Raiding Churches is Only the Beginning of Trump’s Attacks on Religion
Ending the refugee resettlement program targets religious institutions more than anything
In an interview with Margaret Brennan of CBS News last Sunday, Vice-President JD Vance attacked the Catholic Church and its refugee resettlement program. When pressed about the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops condemning President Donald Trump’s executive orders allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to conduct raids in churches and schools, Vance said he supported the move. But he didn’t stop there.
“I think that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognize that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line? We're going to enforce immigration law. We're going to protect the American people,” said Vance
He then invoked Laken Riley’s name while equating the raids to “doing law enforcement against violent criminals” and didn’t address the targeting of migrant children. He then continued to bemoan the Conference of Catholic Bishops by saying it has “not been a good partner in common sense immigration enforcement that the American people voted for.” On Tuesday the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, slammed Vance.
The targeting of religious institutions and schools and the elimination of funding for refugee resettlement programs highlight the divisive nature of the white-nationalist-centered policies of the Trump administration and how far it's willing to go. Not only are they targeting the facilities themselves, but also the grant programs that allow for people fleeing religious persecution or war-torn countries to seek safety and sanctuary in the United States.
A recent story from the Religion News Service, founded in 1934 and covers religion, spirituality, culture, and ethics, underscores the issue. They interviewed religious leaders who operate faith-based refugee resettlement programs. One that stood out was Jalil Dawood, pastor of the Arabic Church of Dallas and founder of World Refugee Care. He talked about persecuted Christians around the world and said he understood Trump’s concerns with national security.
“There a lot of persecuted Christians,” Dawood told Religion News Service. “There is a real need, and America needs to bless those people, bring them in, or help them so they might start a new life. God will bless America for that. And that’s my concern.”
According to Religion News Service, Dawood voted for Trump three times, and World Refugee Care does not receive federal funds. Despite his citing the Bible and saying Christians should be compassionate about welcoming refugees, his statement not only points to a tone-deafness about the issue, it also emphasizes the broader concerns across all of society resulting from Trump’s policies. Others who were interviewed did so as well.
However, what none of the religious leaders focused on was just how far Trump is willing to go in targeting religious institutions. Trump likes to pretend he’s a Christian only because it feeds into the white Christian nationalist sentiments in much of his base. Other Republicans who clearly know nothing about the Bible do too. Marjorie Taylor Greene is another example. This ideology of ignorance feeds attacks on immigrants using outright lies and misinformation.
Same as it always has.
What was once used to target Indigenous people and Black people is now being employed against Latino immigrants – exploiting the same dehumanizing language and ideas. The history here is undeniable as the hateful rhetoric villainizing Latinos for the “browning of America” has only grown more fervent over the last two decades. What was once relegated to the fringes of society and the Ku Klux Klan, which also hates Catholics, is now mainstream.
“America is for Americans only” – Stephen Miller, Madison Square Garden campaign rally for Donald Trump, 2024
Considering that much of white supremacy in the United States is based on Protestantism, it’s worth noting that despite Vance saying he’s a Catholic, many of those behind Trump’s policies such as Stephen Miller, are not. Given the history, targeting the Catholic Church, at this point is almost expected. But in a society that boasts religious pluralism, it’s as over the top as raiding a protestant church, a mosque, or a synagogue – all of which ICE is now permitted to do.
While Miller is Jewish, he has used language that echoes the words of Nazi propaganda. When he said, “America for Americans only” many historians quickly pointed out that Hitler’s infamous propagandist, Josef Goebbels once said, “Germany is for Germans only” prior to beginning the expulsions of Jews from the country. Miller has also been called out by his own family for being a hypocrite on immigration since his family survived anti-Jewish pogroms in what is now Belarus by emigrating to the U.S. in 1903
Miller’s hypocrisy is shared by many administration officials and their cohorts, Donald Trump, his wife and sons, and Elon Musk. But the issue is clear. It’s brown immigrants they hate and because of that, they’re targeting Latinos more than anyone else. Nothing is ever said about the millions of people who have overstayed their visas because many of them are white Europeans and little is said about Indian immigrants. This is because people like Musk need them and they are portrayed as “highly skilled”. Meanwhile, Latinos are regarded as subhuman to them.
Trump supporters, however, see it differently.
As ICE takes the form of modern-day slave catchers and Nazi Germany’s Sicherheitsdienst (the intelligence agency of the SS), we must be cognizant that the Trump administration has no intention of backing down. If religious institutions stand in the way, history has shown us that under these circumstances, they too will be targeted even more so than they are now.
These are indeed dangerous times for all.
I’m a freelance journalist. Find my work at Latino Rebels, Unicorn Riot, The Antagonist Magazine, and more. I’m also on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, and Threads. To support my work, become a paid subscriber or donate via Venmo, PayPal, or CashApp.
And unfortunately, a lot of Jewish institutions receive funding from Israel or Israel-backed federations, and most can't afford to lose it. They'll be put between the choice of them vs others. I know one of the synagogues where I live is deemed a sanctuary so I'm curious about what will happen now considering there are very limited to begin with.