Latest news with #MatthewSoerens
The Independent
02-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Vast majority of US immigrants facing deportation under Trump policies are Christian, report reveals
A new report reveals that up to 80 per cent of immigrants facing deportation from the US under the Trump administration's policies are Christian. This equates to approximately 10 million Christians vulnerable to removal, with an additional seven million US Christian citizens living in households under threat of deportation. The report, backed by prominent Catholic and evangelical organizations, utilizes a combination of data sources. These include religious affiliation percentages within migrant and national populations, alongside an advocacy group's analysis of US census data concerning migrants. While the report highlights the plight of Christian immigrants, its sponsors emphasize a broader concern for all individuals facing deportation. "Though we're deeply concerned about fellow Christians, we're not exclusively concerned with immigrants who happen to share our faith,"explained Matthew Soerens, vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief, an evangelical humanitarian organization and co-sponsor of the report. Soerens, in a video statement, underscored the Christian belief in the inherent dignity of all people, regardless of religion or nationality. He noted, however, that many US Christians may be unaware of the significant number of potential deportees who share their faith. Other groups that helped produce the report include the National Association of Evangelicals, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration and the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. While the report doesn't advocate any political positions, it mainly seeks to raise awareness of the issue among Christians, and some of its sponsoring groups have individually advocated for reforms that would give some categories of immigrants a path to legal status. Immigrants at risk of deportation range from those who crossed the border illegally to those who may have some sort of legal status that could be revoked. For example, the Trump administration has taken steps to end temporary protected status, held by many from Venezuela and Haiti, as well as humanitarian parole that had been granted for others from those troubled countries as well as Cuba and Nicaragua. President Donald Trump enjoyed wide support from certain Christian blocs in all three of his campaigns. In 2024, he was supported by about eight in 10 white evangelical Christian voters, about six in 10 white Catholics and just over half of Latino evangelicals, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 120,000 voters. While the report doesn't directly refer to that support, it says it seeks to raise awareness of the potential impact of Trump's immigration crackdown. Even the fear of deportation could cause people to avoid going to public places — such as worship services. In an era when a growing number of people in the U.S. don't have a religious affiliation, many immigrants who are Christian have helped reenergize churches and spur their growth, said Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals. 'They're coming from parts of the world where the church is actually thriving,' Kim said. 'Not only are they bringing that thriving faith and contributing to America, they're also contributing to the vibrancy of the church in America.' Mass deportation would amount to a government-fostered 'church decline strategy,' Kim said. Kim said his organization has long advocated for reforms that would distinguish between those convicted of violent crimes and 'the much larger share of immigrants who are contributing to our communities and to our churches, and who are serious and eager' to stay in the country. Many studies have found immigrants are less drawn to violent crime than native-born citizens. The recent report said Catholics in particular represent more than half of all those vulnerable to deportation in the United States, noted Bishop Mark Seitz, chair of the Committee on Migration of the bishops' conference. The deportations would likely separate family members, Seitz said. 'We know the impact of tearing apart the family unity and also the tremendous threats that are faced by people who are summarily deported to their home countries, which they fled in the first place because of the tremendous threats they were living under there,' said Seitz, who heads the Diocese of El Paso, Texas. They face danger from government oppression and organized crime in their home countries, Seitz said. 'People are going to die if this deportation effort continues at the level it is,' he said. The report's methodology included calculating the percentages of Catholics, evangelicals and other Christian groups in the countries from which immigrants originated, based on self-reported affiliations. The report then applied those percentages to immigrant populations within various categories of immigrants. While such methods include numerous assumptions, many regions of origin for major immigrants and refugee groups, including Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and Ukraine, have large Christian populations.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Most immigrants at risk of deportation from US are Christian, report finds
