A modest group of protesters gathered outside the St. Joseph Catholic Church on Sunday to decry the federal government’s focus on providing aid to illegal immigrants, instead of helping the nation’s veterans, homeless, and unemployed.
Approximately 20 protesters sang patriotic songs and held signs that read “Wake Up America” and “Help the Homeless,” according to The San Bernardino Sun.
“This is a support America rally,” Fontana resident Tressy Capps told the Sun. “We have veterans, we have the unemployed, we have homeless and foster kids.” Capps said these groups of people could benefit from the church’s assistance, but instead, the church has focused on providing help to illegal immigrants from Central America.
On Thursday, St. Joseph church took in and temporarily sheltered 46 illegal immigrants from Central America, all of them women and children, while they awaited transportation to take them to their final destinations. The church provided the immigrants “travel cash,” food, new clothing, and bus tickets, paid for by the Diocese of San Bernardino and church donations.
“The church has every right to support their position because it feels it is a humanitarian issue,” Riverside resident James Baca told the Sun. “But for many, including myself, it’s a political issue that is hurting American families here in America.”
John Andrews, spokesman for the Diocese of San Bernardino, said the church’s Christianity compels it to act in the interest of the children.
“The faith calls on us to do this,” he told Breitbart News previously.
President Obama has requested $3.7 billion from Congress to deal with the illegal immigration crisis, although many are concerned that a large portion of the money would be spent on finding shelter and providing care for illegal immigrants in local communities nationwide.
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