Washington D.C., May 19, 2019 / 02:09 am
Leaders of the U.S. bishops' conference voiced concern over President Donald Trump's new immigration plan, stressing that families should be strengthened and promoted in the immigration system.
"We oppose proposals that seek to curtail family-based immigration and create a largely 'merit-based' immigration system," said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, who heads the conference's migration committee.
"Families are the foundation of our faith, our society, our history, and our immigration system," they said. "As Pope Francis notes: 'Family is the place in which we are formed as persons'."
DiNardo and Vásquez responded May 17 to the immigration plan announced by Trump the previous day. They said that although they appreciate the effort to address concerns in the current immigration system, the new plan falls short in several areas.