As many as four in five immigrants at risk of deportation from the United States are Christian, according to a new report that calls on their fellow believers to consider the impact of the Trump administration's aggressive deportation policies. The report says about 10 million Christians are vulnerable to deportation and 7 million U.S. citizens who are Christian live in households where someone is at risk of deportation. The report, under the auspices of major Catholic and evangelical organizations, draws on a range of data, including percentages of religious affiliation in various migrant and national populations and on an advocacy group's analysis of U.S. census data on migrants. 'Though we're deeply concerned about fellow Christians, we're not exclusively concerned with immigrants who happen to share our faith,' said Matthew Soerens, vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief, an evangelical humanitarian organization that cosponsored the report. 'As Christians, we believe that all people, regardless of their religious tradition or nationality, are made in God's image with inherent dignity," Soerens said in a video statement. But he added that many Christians in the U.S. may not realize that most of those who could be deported share their faith. Other groups that helped produce the report include the National Association of Evangelicals, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration and the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. While the report doesn't advocate any political positions, it mainly seeks to raise awareness of the issue among Christians, and some of its sponsoring groups have individually advocated for reforms that would give some categories of immigrants a path to legal status. Immigrants at risk of deportation range from those who crossed the border illegally to those who may have some sort of legal status that could be revoked. For example, the Trump administration has taken steps to end temporary protected status, held by many from Venezuela and Haiti, as well as humanitarian parole that had been granted for others from those troubled countries as well as Cuba and Nicaragua. President Donald Trump enjoyed wide support from certain Christian blocs in all three of his campaigns. In 2024, he was supported by about 8 in 10 white evangelical Christian voters, about 6 in 10 white Catholics and just over half of Latino evangelicals, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 120,000 voters. While the report doesn't directly refer to that support, it says it seeks to raise awareness of the potential impact of Trump's immigration crackdown. Even the fear of deportation could cause people to avoid going to public places — such as worship services. In an era when a growing number of people in the U.S. don't have a religious affiliation, many immigrants who are Christian have helped reenergize churches and spur their growth, said Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals. 'They're coming from parts of the world where the church is actually thriving,' Kim said. 'Not only are they bringing that thriving faith and contributing to America, they're also contributing to the vibrancy of the church in America.' Mass deportation would amount to a government-fostered 'church decline strategy,' Kim said. Kim said his organization has long advocated for reforms that would distinguish between those convicted of violent crimes and 'the much larger share of immigrants who are contributing to our communities and to our churches, and who are serious and eager' to stay in the country. Many studies have found immigrants are less drawn to violent crime than native-born citizens. The recent report said Catholics in particular represent more than half of all those vulnerable to deportation in the United States, noted Bishop Mark Seitz, chair of the Committee on Migration of the bishops' conference. The deportations would likely separate family members, Seitz said. 'We know the impact of tearing apart the family unity and also the tremendous threats that are faced by people who are summarily deported to their home countries, which they fled in the first place because of the tremendous threats they were living under there,' said Seitz, who heads the Diocese of El Paso, Texas. They face danger from government oppression and organized crime in their home countries, Seitz said. 'People are going to die if this deportation effort continues at the level it is,' he said. The report's methodology included calculating the percentages of Catholics, evangelicals and other Christian groups in the countries from which immigrants originated, based on self-reported affiliations. The report then applied those percentages to immigrant populations within various categories of immigrants. While such methods include numerous assumptions, many regions of origin for major immigrants and refugee groups, including Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and Ukraine, have large Christian populations. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Associated Press
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Most immigrants at risk of deportation from US are Christian, report finds
As many as four in five immigrants at risk of deportation from the United States are Christian, according to a new report that calls on their fellow believers to consider the impact of the Trump administration's aggressive deportation policies. The report says about 10 million Christians are vulnerable to deportation and 7 million U.S. citizens who are Christian live in households where someone is at risk of deportation. The report, under the auspices of major Catholic and evangelical organizations, draws on a range of data, including percentages of religious affiliation in various migrant and national populations and on an advocacy group's analysis of U.S. census data on migrants. 'Though we're deeply concerned about fellow Christians, we're not exclusively concerned with immigrants who happen to share our faith,' said Matthew Soerens, vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief, an evangelical humanitarian organization that cosponsored the report. 