre for Migration Studies of New York and the former director of migration policy for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, told OSV News, “The administration is using this tragedy as a political opportunity to advance its anti-immigrant agenda. It’s a page out of the nativist playbook: blame every immigrant for the action of one.”
Catholic social teaching on immigration balances three interrelated principles — the right of persons to migrate in order to sustain their lives and those of their families, the right of a country to regulate its borders and control immigration, and a nation’s duty to regulate its borders with justice and mercy.
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Catholic advocates raise alarm at Trump’s call to ‘pause’ migration from ‘Third World Countries’ (By Kate Scanlon, OSV News via Catholic Review)
