*Over 15,000 people have signed a petition by a Christian group accusing President-elect Donald Trump of violating Christian values with his immigration policies.
As he enters his second term, Trump is pledging to intensify his tough stance on immigration, including mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. His policy of separating migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border has faced widespread criticism for its inhumane nature.
The Christian organization Faithful America posted an online petition asking U.S. Catholic leadership “to boldly and publicly stand up to Donald Trump and say ‘NO’ to these inhumane practices,” the group said on its website, Newsweek reports.
“Jesus was clear in his instruction to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, and welcome the stranger,” Faithful America wrote on its website.
“And as some of the most high-profile Christian leaders in the country, the members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have an opportunity to make a real difference by standing up for our immigrant neighbors,” the statement continued.
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The petition, which immediately garnered over 15,000 signatures as of Wednesday morning, calls Trump’s immigration policies “deeply disturbing and a direct violation of our Christian values.” It asks the USCCB to “publicly denounce Trump’s plan to allow ICE officers into our churches and stand up for our immigrant and refugee siblings.”
In a statement to NBC News, Lee Gelernt, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said: “Immigration enforcement has always required a balance. In the past, presidents of both parties have recognized that merely because it may be lawful to make arrests at hospitals and schools doesn’t mean it’s humane or wise public policy.”
Gelernt added, “We don’t want people with contagious diseases too scared to go to the hospital or children going uneducated because of poorly considered deportation policies.”
According to House Speaker Mike Johnson, an evangelical Christian, Trump’s immigration policies are about “securing the border right out of the gate,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper, per Newsweek.
“This is what the American people have demanded and what they deserve. They want a secure country. They want a secure border, and we will deliver upon that,” he added.
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