President Biden’s open-border policy is a national security & humanitarian crisis.
That’s why @MarioDB & @RepMcClintock introduced HR 2, the Secure the Border Act, which would restore sanity, safety, & security at our borders.
House Republicans will take action to secure our…
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) May 2, 2023
According to Seitz’s letter, “this legislation contains such a combination of harmful measures that we [the bishops] believe its passage, on the whole, is beyond justification.”
Seitz claims that if passed the bill would “fundamentally weaken our nation’s decades-long commitment to humanitarian protection … endanger unaccompanied children and inflict harm on other vulnerable persons, decimate access to asylum, mandate damaging detention and removal practices, restrict access to legal employment, limit — and potentially eliminate — federal partnerships with faith-based and other nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), undermine the rule of law, and more.”
The bishops’ letter also condemns resuming construction of the border wall.
“We have long opposed the construction of a wall spanning the entire U.S.-Mexico border, especially with the dangers it poses to human life and the environment” and that this “bill would effectively undermine constitutional property rights and further abrogate the rights of those living near the border by prioritizing federal land acquisition above such rights,” the bishops’ letter reads.
Because of these issues, the bishops encourage members of Congress to oppose the Secure the Border Act of 2023.