(OSV News): In a January 26 interview on Face the Nation on the CBS television network, the new US vice president, JD Vance, responded defensively to criticism from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops of the controversial immigration policies of the president, Donald Trump, which includes raids on churches and schools [Sunday Examiner, February 2].
“I think the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has, frankly, not been a good partner in commonsense immigration enforcement that the American people voted for, and I hope, again, as a devout Catholic, that they’ll do better,” Vance told host Margaret Brennan in his first interview since becoming vice president.
When asked if he personally supported the idea of conducting a raid or enforcement action in a church service, at a school, Vance replied, “Of course, if you have a person who is convicted of a violent crime, whether they’re an illegal immigrant or a non-illegal immigrant, you have to go and get that person to protect the public safety. That’s not unique to immigration.”
He added, “But let me just address this particular issue, because as a practicing Catholic, I was actually heartbroken by that [USCCB] statement. And I think that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognise that when they receive over US$100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line? We’re going to enforce immigration law. We’re going to protect the American people.”
The USCCB is one of 10 US resettlement agencies that receive federal funding and partner with local organisations to assist refugee populations that qualify for federal assistance. Those populations include people resettled via the US refugee admissions programme, certain groups of vulnerable noncitizen children, and certain other groups such as victims of human trafficking and torture.
…And I think that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognise that when they receive over US$100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line?…
JD Vance
Vance deflected the issue from Trump saying that if the USCCB is “worried about the humanitarian costs of immigration enforcement, let them talk about the children who have been sex trafficked because of the wide-open border of Joe Biden … who are brutally murdered. I support us doing law enforcement against violent criminals, whether they’re illegal immigrants or anybody else, in a way that keeps us safe.”
Vance insisted that Trump’s change to federal regulation allowing law enforcement to go into schools and churches “empowered law enforcement to enforce the law everywhere, to protect Americans.”
The Trump administration announced on January 21 it would rescind a long-standing policy preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making arrests at what are seen as sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals under most conditions. However, the previous policy had exceptions that allowed ICE arrests for national security or terror issues, the arrest of dangerous felons, and other special criminal considerations.
When Brennan suggested that such a change has “a chilling effect … to people to not send their kids to school,” Vance replied, “I desperately hope it has a chilling effect … on illegal immigrants coming into our country.”
When asked whether he thought the USCCB is actively hiding criminals from law enforcement, Vance did not answer the question, but claimed that the USCCB has “not been a good partner in commonsense immigration enforcement that the American people voted for.”