'As Christians, we believe that all people, regardless of their religious tradition or nationality, are made in God's image with inherent dignity,' Soerens said in a video statement. But he added that many Christians in the U.S. may not realize that most of those who could be deported share their faith. Other groups that helped produce the report include the National Association of Evangelicals, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration and the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. While the report doesn't advocate any political positions, it mainly seeks to raise awareness of the issue among Christians, and some of its sponsoring groups have individually advocated for reforms that would give some categories of immigrants a path to legal status. Immigrants at risk of deportation range from those who crossed the border illegally to those who may have some sort of legal status that could be revoked. For example, the Trump administration has taken steps to end temporary protected status, held by many from Venezuela and Haiti, as well as humanitarian parole that had been granted for others from those troubled countries as well as Cuba and Nicaragua. President Donald Trump enjoyed wide support from certain Christian blocs in all three of his campaigns. In 2024, he was supported by about 8 in 10 white evangelical Christian voters, about 6 in 10 white Catholics and just over half of Latino evangelicals, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 120,000 voters. While the report doesn't directly refer to that support, it says it seeks to raise awareness of the potential impact of Trump's immigration crackdown. Even the fear of deportation could cause people to avoid going to public places — such as worship services. In an era when a growing number of people in the U.S. don't have a religious affiliation, many immigrants who are Christian have helped reenergize churches and spur their growth, said Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals. 'They're coming from parts of the world where the church is actually thriving,' Kim said. 'Not only are they bringing that thriving faith and contributing to America, they're also contributing to the vibrancy of the church in America.' Mass deportation would amount to a government-fostered 'church decline strategy,' Kim said. Kim said his organization has long advocated for reforms that would distinguish between those convicted of violent crimes and 'the much larger share of immigrants who are contributing to our communities and to our churches, and who are serious and eager' to stay in the country. Many studies have found immigrants are less drawn to violent crime than native-born citizens. The recent report said Catholics in particular represent more than half of all those vulnerable to deportation in the United States, noted Bishop Mark Seitz, chair of the Committee on Migration of the bishops' conference. The deportations would likely separate family members, Seitz said. 'We know the impact of tearing apart the family unity and also the tremendous threats that are faced by people who are summarily deported to their home countries, which they fled in the first place because of the tremendous threats they were living under there,' said Seitz, who heads the Diocese of El Paso, Texas. They face danger from government oppression and organized crime in their home countries, Seitz said. 'People are going to die if this deportation effort continues at the level it is,' he said. The report's methodology included calculating the percentages of Catholics, evangelicals and other Christian groups in the countries from which immigrants originated, based on self-reported affiliations. The report then applied those percentages to immigrant populations within various categories of immigrants. While such methods include numerous assumptions, many regions of origin for major immigrants and refugee groups, including Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and Ukraine, have large Christian populations.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Christian aid groups weigh life-threatening choices about who to help after USAID funding pause
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a warehouse in Haiti, nearly four metric tons of seeds cannot be distributed. Soon the planting season will be gone and with it, the best chance for those seeds to produce emergency food. Across the world in South Sudan, a program treating severely malnourished children under age 5 has halted. Both projects are led by World Relief, an evangelical organization whose work has collapsed in certain countries after the Trump administration froze most foreign aid and sidelined the U.S. Agency for International Development. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Faith-based organizations that partner with the U.S. government to deliver international aid are being hard-hit by the USAID shutdown, and are now facing their own layoffs, furloughs and severe funding shortages. Remaining staff are being forced to make difficult choices about which lifesaving programs can continue without government funding. 