Bishops, Biden and Borders

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With Biden in office, the media and bishops are changing their tone on immigration. Mainstream media reports are sympathetic to Biden, talking about the "challenge" of processing underage, unaccompanied migrants — a stark contrast from accusing Trump of separating families and putting kids in cages.

Some of the facilities that have been called "cages" were built during the Obama administration — as Trump stressed at the final debate last year.

Trump: "Who built the cages, Joe?"

Along with big media, U.S. bishops are also shifting their messaging with the new administration. Some bishops have lauded the Biden administration on immigration, as well as on other issues like racism and climate change.

Bishop Robert McElroy of the diocese of San Diego: "We have a Catholic president who's committed to fighting racism, supporting immigrants and protecting our planet — yet who consistently rejects the profound moral imperative to enact legal sanctions on the grave evil of abortion."

In a Feb. 3 statement, a committee of bishops praised Biden's policies, saying, "We welcome these executive orders on migration, which will help to ensure that immigrants and refugees are treated humanely."

Bishops spoke out against Trump's immigration policies a number of times in the span of four years. In 2019 alone, the bishops' conference criticized Trump about a dozen times — over a crackdown on illegal immigration, plans to change asylum rules and a number of other policy issues.

In 2018, Bp. Edward Weisenburger of Tucson, Arizona floated the idea of punishing officers who enforce immigration law — on the grounds that they're breaking up families.

By contrast, bishops rarely spoke out against Joe Biden on the 2020 campaign trail. Biden supports abortion, homosexuality and transgenderism but is often permitted to receive Holy Communion.

In his first weeks in office, Biden has promoted transgenderism around the country and restored funding for abortion around the world. Some bishops are speaking out against Biden only now. But since he's already in power, conservative Catholics say it's "too little, too late."

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