SpokaneFāVS
In response to President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending refugee admissions, which inspired mass protests over the weekend, Bishop Thomas Daly of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane released the following statement:
The Executive Order issued on Friday, Jan. 27, effectively shut down the admission of all refugees to the United States of America. As the violence and chaos continues in countries like Syria and Iraq, innocent citizens are fleeing to the safety of America. I believe that refugees from war can be welcomed to our country without compromising the safety and security of our nation. The Catholic Bishops of the United States will continue to engage government officials in finding a solution to this crisis that is humane and consistent with our values.
People of faith across the country have also expressed their disapproval of the ban.
Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of SpokaneFāVS.com, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Assistant Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.
