Washington, DC – Ahead of today’s hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration, Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) Co-Chair Katie Adams wrote this op-ed, which was published in The Hill.
At the hearing, titled “At the Breaking Point: The Humanitarian and Security Crisis at our Southern Border,” Adams urges senators to “finally hold this administration accountable for its immoral, illegal treatment of asylum seekers and family separations.”
“The Trump administration has mishandled its responsibilities at the southern border and manufactured a humanitarian crisis,” she wrote. “The administration has undercut our nation’s moral leadership by separating children from parents with no plan for how to reunite them, turning away asylum-seekers and otherwise undermining refugee protection… [T]hese are the ‘breaking points’ and ‘crises’ the subcommittee should examine.”
Quoting an editorial from America Magazine, a leading journal of Catholic opinion, and previous testimony from Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Adams laments the dehumanization tactics used by this administration and calls on Congress to reject further funding:
By raising the specter of a “security crisis” at our southern border, this hearing plays into the administration’s characterization — and denigration — of the individuals arriving at our border.
The recent death of Juan de León Gutiérrez, yet another child who died in U.S. custody in recent months, further underscores how little value these policies have in ensuring that every person is treated with compassion and dignity in a safe, humane manner.
The administration uses scare tactics to justify its fatal response and its demand for increased funding for border militarization. We cannot allow this to happen.
Read Adams’ entire piece here.
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of 52 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants.
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