CV NEWS FEED // Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Missouri, recently commended President Donald Trump and his administration for addressing the serious threat of violent criminals illegally entering the country.
“Allowing violent gangs, individuals with serious criminal histories, dealers of lethal illegal drugs, human traffickers and those who pose threats to our national security to enter our country and harm U.S. citizens is a serious dereliction of duty by our elected leaders,” the Archbishop wrote in a Feb. 7 column in The Leaven, the archdiocesan newspaper. “I commend President Trump and those in his administration for addressing this serious, national threat.”
He also lauded Trump for recognizing the plight of the hundreds of thousands of children who were lost in the United States during former President Joe Biden’s presidency.
“It is inconceivable that our previous administration either did not know or care about the location or the circumstances of approximately 300,000 children and youth who entered the United States during the past four years,” Archbishop Naumann wrote. “We do not know how many of them have become victims of human trafficking, gangs and drug dealers. This is a national disgrace.”
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Archbishop Naumann noted, however, that it was of utmost importance to treat every immigrant with human dignity. He stated that he was saddened by Vice President JD Vance’s implication that U.S. bishops benefit from their partnership with the US government to provide assistance programs for immigrants, stating, “the church is providing services that our government has a moral responsibility to provide.”
He also noted that “the vast majority of those who entered our country illegally are not gang members, criminals, drug dealers, human traffickers or terrorists posing a threat to our national security.”
Archbishop Naumann said peaceful illegal immigrants, such as “Dreamers” who entered the country illegally as children but have not committed any crimes, should have a path to legal status or citizenship.
“I would love to have the opportunity to have a conversation with President Trump and/or Vice President Vance about immigration and refugee resettlement policies,” the Archbishop concluded. “I would treasure the opportunity to make the case for how generous policies for worker permits and legal immigration could be important ingredients in helping make America great again!”
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