US bishops call for ‘accountability, transparency, and justice’ in wake of ICE shootings

After U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and killed two immigrants in separate incidents, federal lawmakers are demanding answers – and two senior Catholic Church leaders are speaking out. Bishop Daniel Garcia of Austin and Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria – both dioceses in the U.S. state of Texas – have issued a statement decrying “dehumanizing rhetoric, racial prejudice, and violence.” In the Monday statement, the prelates call “for a renewed commitment to recognizing the inherent dignity of every person as a child of God.” Garcia is chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation. Cahill is chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Migration. “We believe that all persons are created in the image and likeness of God,” they say, “and therefore, grieve all situations where human life is brought to an unnatural end.” Garcia and Cahill call the conviction “a core teaching of [Catholic] faith” and “one we can never grow weary of proclaiming as disciples of Jesus Christ.” “Acts that diminish or disregard the dignity of any person or group of people should never be normalized in our society,” they say. “The dehumanization of immigrants, regardless of their legal status, is one such example of this,” the bishops say, “the vilification of law enforcement officers is yet another.” The pastoral reflection followed two recent deadly shooting incidents, one in Houston, Texas and a second in the small city of Biddeford in the northeastern U.S. state of Maine, in both of which ICE agents fired upon persons who were in vehicles at the time. In the wake of the Maine incident on July 13, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – responsible for ICE – temporarily ordered officers not to conduct motor vehicle stops except in specific situations. DHS later announced new training for agents in high-risk vehicle stops. Only a day after the announced freeze on vehicle stops, however, U.S. President Donald Trump took to social media to say the stops should continue. The additional ICE training is reported also to include crowd-control measures, live-fire exercises, and medical training, in response to what the department called coordinated attacks against ICE officers and facilities. Since the Maine shooting last week, reports have also emerged alleging the ICE officer involved in that incident has a history of violence, mental health challenges, and antisocial behavior. Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. Senate on Monday renewed their press for more information from ICE regarding the agency’s vetting practices, and for detailed accounts of how ICE officers are trained to conduct vehicle stops and pursuits. The senators also demanded that all ICE officers be issued body cameras, something to which Trump “border czar” Tom Homan – a Catholic – appeared amenable on Sunday, not for the first time. RELATED: Border czar Homan offers to ‘explain’ Trump policy to Pope Leo XIV “I think body cameras are the way to go,” Homan told CBS News Sunday program Face the Nation.” “[Y]ou can have a cell phone camera from a witness on the side,” or surveillance footage from nearby cameras, Homan said, “but I want the American people to see what that officer sees when he makes the decision and takes an action.” “I think the American people need to see what that officer sees and hears,” Homan said. “I think it’s important,” he said. Homan first advocated for use of body cameras by all ICE officers in February of this year, when ICE officers deployed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, were mandated to wear them at all times during their deployment. The Minneapolis measure was ordered by then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in the wake of two other fatal shooting incidents involving ICE agents in the midwestern city. Neither of the officers who shot and killed 57-year-old Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo on July 7 in Houston and 26-year-old Colombian national Joan Sebastian Guerrero on July 13 in Biddeford was wearing a body camera. ICE claimed Salgado attempted to ram officers with his car, but several witnesses disputed that account. ICE claimed the officer who shot and killed Guerrero fired “fearing for public safety” as Guerrero “attempted to flee the scene,” in a vehicle, but Guerrero was not the target of the enforcement operation in which the officer was deployed. The bishops in their statement call for “accountability, transparency, and justice, which require that meaningful reforms be made to our immigration system.” Garcia and Cahill also affirm “the legitimate role of civil authorities to implement the law in a humane manner and with respect for fundamental human rights, including the rights to life and due process.” “The power of the state,” they sy, “must always be exercised within the limits of the moral law.” The bishops also promise continued prayers for the slain and their families, “for our nation, and for all those entrusted with the duties of public service.” “We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric, racial prejudice, and violence,” they say, “and for a renewed commitment to recognizing the inherent dignity of every person as a child of God.”