Free Republic

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Lennon Tyler and her German fiancé often took road trips to Mexico when he vacationed in the United States since it was only a day’s drive from her home in Las Vegas, one of the perks of their long-distance relationship. But things went terribly wrong when they drove back from Tijuana last month. U.S. border agents handcuffed Tyler, a U.S. citizen, and chained her to a bench, while her fiancé, Lucas Sielaff, was accused of violating the rules of his 90-day U.S. tourist permit, the couple said. Authorities later handcuffed and shackled Sielaff and sent him...

It's almost like he lost a division. Venezuela's socialist dictator, Nicolas Maduro, has stepped forward with a bizarre mixture of rage and crocodile tears, whimpering about all theVenezuelan criminals shipped by the U.S. to El Salvador this weekend for a stretch in President Nayyib Bukele's famously strict prisons. According to CNN: Venezuela’s leader has described the deportation of more than 200 mostly Venezuelan migrants sent by the United States to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador as a “kidnapping,” and denied they are criminals while backing calls for their return. “Nayib Bukele should not be an accomplice to this kidnapping,...

Washington’s new archbishop expresses concern about impact of policies on undocumented immigrants and federal workersIn an interview five days before he would be installed as the new archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy expressed concern about the personal impact of the Trump Administration’s controversial policies of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and the widespread firings of federal workers.When asked what his message would be to the immigrant community at this time, Cardinal McElroy said, “Sorrow. Love, embrace, compassion. Advocacy and solidarity. And all done in God’s name.”In the wide-ranging March 6 interview with the editors of the Catholic Standard...

Protests erupted in the Tennessee House of Representatives on Tuesday as lawmakers debated a bill that would allow public schools to bar illegal migrants from enrolling their children in public schools.The proposal, introduced by House Majority Leader William Lamberth and state Senator Bo Watson, would give local school districts the authority to decide whether to admit non-citizens.If passed, school districts can “enroll, or refuse to enroll, a student who is unlawfully present in the United States.”The bill was approved by the House K-12 subcommittee with a 5-3 vote. One Republican, Representative Mark White of Memphis, joined the two Democrats opposing...

Self-styled moderate Democrats are pushing a future campaign message on the issue that defeated Kamala Harris: Don’t talk about migration. Instead, Democrats should wrap themselves in the flag and patriotic imagery, says a five-page strategy memo drafted by Third Way, a pseudo-moderate Democrat group that held a post-election “Comeback Retreat” in February 2025: Embrace patriotism, community, and traditional American imagery (e.g., farms, main streets).The memo mentions immigration once — but only to slam the GOP’s messaging on the issue: “Democrats often let Republicans set the terms of cultural debates (e.g., crime, immigration) instead of clearly defining their own positions in...

State Dept. terminates USCCB migration fundsThe State Department canceled a contract with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Thursday, likely bringing to a halt a nationwide effort organized by the USCCB to provide resettlement services for refugees to the United States. The cancellation leaves uncertain the status of a USCCB lawsuit aiming to recoup millions in back payments for resettlement services, with the federal government telling a judge that the USCCB should seek payment through “available administrative channels” outside the lawsuit.In a Feb. 26 letter, U.S. State Department comptroller Joseph Kouba told the USCCB that its financial agreement for...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is directing immigration agents to track down hundreds of thousands of migrant children who entered the United States without their parents, expanding the president's mass deportation effort, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo outlines an unprecedented push to target migrant children who crossed the border illegally as unaccompanied minors. It lays out four phases of implementation, beginning with a planning phase on January 27, though it did not provide a start date for enforcement operations. More than 600,000 immigrant children have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without...

USCCB guidelines for immigration reform confuse Church doctrine with policy preferencesLast month, the USCCB issued guidelines for immigration reform, encouraging lawmakers to safeguard communities in a 'targeted, proportional, and humane manner.'Last month, the USCCB issued guidelines for immigration reform, encouraging lawmakers to safeguard communities in a “targeted, proportional, and humane” manner. In analyzing the U.S. bishops’ guidelines, it’s essential to distinguish between binding Church doctrine and prudential judgments. The Catholic Church upholds the dignity of every human person and acknowledges the right of nations to secure their borders and enforce immigration policies. These teachings are complementary, not contradictory. Misrepresenting them...

LOS FRESNOS, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The owners of Abby’s Bakery in Los Fresnos, Texas have been charged with harboring people illegally present in the U.S. and aiding and abetting the harboring, according to a criminal complaint. Leonardo Baez and Nora Alicia Avila-Guel identified themselves to authorities as the owners of Abby’s Bakery and were charged after eight people present in the country illegally were found at their business on Feb. 12. Abby’s Bakery in Los Fresnos, Texas (Photo taken by Jorge Vela/ValleyCentral) Baez and Avila-Guel admitted that they knew the people were unlawfully present in the country and that they...

