Sr. Simone Campbell, Prominent Christian Leaders Call for the Immediate Resignation of Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2017
MEDIA CONTACT
Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, (202) 735-7123
Sr. Simone Campbell, Prominent Christian Leaders Call for the Immediate Resignation of Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan
Washington, D.C. – As our nation marks the 5-year anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects 800,000 young people from deportation, prominent Catholic and evangelical leaders are calling for the immediate resignation of Thomas Homan, the acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for incendiary and immoral remarks during a hearing before a House Appropriations Subcommittee.
In response to questions from Members of Congress, Homan said “Most of the criminal aliens we find in the interior of the United States, they entered as a non-criminal, if we wait for them to violate yet another law against the citizens of this country, it’s too late. We shouldn’t wait for them to become a criminal.”
Faith leaders’ morally grounded responses are below.
Sr. Simone Campbell, Executive Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice (Washington, D.C.):
“NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice believes that all are called to follow the Golden Rule. This rule is that we love God and our neighbor as ourselves. This rule DOES NOT exclude some neighbors because they are undocumented. Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan’s statement that all undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. should be subject to deportation is shocking and denies the reality of our communities. Immigrant families make tremendous contributions in our churches and our neighborhoods. To deport them will be to tear the heart out of our nation.
“Mr. Homan’s comments reflect the obvious: we need a new head of ICE for the good of our people. Any ICE Director, Secretary of Homeland Security, or U.S. President must be committed to exercising mercy and justice for our beloved immigrant brothers and sisters, their families and our communities.”
Rev. Dr. Noel Castellanos, President, Christian Community Development Association, (Chicago, Illinois):
“The alarming comments made by ICE Acting Director Homan regarding undocumented immigrants gives further evidence to the disconnect between our immigration laws and their enforcement, the people they impact and our country’s economic needs. As a leader in the Christian community whose organization is fully engaged with immigrants’ families and daily see their contribution to our nation, I consider the unilateral call to deport all undocumented individuals without considering their circumstances morally deplorable. We need to fix our laws and not punish individuals and their families who are caught in our broken immigration system.”
Dylan Corbett, Director, Hope Border Institute (El Paso, Texas):
“ICE is throwing the tired blanket of criminality over migrants as a pretext to rip apart families and shatter lives. This is a losing proposition. On the border, migrants aren’t problems to be solved. They revitalize our communities and renew our hope for a better America. Acting Director Homan’s comments are insulting, backward and only confirm our worst fears about ICE and the Trump administration’s true intentions.”
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