The head of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Migration praised President Joe Biden’s three migration-related Executive Orders issued this week, saying they will help “to ensure that immigrants and refugees are treated humanely.”
In his statement Wednesday, Bishop Mario Dorsonville said that the bishops “welcome these Executive Orders on migration, which will help to ensure that immigrants and refugees are treated humanely and in accordance with their God-given dignity.”
The bishop took advantage of the occasion to criticize the Trump administration, asserting its immigration policies had damaged immigrants and refugees.
“Actions implemented by the prior administration on these issues have directly impacted and harmed immigrants’ and refugees’ lives, in many cases needlessly instilling fear and creating or perpetuating family separation,” he said, before continuing:
The Catholic Church teaches that each person is created in the image and likeness of God and that we must uphold the inherent dignity of each person. As a society, we must remain consistent in our openness and treatment of all persons, regardless of whether they were born in the United States or immigrated here.
“We know that changes will take time but applaud President Biden’s commitment to prioritize assisting our immigrant and refugee brothers and sisters,” he added. “We also offer our assistance and cooperation on these urgent matters of human life and dignity.”
On Thursday, Biden announced plans to raise the annual refugee admissions ceiling to 125,000 in the 12-month period beginning October 1, 2021, an 800 percent increase from the 15,000 cap established by the previous administration.
The move was immediately applauded by fellow Democrats:
Biden also announced that he was issuing a presidential memo to agencies to “reinvigorate our leadership on the LGBTQI issues and do it internationally.”
He said his administration would ensure America’s diplomacy and taxpayer-funded foreign assistance will promote the rights of the LGBTQI community across the world, including protecting those who seek refuge and asylum in the U.S.
Also on Thursday, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) told Breitbart News that the Democrats’ DREAM Act legislation, if enacted into federal law, will permit the extension of amnesty to illegal aliens with criminal convictions.
The DREAM Act “would ignore criminal records,” Cotton warned. “It would exclude multiple criminal convictions at the state and federal levels, [including] serious and violent felonies that have been pleaded down to lower offenses.
“It would give Alejandro Mayorka — who we’ve seen is surrounded by serious ethical questions — the ability to issue waivers, even for people like human traffickers,” he said.
The United States takes in more legal immigrants annually than any country in the world. During the four years of the Trump administration, the U.S. granted legal permanent resident status to more than a million people each year.
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