Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, and Zoran Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of the country’s most populous city, have sent pro-immigration messages to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Friday’s flurry of statements came a day before July 4th Independence Day celebrations. Signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
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Although neither Pope Leo nor New York’s mayor mentioned Trump, their comments were a clear condemnation of the president and his hard-line immigration policies.
In a video broadcast from the Vatican to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pope Leo praised the immigrants who shaped the United States.
He also called on the United States to recommit to its founding principles and recognize human dignity regardless of national borders.
“For so many people around the world over the past 250 years, it has been the determined determination to achieve the noble vision of our Founding Fathers that has made America synonymous with freedom, even as it opened its doors to wave after wave of immigrants,” the Chicago-born pope said.
Leo has previously criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies, calling them “inhumane.”
But in Friday’s speech, his biggest ever to the United States, he called for “a public debate characterized by moderation, respect for the views of others, and continued efforts to find common ground.”
“This historic anniversary gives us an opportunity to reconsider our founding principles, as we hope to remain true to the dreams that earned America the title of Land of the Free and Home of the Brave,” Leo said.
Meanwhile, Mamdani gave a video address surrounded by recently naturalized citizens of New York City, a metropolis of about 9 million people where more than 200 different languages are spoken.
As of 2018, the mayor himself is a naturalized citizen. The mayor urged the audience to reject the “powerful” forces that believe in a country where “only a select few are allowed freedom and not all men are created equal.”
“The more America we welcome, the less we become, they will say. America is only for people with the right accent or the right skin characteristics,” Mamdani said.
“The rest of us, they insist, should be grateful just to be allowed to visit. How small, how weak, how unoriginal they are.”
The speech came after a series of Mamdani-backed candidates won unexpected victories in New York’s Democratic primary and advanced to the November midterm elections.
The victory underscored the mayor’s newfound political power and signaled a growing leftward shift within the Democratic Party.
Rebuttal to Trump
The two speeches are the latest entries in a long-running debate over how America should be defined by its ideals.
Others advocate the country’s diversity, pointing to the image of the United States as a melting pot or mosaic of different cultures.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has rejected slogans such as “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” arguing that they undermine the country’s meritocracy.
Stephen Miller, one of President Trump’s top advisers, has shaped the president’s hard-line stance on immigration, a defining policy of both his first and second terms.
Miller has long been a vocal opponent of the modern immigration system, repeatedly arguing that America’s immigration practices pose an existential threat to the nation.
During President Trump’s second term, Miller led a push to restrict nearly all forms of immigration, including legal channels such as refugee admissions, asylum applications and temporary visas, while simultaneously launching a mass deportation campaign.
As part of his administration’s efforts to restrict immigration, President Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his second term abolishing birthright citizenship, which grants citizenship to virtually all children born in the United States.
Critics warned that abolishing birthright citizenship would not only violate the U.S. Constitution but also leave some infants effectively stateless.
But Miller called the long-standing practice “national self-annihilation” and branded immigrant children as subversive to the nation’s fabric.
Days before the nation’s 250th anniversary, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated President Trump’s executive order, ruling it unconstitutional.
But the high court upheld other parts of President Trump’s immigration policy. On June 25, the U.S. Department of Immigration ruled that immigration officials can physically prevent asylum seekers from setting foot on U.S. soil to prevent them from filing protection claims in the United States.
After the verdict, Miller announced that “America’s doors are completely closed to asylum seekers.”
President Trump will visit Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on Friday, where he is scheduled to deliver one of several speeches commemorating the United States’ 250th anniversary.
He is scheduled to speak on Friday at 10:30pm ET (2:30am Japan time Saturday), and has another talk scheduled for Saturday at 9:45pm (1:45pm Japan time) in Washington, DC.
