MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Donald Trump received overwhelming support from Evangelicals on his path to the White House. Now, just over a week into his presidency, multiple Evangelical Christian organizations are urging the Trump administration to reconsider some of their immigration initiatives. What's behind this turn, and what could it mean for one of the president's key constituencies? NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose joins me. Hey there.
JASON DEROSE, BYLINE: Hello.
KELLY: Who are the groups raising this criticism?
DEROSE: Well, these are some big names in Evangelical Christianity, among them the National Association of Evangelicals, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities and the Evangelical refugee resettlement group World Relief.
KELLY: So some big names, indeed. What are they actually concerned about?
DEROSE: Well, they sent a letter to the Trump administration focusing on two policies. One is the suspension of the Refugee Admissions Program, which is largely carried out by faith-based groups. They say that suspension harms the U.S.' ability to offer protection for people seeking to enter the country in order to practice their faith freely. Here's Matthew Soerens with World Relief.
MATTHEW SOERENS: President Trump has spoken frequently about his intention to stand with persecuted Christians, and the reality is that the refugee resettlement program is one of the lifelines for people persecuted for their faith in Jesus along with those persecuted for other minority religions.
DEROSE: And the other issue these groups are raising is the end of long-standing guidance that prevents immigration officers from entering sensitive locations such as churches.
KELLY: OK, but back to how I introduced this, with the fact that Evangelicals usually stand staunchly with Trump. What is going on here?
DEROSE: Well, the idea that immigration officers can now enter churches is a bridge too far for some because doing so infringes on a very basic right to worship. And many Evangelicals care about refugee resettlement because they see a biblical imperative to care for the stranger and preach the gospel to them.
But there's a clear divide here, Mary Louise, between some Evangelical leadership and the people in the pews. Eighty percent of white Evangelicals voted for Donald Trump, and many have picked up on his anti-immigrant rhetoric. A Public Religion Research Institute poll finds that 62% of white Evangelicals agree with this statement - quote, "immigrants entering the country illegally today are poisoning the blood of our country." Here's Melissa Deckman from PRRI.
MELISSA DECKMAN: That's a pretty troubling finding, but we have found that there's been a rise in nativist tendencies among many white Evangelicals, really since Trump's first presidential run, fostered by not just Trump himself, but by many white Evangelical leaders.
DEROSE: Now, of course, refugee resettlement is not illegal entry, but it does play into those nativist concerns Deckman is talking about. And that phrase, Mary Louise, poisoning the blood of the country, echoes language used by Adolf Hitler.
KELLY: What about, Jason, other faith groups beyond Evangelical Christians? How are other faith groups responding to Trump's immigration policies?
DEROSE: Well, this week, a group of Quaker congregations filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration saying some enforcement actions prevent them from freely exercising their religion. Moreover, refugee programs are broadly important to many Jews, Evangelical and mainline Protestants and Catholics. In fact, the Catholic Church has been particularly critical of immigration actions at houses of worship.
KELLY: That is interesting and introduces another wrinkle here because the vice president, JD Vance, who is Catholic, has been responding to this criticism from his own church. What is he saying?
DEROSE: Well, he told CBS News that Catholic bishops are criticizing Trump's immigration policies because the church receives millions of dollars each year from the federal government to resettle refugees. And he suggested the church was concerned about its bottom line because the money was going to stop. But I have to say, Mary Louise, I've reported on refugee resettlement by faith-based groups for many years, and it's clear to me that they are not helping people flee war-torn countries like Sudan, Ukraine or Syria for the money. They're doing it because of their faith.
KELLY: NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose. Thank you.
DEROSE: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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