Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops have “not been a good partner in common sense immigration enforcement,” and as a devout Catholic, he hopes “that they’ll do better.”
The group issued a statement earlier this week criticizing several of President Donald Trump’s executive actions cracking down on immigration, including allowing federal immigration authorities to arrest people at churches and schools.
“As a practicing Catholic, I was actually heartbroken by that statement,” Vance said.
Vance suggested the council may have “bottom line” reasons for their stance.
The Catholic bishops’ statement said, in part, “While an emphasis on anti-trafficking is welcomed, several of the executive orders signed by President Trump this week are specifically intended to eviscerate humanitarian protections enshrined in federal law and undermine due process, subjecting vulnerable families and children to grave danger.”
Vance was asked by CBS’ Margaret Brennan about his personal views on ICE targeting immigrants inside churches and schools, after Trump ended a long-standing policy against the practice.
“If you have a person who is convicted of a violent crime, whether they’re an illegal immigrant or a non-illegal immigrant, you have to go and get that person to protect the public safety,” Vance said.
Pressed again if he personally supports ICE going into churches and schools, Vance said, “I support us doing law enforcement against violent criminals, whether they’re illegal immigrants or anybody else, in a way that keeps us safe.”
Vance also argued that Trump’s actions “empowered law enforcement to enforce the law everywhere.”
“But that also has a knock-on effect — a chilling effect, arguably, to people to not send their kids to school,” Brennan said.
“I desperately hope it has a chilling effect on illegal immigrants coming into our country,” Vance said.