'That's what keeps me up at night,' said Matthew Soerens, World Relief's vice president of advocacy and policy. Two of the 12 largest non-governmental recipients of USAID funds are faith-based: Catholic Relief Services and World Vision. These Christian nonprofits serve millions of people globally and provide food, water and health care in conflict zones. Catholic Relief Services — founded by U.S. Catholic bishops in 1943 — told staff to expect drastic reductions in their workforce this year, as much as 50 percent, due to cuts in U.S. foreign assistance. CRS receives more USAID support than any other non-governmental organization. The U.S. government funded nearly half of the 2023 CRS budget of $1.2 billion. The Vatican's global charity arm, Caritas, on Monday warned that millions of people will die as a result of the 'ruthless' U.S. decision to 'recklessly' stop USAID funding, and hundreds of millions more will be condemned to 'dehumanizing poverty.' The State Department has offered select waivers for organizations to continue 'lifesaving' humanitarian work. But many organizations that have received waivers say federal funding has not arrived for those exempted projects, and they have been unable to get meaningful guidance from the U.S. government. USAID headquarters staffers — in affidavits filed this week as part of a court challenge to the Trump administration's dismantling of the agency — say they know of no one in USAID who has been told what process will be followed in accepting and reviewing waiver requests, and no funding is getting through to aid partners and programs. World Relief received a waiver to continue its lifesaving work in one country — civil-war-torn Sudan — but it is still waiting on government payments for those programs and previously completed work. 'We can't afford to misunderstand the instructions and spend resources that we don't have,' Soerens said. 'We have some cash reserves, but like most nonprofits, we don't sit on months and months' worth of cash.' Churches and private donors have helped World Relief raise $4.5 million in two weeks to support international aid and its work in the U.S. with refugees. But the organization has furloughed employees and still faces a funding gap of $3.5 million for immediate needs. Franklin Graham, an evangelical leader who prayed at both of Donald Trump's presidential inaugurations, runs Samaritan's Purse, an evangelical humanitarian organization that has received USAID funds. Graham said in a statement that 'the details of the waiver process are not yet clear.' Samaritan's Purse has not stopped its emergency food and medical programs overseas, he noted, and less than 5% of the organization's 2024 funding came from government grants. 'I think it's a good thing for the government to assess and reexamine the various programs that the U.S. is funding around the world,' Graham said. 'We trust that the new leadership will analyze all of the information and make good decisions.' A spokesperson for World Vision, a Christian aid group that is separate from World Relief, said the organization was working on securing waivers and resuming critical programs as soon as possible. 'Our commitment to serving vulnerable communities through humanitarian and development work remains strong, and we will continue to comply with all relevant regulations,' its statement said. The first Trump administration did some 'incredible work' at USAID, according to Adam Phillips, who led the USAID faith-based office during the Biden administration. Phillips continued some of the data-driven approaches to working with faith communities that the Trump team pioneered at the agency. 'It's so mystifying to see what the second Trump administration is doing,' Phillips said, 'because they're really going backwards on some extraordinary commitments when it comes to faith-based partners.' Supporters of USAID's work argue it not only alleviates global suffering and promotes stability but also functions as a form of soft power to create goodwill and counter rivals like China and Russia. Many conservatives have championed the type of public-private partnerships that USAID and religious groups traditionally have had. Indeed, when Trump again established a White House faith office, the Feb. 7 executive order said it wanted faith-based entities 'to compete on a level playing field for grants, contracts, programs, and other Federal funding opportunities.' Faith-based groups hope their humanitarian work will pass muster with the second Trump administration after a 90-day review is completed. 'At World Relief, we're also pro-life Christians. We believe in the value of human life,' Soerens said. 'Our hope is that the president and the secretary of state examine this as quickly as possible and get things moving on that genuinely lifesaving humanitarian support.' A USAID employee who works on lifesaving humanitarian assistance said she has been instructed not to communicate with grantees. She was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. She still finds common cause with faith-based organizations: She has long viewed her secular work of helping the vulnerable as an extension of her own Christian faith. 'I can't say that if I weren't a person of faith, that I wouldn't be in this in this field,' she said. 'But I do think my main motivation is that Christ calls us to be his hands and feet in this world. That's what I want to be.' ___ AP reporters Nicole Winfield in Rome, Giovanna Dell'Orto in Minneapolis, and Gary Fields and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Associated Press
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Christian aid groups weigh life-threatening choices about who to help after USAID funding pause
