The News & Topicality Thread

[Del]

+JMJ+

Source: National Catholic Reporter / OSV News
Link: ncronline DOT org/news/texas-attorney-general-revives-attempt-shut-down-catholic-nonprofit-serving-migrants

Texas attorney general revives attempt to shut down Catholic nonprofit serving migrants

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El Paso, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton revived his attempt to shut down El Paso's Annunciation House, a Catholic nonprofit serving migrants, just a couple of months after his previous effort was blocked by a state judge.

Paxton's office said May 8 it filed an application for a temporary injunction against Annunciation House, accusing it of "systemic criminal conduct in Texas," including facilitating illegal border crossings or concealing "illegally present aliens from law enforcement."

Annunciation House's lawyer said those are false allegations.

In a statement, Paxton said, "Any NGO facilitating the unlawful entry of illegal aliens into Texas is undermining the rule of law and potentially jeopardizing the safety and wellbeing of our citizens."

"All NGOs who are complicit in Joe Biden's illegal immigration catastrophe and think they are above the law should consider themselves on notice," he added.

[…]

Jerome Wesevich, a lawyer for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, which is representing Annunciation House, called Paxton's latest effort "all heat and no light."

"The Court set forth an orderly process for deciding this case, and Annunciation House intends to follow that process so that Annunciation House and other non-profits have a clear statement of their rights and responsibilities when the Attorney General serves them with subpoenas," Wesevich said in a statement.

In its press statement, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid said Paxton "accompanied his filing today with a vicious press release restating the false accusations he made against Annunciation House in early February."

"What matters here is what the Court does, not what the Attorney General says," Wesevich said. "While the Attorney General drums up attention to his false claims, Annunciation House continues to serve refugees as the law allows and as the Gospel commands."

Spokespersons for the Diocese of El Paso and Annunciation House did not immediately respond to OSV News' requests for comment.

Annunciation House operates several shelters in the El Paso area, helping migrants and refugees with food, housing and other assistance, as well as providing information about how to fill out the required legal documents to seek asylum in the U.S.

These articles from National Catholic Fishwrap aren't doing a thing to help Annunciation House's case.

It would be helpful to know what AH has done to comply with the AG's request for documentary evidence that they are complying with state and national laws.

The only detail we have to support AH is a statement from their Catholic bishop asserting their innocence. At least the bishop has some of his own skin in the game. So why hasn't AH resolved this already? If they have nothing to hide, they should be able to evidence their compliance.

All we have here is a duplicate assertion from Fishwrap that AG Paxton is engaging in some sort of political witch-hunt, like Democrats do. More smoke, no light.

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

Not sure whether the TX-AG Ken Paxton's increasingly unvarnished Anti-Catholicism belongs in "Liberal (or Western) Democracy Under Pressure" or here. But to keep the Annunciation House drama in one place, this choice excerpt from Ken's latest legal filing (referenced above), at least, will go here.

∗∗∗

Title: TX-AG Ken Paxton v. Annunciation House: Round 2 - CAUSE NO: 2024-DCV-0616 [PDF]
Source: TX Attorney General's Government Website
Link: texasattorneygeneral DOT gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Annunciation%20House%20TI%20Motion.pdf

54. For starters, it is highly doubtful whether Annunciation House, as an institution, even has any bona fide religious component. See Bull Depo (Ex. 6), 106:1 – 107:14 (stating that Annunciation House goes periods of “nine, ten months” without offering Catholic Mass, does not offer confessions, does not offer baptisms, does not offer communion, and makes “no” efforts to evangelize or convert its guests to Catholicism). By its House Director’s own admission, “probably only about half” of its volunteers subscribe to any particular religion. Id. at 99:23 – 100:17. Instead, Annunciation House’s members appear to subscribe to a more Bohemian set of “seven commandments,” including commandments to “visit” people when “incarcerated” and “care [for them] when they’re sick.” Id. at 101:11-25.

∗∗∗

If the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy are "Bohemian", then that would be the Bohemia of, at least, the 13th c. rather than the 1960s.

