WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin testified June 2 before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of Homeland Security as the Senate GOP seeks to pass a party-line immigration enforcement bill that is a source of concern for the U.S. bishops.
Mullin's testimony came as the Senate prepares to again consider the package, which would provide an additional $72 billion for immigration enforcement, after President Donald Trump’s attempt to attach a controversial $1.8 billion "weaponization fund" stalled it the previous month.
In a June 1 letter, Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria, Texas, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, wrote to the top senators on the Committee on Appropriations that he hoped they would consider key policy reforms aimed at protecting the dignity of migrants, such as efforts to prevent the separation of families.
"Whatever disagreements may arise on specific policy questions, migration is fundamentally about the movement of human persons, each of whom is created in the image and likeness of God," he wrote. "In the course of contemporary debate, this reality is frequently overlooked or dismissed entirely, paving the way for dehumanizing rhetoric and policy responses that fail to advance the common good."
Bishop Cahill's letter called on lawmakers to ensure the religious rights of people in immigration detention, and that longstanding restrictions on immigration enforcement operations at houses of worship be reimplemented as among their areas of concern. He also urged them to pass the Religious Workforce Protection Act, which would ease some immigration restrictions on eligible religious workers from other countries.
"Consistent with our previous communications, the USCCB continues to call on Congress to (1) ensure respect for houses of worship and other sensitive locations in the course of immigration enforcement and (2) mandate consistent access to religious and pastoral services for those in immigration detention, regardless of a facility’s operator," he wrote. "We renew our request for Congress to condition the use of funding for immigration enforcement and detention on these important aims."
Mullin pushed back on a question from Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., on the Trump administration's policy regarding sensitive locations.
"We're not actively being at sensitive locations," he argued. "We do sometimes have to pick up a felon that is around a sensitive location, but we're not actively patrolling those."
The sensitive location policy previously prohibited immigration enforcement arrests at houses of worship, schools, and hospitals, as well as other events like weddings and funerals, without approval from supervisors.
Elsewhere in the hearing, Mullin had tense exchanges with some senators over topics including his threat to pull U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in states that the Trump administration has described as "sanctuary cities," or jurisdictions they have said do not sufficiently cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Without CBP officers, these airports would be unable to process international flights, which would have significant economic impact, notably on tourism and the upcoming World Cup.
The U.S. bishops previously expressed concern about some of the provisions in the proposed immigration enforcement package.
In a May 15 letter, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the USCCB, and Bishop Cahill wrote to members of the House and Senate to "encourage members of both parties to reject partisan appropriations funding and instead rededicate yourselves to a collaborative process that pursues the common good and promotes human dignity and flourishing."
Similarly, a group of U.S. bishops, most from the U.S.-Mexico border region, wrote a May 20 letter to members of Congress expressing "grave concern" over that legislation.