President Trump is reportedly going to sign an executive order on Wednesday night that bans ALL federal taxpayer benefits to illegal aliens residing in the United States. Bill Melugin from FOX News has the scoop. Bill Melugin: Per WH official on background, later tonight, President Trump will sign an executive order designed to terminate any & all federal taxpayer benefits going to illegal aliens. The order will direct every federal agency & department to identify all federally funded programs currently providing any financial benefits to illegal aliens, and “take corrective action”, ensuring that any federal funds to states and localities...

this is a fight most Americans didn’t want—and it’s over a wall most Americans don’t want, either. Americans are largely pro-immigration; three-quarters of us believe that immigration is a good thing. And two out of three Americans think that immigration should either stay at its current level, or increase. More importantly, one survey found that more than half of Americans don’t want a new wall, or any broad security barrier at the border. In another survey, 40% of Americans polled chose the president backing down and accepting the $1.6 billion Democrats have already offered for border security as the most...

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration can continue efforts to withhold tens of millions of dollars meant to cover hotel costs for migrants in New York City.U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island ruled that the government's bid to withhold Federal Emergency Management Agency money sent to New York to house migrants was not subject to an order, still in effect, that's aimed at preventing a sweeping Trump administration pause on federal funding.“Because the Defendants are seeking to terminate funding ‘on the basis of the applicable authorizing statutes, regulations, and terms,’” McConnell said,...

Pope Francis slates ‘major crisis’ of Trump’s border policies, rebuffs JD VancePope Francis has written to US Catholic bishops critiquing the 'major crisis' of Trump's policies on illegal immigration and urging the bishops to 'work closely' with migrants.In a highly unusual move, Pope Francis has written to the Catholic bishops in the U.S. critiquing the “major crisis” of the Trump administration’s policies regarding illegal immigration and urging bishops to “work closely” with migrants.Citing “these delicate moments that you are living as Pastors of the People of God who walk together in the United States of America,” Pope Francis’ letter was...

It’s the Trump turnaround. Groups of migrants once bound for the US are throwing in the towel and heading back where they came from after the Trump administration moved to seal off the southern border... The migrants are being forced to stop in their tracks and return south — homeward bound — “due to increased border security” after President Trump ended the previous Biden administration’s risky “catch and release” program, deployed additional troops to the border and commenced a mass deportation effort across the nation.. ... Trump also forced Mexico to deploy 10,000 of its own troops to the border...

The truth about Catholic Relief Services: It is not merely a non-profit that helps the poorFrom 2013 through the 2022 fiscal year, USAID awarded CRS a whopping $4.6 billion in total funding, more than any other organization on the planet.President Donald Trump’s attacks on the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has Catholic Relief Services (CRS) worried it may have to let half of its staff go, according to an internal email written by its CEO.“We anticipate that we will be a much smaller overall organization by the end of this fiscal year,” Sean Callahan reportedly said this week.News of...

[Catholic Caucus] USCCB, Catholic Charities received $449 million for unaccompanied migrant children: reportCorpus Christi for Unity and Peace (CUP) research reveals the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Charities have received $449 million over the years to shelter and transport unaccompanied migrant children.(Corpus Christi for Unity and Peace) — We are deeply troubled by the news of missing migrant children, and our concern intensifies with the revelation that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Charities have received millions in federal funds to manage these vulnerable unaccompanied minors. This issue strikes at the heart of our...

USCCB collects money for ‘immigration services’ but never for ‘pro-life activities’: Michael HichbornWhile the U.S. bishops have maintained that abortion is their 'preeminent priority,' their actions tell a different story, according to the Lepanto Institute founder and president.In a video clip that Bishop Joseph Strickland encouraged faithful Catholics to watch, Michael Hichborn, founder and president of the Lepanto Institute, called out the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for funneling 90% of their annual budget to illegal immigrant resettlement projects while investing only 1% toward pro-life efforts.“The USCCB has a massive budget of around $200 million, and 90 percent...

“It’s Beyond Outrageous,” Fort Worth Catholic Organization Accused of Funneling Hundreds of Millions of Tax Dollars to Incentivize Illegal Immigration“We all suspected that the Biden-Harris administration was allowing this invasion on purpose,” French said. “But now we know they are doing much more to enable illegals to get on the taxpayer-funded cash train. It’s beyond outrageous.”Catholic Charities of Fort Worth (CCFW), a local chapter affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, is facing allegations of facilitating illegal immigration by partnering with Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) and distributing federal funds to assist illegal immigrants.CCFW has reportedly received nearly...

JD Vance Knows That Catholic Charities Has Lost Its SoulThe truth is that the border crisis itself has threatened the very fabric of our society. The Catholic Charities and US Bishops should acknowledge this.Faithful Catholics have been saddened by the allegations — most recently suggested by Vice President JD Vance — that their Church has been complicit in creating the humanitarian crisis at the border. Vance pointed out that the Catholic Church has received over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants. Much of that money has been spent on providing transportation and housing for newly arrived illegal immigrants and...

Nivida, an immigrant from Honduras who is in her late 20s, expects to give birth to a boy in April. What would normally be a time of excitement for her growing family is instead shadowed by a deep fear that they will be torn apart. President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship could mean their baby would be left without the same rights as their other child, who was born in Louisiana as an American citizen. Nivida is from Honduras and her husband is from Mexico, they currently live in Louisiana. Her husband has an open application for a...