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a warehouse in Haiti, nearly four metric tons of seeds cannot be distributed. Soon the planting season will be gone and with it, the best chance for those seeds to produce emergency food. Across the world in South Sudan, a program treating severely malnourished children under age 5 has halted. Both projects are led by World Relief, an evangelical organization whose work has collapsed in certain countries after the Trump administration froze most foreign aid and sidelined the U.S. Agency for International Development. Faith-based organizations that partner with the U.S. government to deliver international aid are being hard-hit by the USAID shutdown, and are now facing their own layoffs, furloughs and severe funding shortages. Remaining staff are being forced to make difficult choices about which lifesaving programs can continue without government funding. 'That's what keeps me up at night,' said Matthew Soerens, World Relief's vice president of advocacy and policy. Two of the 12 largest non-governmental recipients of USAID funds are faith-based: Catholic Relief Services and World Vision. These Christian nonprofits serve millions of people globally and provide food, water and health care in conflict zones. Catholic Relief Services — founded by U.S. Catholic bishops in 1943 — told staff to expect drastic reductions in their workforce this year, as much as 50 percent, due to cuts in U.S. foreign assistance. CRS receives more USAID support than any other non-governmental organization. The U.S. government funded nearly half of the 2023 CRS budget of $1.2 billion. The Vatican's global charity arm, Caritas, on Monday warned that millions of people will die as a result of the 'ruthless' U.S. decision to 'recklessly' stop USAID funding, and hundreds of millions more will be condemned to 'dehumanizing poverty.' The State Department has offered select waivers for organizations to continue 'lifesaving' humanitarian work. But many organizations that have received waivers say federal funding has not arrived for those exempted projects, and they have been unable to get meaningful guidance from the U.S. government. USAID headquarters staffers — in affidavits filed this week as part of a court challenge to the Trump administration's dismantling of the agency — say they know of no one in USAID who has been told what process will be followed in accepting and reviewing waiver requests, and no funding is getting through to aid partners and programs. World Relief received a waiver to continue its lifesaving work in one country — civil-war-torn Sudan — but it is still waiting on government payments for those programs and previously completed work. 'We can't afford to misunderstand the instructions and spend resources that we don't have,' Soerens said. 'We have some cash reserves, but like most nonprofits, we don't sit on months and months' worth of cash.' Churches and private donors have helped World Relief raise $4.5 million in two weeks to support international aid and its work in the U.S. with refugees. But the organization has furloughed employees and still faces a funding gap of $3.5 million for immediate needs. Franklin Graham, an evangelical leader who prayed at both of Donald Trump's presidential inaugurations, runs Samaritan's Purse, an evangelical humanitarian organization that has received USAID funds. Graham said in a statement that 'the details of the waiver process are not yet clear.' Samaritan's Purse has not stopped its emergency food and medical programs overseas, he noted, and less than 5% of the organization's 2024 funding came from government grants. 'I think it's a good thing for the government to assess and reexamine the various programs that the U.S. is funding around the world,' Graham said. 'We trust that the new leadership will analyze all of the information and make good decisions.' A spokesperson for World Vision, a Christian aid group that is separate from World Relief, said the organization was working on securing waivers and resuming critical programs as soon as possible. 'Our commitment to serving vulnerable communities through humanitarian and development work remains strong, and we will continue to comply with all relevant regulations,' its statement said. The first Trump administration did some 'incredible work' at USAID, according to Adam Phillips, who led the USAID faith-based office during the Biden administration. Phillips continued some of the data-driven approaches to working with faith communities that the Trump team pioneered at the agency. 'It's so mystifying to see what the second Trump administration is doing,' Phillips said, 'because they're really going backwards on some extraordinary commitments when it comes to faith-based partners.' Supporters of USAID's work argue it not only alleviates global suffering and promotes stability but also functions as a form of soft power to create goodwill and counter rivals like China and Russia. Many conservatives have championed the type of public-private partnerships that USAID and religious groups traditionally have had. Indeed, when Trump again established a White House faith office, the Feb. 7 executive order said it wanted faith-based entities 'to compete on a level playing field for grants, contracts, programs, and other Federal funding opportunities.' Faith-based groups hope their humanitarian work will pass muster with the second Trump administration after a 90-day review is completed. 'At World Relief, we're also pro-life Christians. We believe in the value of human life,' Soerens said. 'Our hope is that the president and the secretary of state examine this as quickly as possible and get things moving on that genuinely lifesaving humanitarian support.' A USAID employee who works on lifesaving humanitarian assistance said she has been instructed not to communicate with grantees. She was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. She still finds common cause with faith-based organizations: She has long viewed her secular work of helping the vulnerable as an extension of her own Christian faith. 'I can't say that if I weren't a person of faith, that I wouldn't be in this in this field,' she said. 'But I do think my main motivation is that Christ calls us to be his hands and feet in this world. That's what I want to be.' ___