[Del]

+JMJ+

Not sure whether the TX-AG Ken Paxton's increasingly unvarnished Anti-Catholicism belongs in "Liberal (or Western) Democracy Under Pressure" or here. But to keep the Annunciation House drama in one place, this choice excerpt from Ken's latest legal filing (referenced above), at least, will go here.

∗∗∗

Title: TX-AG Ken Paxton v. Annunciation House: Round 2 - CAUSE NO: 2024-DCV-0616 [PDF]
Source: TX Attorney General's Government Website
Link: texasattorneygeneral DOT gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Annunciation%20House%20TI%20Motion.pdf

54. For starters, it is highly doubtful whether Annunciation House, as an institution, even has any bona fide religious component. See Bull Depo (Ex. 6), 106:1 – 107:14 (stating that Annunciation House goes periods of “nine, ten months” without offering Catholic Mass, does not offer confessions, does not offer baptisms, does not offer communion, and makes “no” efforts to evangelize or convert its guests to Catholicism). By its House Director’s own admission, “probably only about half” of its volunteers subscribe to any particular religion. Id. at 99:23 – 100:17. Instead, Annunciation House’s members appear to subscribe to a more Bohemian set of “seven commandments,” including commandments to “visit” people when “incarcerated” and “care [for them] when they’re sick.” Id. at 101:11-25.

∗∗∗

If the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy are "Bohemian", then that would be the Bohemia of, at least, the 13th c. rather than the 1960s.

Okay.... so this begins to shed some actual light on the situation. Not much, but some.

Paxton says that Annunciation House claims to be "Catholic," but it has little or no actual Catholic identity. This sort of abuse is all too common. Like "Catholic" hospitals that do abortions and gender-transition procedures, having secular Boards and no Catholic identity at all. A lot of Catholic colleges are just as dead on the inside, run by gay Jesuits or atheist leftists who hate our country and our faith.

Like Biden and Pelosi, the old "Catholic" name is now just a fig leaf for activities that may be illegal -- perhaps even nefarious, such as aiding traffickers.

That's one possibility, and not an unlikely one....
=========================================

Another possibility is that Paxton is changing the rules without any actual legislation, demanding records that have never been required before, for the sake of political theatre. You know, like Democrats do.
========================================

I can't tell from here. I don't know any more than wosbald does, but I'm not at all certain whether Assumption House is guilty or innocent of aiding traffickers.

The only thing I'm certain about is this: Paxton is not specifically targeting Catholics -- not like Biden's DOJ and FBI do.

All Paxton has done here is to observe that Assumption House is not staffed by Catholic volunteers and they don't do the Catholic things. Like Paxton, I find this suspicious.

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

[…]

I can't tell from here. I don't know any more than wosbald does …

[…]

Bp. Seitz knows a lot. He also says a lot. Like, for example, "The attack on Annunciation House represents an escalation in Texas' efforts in recent years to militarize the border and to enact legislation criminalizing migration and people who migrate."

Just sayin'.

[Del]

+JMJ+

[…]

I can't tell from here. I don't know any more than wosbald does …

[…]

Bp. Seitz knows a lot. He also says a lot. Like, for example, "The attack on Annunciation House represents an escalation in Texas' efforts in recent years to militarize the border and to enact legislation criminalizing migration and people who migrate."

Just sayin'.

Bishop Seitz is the only reason I have for keeping an open mind toward Annunciation House. I believe that both Bp. Seitz and AG Paxton are speaking in good faith, so I really want some more facts.

But even Bishop Seitz misses the mark on why AG Paxton is pursuing this action. It was not an attack against "people who migrate." It is a reaction to Biden's open and unregulated border policies. It has grown into widespread concern for trafficked children and fentanyl.

By now a huge backlash is growing. Recent polling says that most Americans (including a big chunk of Democrat voters) support mass deportations. If that happens, the Assumption House controversy will be insignificant.

We can both agree that peaceful families should not pay the price for Biden's crimes.

I don't think mass deportations will happen, because Trump doesn't want to do that. But he might be forced to. Elected Democrats would like mass deportations, because they can turn that into riots and accusations that American conservatives are racist. I expect media psy-ops to amplify the mass deportation story.

