Catholic Leaders Urge U.S. Government to Protect Refugees as Thousand of Troops Have been Deployed to the US-Mexico Border

By C Barnett --
31 Oct 2018 --

Trump may be using the migrants to succeed in the midterm elections.

In the midst of a Pentagon announcement that thousands of U.S. military personnel will be deployed at the United States-Mexico border, American Catholic leaders have urged compassion to the incoming migrants and also offered a solution to the potential standoff between the possibly 5,000 strong U.S. troops and the refugees.

Catholic Leaders Urge U.S. Government to Protect Refugees as Thousand of Troops Have been Deployed to the US-Mexico Border[/tweetthis]

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have actively pushed back against the appreciating anti-migrant rhetoric in its joint statement with Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities USA. The statement, written by Austin Bishop Joe S. Vasquez, said that as Catholic agencies helping the vulnerable and poor migrants both in America and in other parts of the world, it is deeply saddening for them to witness the deteriorating economic conditions along with violence and injustice which have forced a number of people to flee from their homes located in Central America. The statement has been signed by Donna Markham, the CEO and president of Catholic Charities USA and Sean Callahan, the CEO and president of Catholic Relief Services. Vasquez is chairman of the migration committee of U.S. bishops.

The statement read that asking for asylum cannot be constituted a crime. It continued on to say all governments must abide by existing domestic laws and international law which protects people seeking a safe place. The governments must make sure those who return to their respective home countries must be protected from all harm and safe repatriations must be carried out.

The U.S. government is on high alert after there were reports that 160 Honduras migrants organized a caravan and began to move northward to ask for asylum in the United States as refugees. The caravan has already reached Mexico and has accumulated about 7,000 people in their journey northward. The large caravan group is not the only one. Smaller caravan groups of 200 people have also begun from El Salvador.

American troops at the border will be deputed to perform a large number of functions, including the transportation of supplies for Border Patrol. However, there is a slim chance the troops will directly engage the refugees who will want to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. The decision by the Pentagon considerably ratchets up the official response in tandem with the president trying to make this migrant group a focus prior to the coming midterm elections. President Trump has described the refugees as an invasion force.