Florida Catholic bishops ask Trump to pause immigration raids for Christmas

Florida’s Catholic bishops called for a halt to immigration enforcement Monday over the Christmas holiday, but the White House said operations would continue.

The appeal to President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was issued by Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski and signed by seven other members of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“The border is secured,” Wenski wrote. “The initial work to identify and eliminate dangerous criminals is largely complete. More than half a million people have been deported this year, and nearly two million have voluntarily self-deported.”

“At this point, the maximum enforcement approach to treating irregular migrants en masse means that many of these detention operations now inevitably sweep up large numbers of people who are not criminals but are just here to work,” he continued. “It is worth noting that a significant majority of those detained at Alligator Alcatraz have no criminal history whatsoever.”

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He noted that immigration operations sometimes include people who have permission to be in the United States legally, and that polls show Americans believe immigration enforcement operations have gone too far.

“Eventually, these cases may be resolved, but it takes months, creating great distress for their families… The climate of fear and anxiety affects not only irregular immigrants, but also their family members and neighbors who are in the country legally,” Wenski said. he said.

“As these impacts are part of enforcement operations, we request the government to cease arrest and collection activities throughout the Christmas season,” he said. “Such a pause would demonstrate respect for the humanity of these families. Now is not the time to remain insensitive to the suffering caused by immigration enforcement.”

The White House did not directly address the request for a holiday break but said enforcement activities would continue as usual.

“President Trump was elected based on his promise to the American people to deport criminal illegal aliens. And he keeps that promise,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Associated Press. he said.

Wenski, like many other Catholic leaders, has been an outspoken advocate for humane treatment of illegal immigrants.

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The White House said immigration enforcement activities will continue as usual. (Getty Images)

During a panel at Georgetown University in September, he joined other Catholic leaders in criticizing the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown on immigration for dividing families, stoking fear and disrupting church life.

Wenski also touched on the contributions illegal immigrants make to the US economy.

“If you ask people in agriculture, if you ask people in the service industry, if you ask people in healthcare, if you ask people in construction, they will tell you that some of their best employees are immigrants,” Wenski said. “Enforcement will always be part of immigration policy, but we need to rationalize and humanise it.”

Wenski joined the “Knights on Bicycles” ministry, an initiative led by the Knights of Columbus that brings attention to the spiritual needs of immigrants held in immigration detention centers, including the “Gator Alcatraz” in the Florida Everglades. He recalled praying the rosary in the scorching heat outside the walls before getting permission to celebrate Mass at the facility a few days later.

“Our invitation to pray for these detainees, even in this inhumane situation, is a way to highlight and uplift their dignity,” he said.

Last month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted a “special message” criticizing Trump’s mass deportation agenda and “smears” of illegal immigrants, expressing concern about the fear and anxiety that immigration raids create in communities as well as the denial of pastoral care in detention centers.

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Pope Leo XIV called on local bishops to address social justice concerns. (Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

The special message was approved by Pope Leo Dolan announced earlier this year that he would resign after reaching the age of 75, as required by Catholic law.

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“I think we need to look for ways to treat people humanely, to treat people with the dignity that they have,” Leo said last month. “If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts, there is a justice system.”

The pope has previously called on local bishops to voice social justice concerns and suggested that people who support the “inhumane treatment of immigrants in the United States” may not be pro-life.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.