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

Bishop Seitz is the only reason I have for keeping an open mind toward Annunciation House. …

But even Bishop Seitz misses the mark on why AG Paxton is pursuing this action. It was not an attack against "people who migrate." It is a reaction to Biden's open and unregulated border policies. It has grown into widespread concern for trafficked children and fentanyl.

[…]

We can both agree that peaceful families should not pay the price for Biden's crimes.

[…]

If anything, Bp. Seitz has criticized the Biden Admin for tilting too far towards Border Hawkism, going so far as to recommend Congress vote against the recent Border Bill torpedoed by the GOP — but to vote against it for reasons directly contrary to Freedom Caucus demands.

As the bishop explains, "For different reasons than [Mike] Johnson, Seitz urged Senators to reject the immigration reforms in the bill that he argues ‘restrict access to asylum, curtail due process for noncitizens, and create authorities inconsistent with the United States’ obligations under international law.’ … Another provision in the bill is an expedited asylum adjudication process for migrants who enter the country illegally — cutting the wait period from what is typically years to months, and to the ‘maximum extent possible’ within 90 days. Seitz argues in the letter that these provisions are ‘severely limiting due process and access to asylum’ for migrants."

Again, just sayin'.

[Del]

+JMJ+

Bishop Seitz is the only reason I have for keeping an open mind toward Annunciation House. …

But even Bishop Seitz misses the mark on why AG Paxton is pursuing this action. It was not an attack against "people who migrate." It is a reaction to Biden's open and unregulated border policies. It has grown into widespread concern for trafficked children and fentanyl.

[…]

We can both agree that peaceful families should not pay the price for Biden's crimes.

[…]

If anything, Bp. Seitz has criticized the Biden Admin for tilting too far towards Border Hawkism, going so far as to recommend Congress vote against the recent Border Bill torpedoed by the GOP — but to vote against it for reasons directly contrary to Freedom Caucus demands.

As the bishop explains, "For different reasons than [Mike] Johnson, Seitz urged Senators to reject the immigration reforms in the bill that he argues ‘restrict access to asylum, curtail due process for noncitizens, and create authorities inconsistent with the United States’ obligations under international law.’ … Another provision in the bill is an expedited asylum adjudication process for migrants who enter the country illegally — cutting the wait period from what is typically years to months, and to the ‘maximum extent possible’ within 90 days. Seitz argues in the letter that these provisions are ‘severely limiting due process and access to asylum’ for migrants."

Again, just sayin'.

Bishop Seitz, like Bishops wosbald and Fishwrap, can lobby all they want for a one-sided political morality that ignores the duty of government and the rights of people who already live here -- by birth, legal immigration, or Biden's willful negligence. Their political opinions are not relevant.

My point on Bp. Seitz is that he has the duty of care to make sure that Assumption House is complying with laws, making proper use of taxpayer money granted to them as an NGO, and ensuring the safety of children and asylum seekers who pass through their care. Basically the same job that AG Paxton has.

As Bp. Seitz and AG Paxton are both honorable men, I await the revelation of some real facts so I can discern why they disagree.

Accusations that Seitz is a leftist commie or Paxton is a persecutor of Catholics are nothing but smokescreens. All I know is that it is not safe to trust any media source that spins these stories.

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

[…]

As Bp. Seitz and AG Paxton are both honorable men, I await the revelation of some real facts so I can discern why they disagree.

[…]

Let's try Occam's Razor:

Again, the bishop explains, "[Bp Seitz] further argued that the law [TX SB4, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in Dec '23] threatens the right to seek asylum by denying the 'opportunity to be processed … to see if their claims to asylum are legitimate or not.' "

Simplest Answer: The friction is caused by Texas moving in a bad way relative to the Church's nonnegotiable teachings on Migration. Or, looked at from the other direction, the friction is caused by the Church having the nerve to teach the State of Texas the ethical limitations on a Nation's legitimate Right to Control its Borders.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

[Del]

+JMJ+

[…]

As Bp. Seitz and AG Paxton are both honorable men, I await the revelation of some real facts so I can discern why they disagree.

