(ZENIT News / Washington, DC, 21.07.2024).- According to a survey published in June, and carried out by a team affiliated to the Church last December 2023, a high percentage of American Catholics want less immigration, as opposed to their Bishops who support it.
The Center of Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) of Georgetown University polled 1,342 people who identified as Catholics,. Of these, 43% wanted a reduction of immigrants and only 23% were favourable to their growth, despite the fact that 37% of those surveyed were Latinos and 41% of the Democratic Party, in favour of immigration, with only 30% identified as Republicans.
A CARA researcher said that the answers state a worsening of the environment due to immigration, with few exceptions, in delinquency, taxes, the economy and social and moral values. However, 40% believe immigration doesn’t affect job opportunities much and 39% believe immigration improves food, music and the arts in the United States.
On occasions, Pope Francis and New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan have lamented American Catholics’ rejection of migrants. In December of last year, the Cardinal said that “The people of that parish [in New York] rebelled and said: ‘Absolutely not, we won’t have them here.’” And he rejected the criticisms as intolerance, as some Bishops receive hate e-mails stating: “We are tired that you, Bishops, are obsessed with immigrants and we’re not going to support you anymore.” Cardinal Dolan said: “I feel honoured to receive criticisms and to be defamed for defending the immigrants.”
In recent months reports have been published that show murders and economic harm to ordinary Americans by immigrants. One of the most notorious cases in the country was the murder and probable violation of Jocelyn Nungaray, a girl who was about to celebrate her 12th birthday. Jocelyn was murdered by two Venezuelan migrants who were in the United States illegally.
In regard to the survey, it seems it was biased by maximizing the Bishops’ support of President Biden’s pro-immigration policies. The public opinion of the majority of Americans states that the immigration is an invasion.
