Catholic bishops urge Congress to spend $20 BILLION on programs that could INCREASE illegal immigration

05/13/2024 / By Laura Harris

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is urging Congress to allocate $20 billion on migration-related spending projects that would inevitably increase illegal immigration into the United States.

In a letter dated April 25, Bishop Mark J. Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso, Texas and chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, urged lawmakers to provide more taxpayer-funded resources for different government and non-profit-run initiatives for the upcoming 2025 fiscal year. These initiatives will support the humanitarian needs of immigrants, refugees, asylees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied migrant children, survivors of torture, victims of human trafficking and others.

“As Congress begins its work on Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations, several policy committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will be engaging lawmakers on appropriations matters under their purview, expressing views on funding that supports the poor, migrants and refugees, foreign assistance, environmental protection, access to healthcare, housing, and nutrition and other programs that help individuals and families to live with dignity,” Seitz wrote.

However, the letter also includes an appeal for the government to provide resources to the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) to speed up court hearings for illegal immigrants, or so-called “noncitizens.”

“In addition to EOIR’s backlog reduction efforts, we strongly support increased funding for Legal Access Programs, which includes the Legal Orientation Program, the Legal Orientation Program for Custodians of Unaccompanied Children, and the Recognition and Accreditation Program. Collectively, these programs not only provide crucial legal information to those with immigration court cases but also help streamline proceedings, making them more efficient and cost-effective, as well as fair,” he wrote.

Seitz also echoed the statements of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, head of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and former USCCB president, and Bishop Joe Vasquez of the Diocese of Austin, former chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, in an open letter to former President Donald Trump in 2019.

At that time, both former USCCB officials rebuked Trump for declaring a national emergency to build a wall across the U.S.-Mexico border. They claimed that the wall is “a symbol of division and animosity between two friendly countries.”

“The Catholic Church acknowledges the right of countries to maintain their borders and the responsibility of governments to protect the people within their borders, consistent with the common good. At the same time, we believe that right and responsibility should be exercised in a manner that is consistent with the moral obligation to protect the humanitarian needs of migrants and refugees.” (Related: Speaker Johnson reveals 64 instances Biden where sabotaged border security and encouraged illegal migration.)

Seitz even urged Congress to reject measures that “further restrict access to asylum, curtail due process for noncitizens, and create authorities inconsistent with the United States’ obligations under international law.”

Former Trump advisor labeled the USCCB as “one of the worst instigators of this open borders policy”

This is not the first time that the USCCB has drawn ire for its support for more lax migration policies. In 2018 former White House Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor to Trump Steve Bannon labeled the USCCB as “one of the worst instigators of this open borders policy” during an interview with Jonathan Karl on ABC News after religious leaders denounced the enforcement of a “zero tolerance” policy at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Bannon, not known to mince words, singled out Pope Francis as the root cause of the migrant “crisis” in Europe. He attributed the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment and political movements such as Italy’s Five Star and League parties to the Pontiff’s influence.

Additionally, Bannon claimed that “the pope is not infallible when it comes to public policy and that’s a public policy issue.”

Bannon’s argument six years ago reflected the agenda of lawmakers, alongside Christian nationalists, advocating for an “America First” agenda. They said unregulated immigration fuels social discord and poses enduring threats to the collective welfare of the United States.

Head over to OpenBorders.news for more stories about the impact of the migrant crisis on America.

Watch this clip of illegals protesting against being removed from the Manhattan Hotel in New York City.

This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.