Attorney General Jeff Sessions cited the Bible on Thursday in his defense of his border policy that is resulting in hundreds of immigrant children being separated from their parents after they enter the U.S. illegally.
Sessions discussed the Trump administration's controversial immigration policies as faith communities protested outside the venue.
Two of the US' largest religious denominations have scrutinized the Trump administration's practices. The Southern Baptists requested a compassionate path to legal status and a more humane immigration system at its annual convention.
More sharply, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops president Cardinal Daniel DiNardo called it "immoral," saying, "families are the foundational element of our society and they must be able to stay together."
According to the Pew Research Center, 52 percent of Catholics in Northeast Indiana voted for Trump in the 2016 election. Sessions says he's listened to faith leaders, and remains sympathetic to their concerns.
"But I am a law officer," Sessions says. "A law officer for a nation state. A secular nation state; not a theocracy, it's not a church. If we have laws -- and I believe we have reasonable immigration laws -- they should be enforced."
He defends his reinstatement of asylum standards, which omits domestic violence and gang violence protections:
- Zach Bernard ? (@Zachbernardfw) June 14, 2018
"Asylum is not for those who suffer from a private act of violence or gang activity in their community."
Sessions says many of the recent criticisms were not "fair or logical and some are contrary to law."
"I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order," he said. "Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the weak and lawful."
The comment was a break from Sessions' prepared remarks, and seemingly from a decades-long prioritization to the nation's churches.
He spent 30 minutes defending the administration's policies, and the message was simple: if you break US immigration laws, you will be punished.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside of Parkview Field during the event. The protests were organized by People For the Common Good and United Activists of Fort Wayne Indiana.
Protesters held signs and chanted things like, "This is what democracy looks like" and "Vote them out."
Sarah Hyndman is one of the co-founders of People For the Common Good. She says she was confused as to why Sessions chose Fort Wayne.
She says she knows the area is known to be conservative, but adds a lot of refugees live in the city and she hopes that's not why he came.
"It would be a shame if he is trying to stir up divisiveness," Hyndman says. "But I think what he doesn't know is we really thrive on diversity here."
Protesters have relocated to Park View’s entrance. US Attorney General Jeff Sessions is set to begin his remarks at 1:15 pm. @Zachbernardfw will be reporting from inside. Hear the story today during All Things Considered from 4 to 7 pm. 89. 1 FM @WBOI pic.twitter.com/1T4bsqgoLN
- Araceli Gómez-Aldana (@Araceli1010) June 14, 2018
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, more than 650 children were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border during a two-week period in May.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday that she hadn't seen Sessions' comments but affirmed that the Bible did back up the administration's actions.
"I can say that it is very biblical to enforce the law. That is actually repeated a number of times throughout the Bible," she said. "It's a moral policy to follow and enforce the law."
In an unusually tense series of exchanges in the White House briefing room, Sanders wrongly blamed Democrats for the policy separating children from parents and insisted the administration had made no changes in increasing the use. Until the policy was announced in April, such families were usually referred for civil deportation proceedings, not requiring separation.
"The separation of illegal alien families is the product of the same legal loopholes that Democrats refuse to close, and these laws are the same that have been on the books for over a decade, and the president is simply enforcing them," she said.
"We don't want this to be a problem," she said.
