Providence, R.I., Apr 28, 2009 / 21:40 pm
Providence College has blocked a campus speech to be given by the vocal illegal immigration opponent and former congressman Tom Tancredo, saying that the speech was sponsored by an unofficial group and that the congressman’s position on immigration contradicts the Catholic approach to the issue.
A Monday statement from the Rhode Island college said that the student group which planned to host Tancredo, Youth for Western Civilization, was not officially sanctioned. According to the Associated Press, the statement also said that the former congressman’s stance on illegal immigration “directly contrasts” with that of Bishop of Providence Thomas J. Tobin.
Bishop Tobin, who is a member of the college’s Board of Trustees, has called on federal immigration authorities to halt mass work enforcement raids and to grant conscientious objector status to agents who refuse to participate.
Tancredo was elected to Congress in 1998 and stood for the Republican nomination for president in late 2007 instead of running for re-election. He is known for his strident views on illegal immigration and has proposed a bill that would have limited citizenship to children born to at least one parent who was also a U.S. citizen or lawful resident.
A Tuesday statement from the Diocese of Providence said that Bishop Tobin was not involved at any time in the decision to prohibit Tancredo from speaking.