El Paso Bishop Mark J. Seitz, Prominent Catholic Leaders Urge President Trump to Reject Fear-based Politics, Show Compassion on Border
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT
Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, (202)735-7123
Mackenzie Harris, mharris@faithinpubliclife.org, (610)280-8879
El Paso Bishop Mark J. Seitz, Prominent Catholic Leaders Urge President Trump to Reject Fear-based Politics, Show Compassion on Border
Washington, D.C. — As the government shutdown nears its third week, President Trump is set to visit the border town of McAllen, Texas. Catholic leaders on the border are calling on President Trump to prioritize people over partisan politics and demonstrate compassion and human dignity toward immigrant families seeking safety from violence.
Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas:
“I pray that while he is at the border President Trump will look into the eyes of those who are fleeing violence and poverty with compassion. President Trump, if you take time to look beyond walls, you will see in the faces of these children, mothers and fathers the same human dignity you recognize in your own family. Our nation is great enough to provide security for our citizens and also the refuge they so desperately need.”
Fr. Sean Carroll, Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative, Nogales, AZ:
“As a priest who has worked for years on the U.S.-Mexico border, I serve families who migrate north to seek a more dignified way of life, to be reunited with family members in the U.S. and to find safety from life-threatening violence. That’s what God calls me to do. Building a border wall would not do anything to address these fundamental reasons that courageous people make the difficult journey to seek a better life. Economic development, visa reform and targeted investment in proven anti-violence programs will address these root causes while respecting migrants’ God-given human dignity.”
Dylan Corbett, Executive Director of the Hope Border Institute:
“President Trump is playing politics with the border, and his visit is a spectacle designed to scare Americans into supporting useless policies. Those of us who live, work and raise families here won’t be used as pawns for his cruelty. Our border is a community, not a war zone. Tearing families apart and turning our backs on legal asylum seekers fleeing violence demeans human dignity and undermines the rule of law. We welcome a real conversation with the president, but only if he listens and learns.”
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