Florida Bishops Seek Holiday Pause in Immigration Actions
On Monday, Catholic bishops from Florida made a direct appeal to President Donald Trump, asking for a temporary halt to immigration enforcement operations during the Christmas period. The White House promptly responded, indicating that standard enforcement procedures would remain unchanged.
The request was formally presented by Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, with support from seven additional bishops representing the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“The border has been secured. The initial work of identifying and removing dangerous criminals has been accomplished to a great degree,” Wenski wrote. “At this point, the maximum enforcement approach of treating irregular immigrants en masse means that now many of these arrest operations inevitably sweep up numbers of people who are not criminals but just here to work.”
He further noted, “A climate of fear and anxiety is infecting not only the irregular migrant but also family members and neighbors who are legally in the country.”
“Since these effects are part of enforcement operations, we request that the government pause apprehension and round-up activities during the Christmas season. Such a pause would show a decent regard for the humanity of these families,” Wenski added.
In a brief email reply, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson did not address the holiday aspect, stating, “President Trump was elected based on his promise to the American people to deport criminal illegal aliens. And he’s keeping that promise.”
Archbishop Wenski has long been recognized for his advocacy on migrant issues. In September, he participated in a discussion at Georgetown University with other Catholic figures, criticizing administration policies for separating families and fostering fear.
He emphasized the economic role of immigrants, saying, “If you ask people in agriculture, you ask in the service industry, you ask people in health care, you ask the people in the construction field, and they’ll tell you that some of their best workers are immigrants. Enforcement is always going to be part of any immigration policy, but we have to rationalize it and humanize it.”
Wenski is also involved with the “Knights on Bikes” ministry, which focuses on the spiritual well-being of detainees at immigration centers, including one in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” He described praying with bikers outside the facility and later conducting a Mass inside.
“The fact that we invite these detainees to pray, even in this very dehumanizing situation, is a way of emphasizing and invoking their dignity,” he remarked.