[…]

Let's try Occam's Razor:

Again, the bishop explains, "[Bp Seitz] further argued that the law [TX SB4, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in Dec '23] threatens the right to seek asylum by denying the 'opportunity to be processed … to see if their claims to asylum are legitimate or not.' "

Simplest Answer: The friction is caused by Texas moving in a bad way relative to the Church's nonnegotiable teachings on Migration. Or, looked at from the other direction, the friction is caused by the Church having the nerve to teach the State of Texas the ethical limitations on a Nation's legitimate Right to Control its Borders.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

Occam's Razor tells me that it is very likely that workers at Assumption House are pocketing money from government grants and cartel bribes, and that children are being trafficked and spies/terrorists are being smuggled in.

But that is still jumping to a conclusion prematurely.

It just looks really bad that Assumption House refuses to provide evidence that they are operating within the law and stewarding our money virtuously. Thus the simplest explanation is that they got caught.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church does not have a "nonnegotiable teaching on Migration." You have been reading too many Jesuits and false-Catholic publications.

Pope Francis has clearly articulated that the Church teaches a balance of the duty of a nation to regulate its borders and immigration for the benefit of citizens with a generous heart toward the poor and those fleeing oppression.

As we can see, Biden's open border fails to care for both the citizens and the migrants. He lets the cartels control the traffic and treatment of migrants and neglects the safety of both citizens and migrants. This abiding evil must be brought under control.

We can both hope that Biden's neglect and failure do not lead to a populist backlash which punishes the migrants whom we have already allowed to settle in America. Mass deportations would be a national sin stacked upon Biden's sin.

My hope is that Donald Trump will win the election, secure the border, allow for generous "asylum" applications, and enable all those migrant families with good-paying jobs on oil rigs and such. What do you hope for?

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

Title: The Future of Immigration in the 2024 Elections [Symposium, Video: 5 hr, 45 min]
Source: Baker Institute
Link: bakerinstitute DOT org/event/future-immigration-2024-elections

The Money-Quotes:


• Bp. Mark Seitz speaking at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy:

Texas, it must be said, is a beautiful place. […] But Texas is also the state that has become a laboratory for the most inhospitable and dehumanizing immigration policy. We are witnessing a new stage in the deadly militarization of our border with Mexico. […] I worry that this militarization of the border — and the mass arrests of migrants there — is also a dry-run for the deployment of law enforcement throughout the state should the recently enjoined SB4 go into effect in some form. […] We are no longer dabbling in dangerous territory. We are there.

And our policies and practices are going national with gravely troubling legislation passed in Florida, Iowa, and now, Oklahoma. And possibly Arizona, again. This is dehumanization unfolding before our eyes and in our time. It has a long genealogy, no doubt. But this type of politics — a politics of exclusion — has a troubling purchase in our state, perhaps like never before in our country. And we are at the unfortunate vanguard of this project.

[…]

While borders may have their place, [Catholics'] universal perspective means that the Church must take a certain creative distance from any artificial segmentation of universal concern and compassion. There is a certain critical edge to the Church's practice at borders whenever a base political project threatens human life and dignity.

• More comments from the post-presentation Q&A:

Q: I just want to ask a follow-up about Annunciation House and what the real motives of the [TX] Attorney General may be […] I just want to know what you think is behind this action.

A: […] It's hard to know his motive. And I probably shouldn't speculate too much, but it's so utterly misguided. […] One of the nicest things I can say about it in public is it's terribly misguided. And as I say here, looking at it in terms of a "big picture" kind-of-issue, it is a similar kind of threat that the Church has always had to face — it shows itself in so many different ways — very often people or structures-of-power are threatened by the challenge of the Gospel. I mean, it's just hard to characterize it as anything else.

NOTE: In the penultimate sentence quoted, the bishop refers not to "the challenge of something which is totally up to the prudential judgement of the host nation", but rather to the challenge of the nonnegotiable demands made by the Gospel.