JD Vance delivers heartfelt remarks about Pope Francis despite past political differences



Vice President JD Vance delivered magnanimous remarks about Pope Francis during the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Friday despite the pope's past criticism of the Trump administration.

Francis previously expressed disapproval of President Donald Trump's immigration policy, saying deportations "[damage] the dignity" of immigrants and "[place] them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness." Although Vance reaffirmed his stance on immigration, he also emphasized his respect for Francis and the Catholic Church, particularly as the pope endures numerous health complications.

'I believe that the pope is fundamentally a person who cares about the flock of Christians under his leadership.'

"I'm not counseling all of you, but I don't think it's good for us as Christians to constantly fight with one another over every single controversy in the church," Vance said. "Sometimes we should let this stuff play out, live our faith as best we can, under the dictates of our faith and under the dictates of our spiritual leaders, but not hold them to the standards of social media influencers, because they're not."

Vance clarified that although there are political differences within the faith, it's more important to remain unified as Catholics.

"As you've probably seen publicly, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has criticized some of our policies when it comes to immigration," Vance said. "Again, my goal here is not to litigate with him about who's right and who's wrong."

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

"I think that it's not in the best interest of us again to treat the religious leaders of our faith as just another social media influencer," Vance continued. "And I think, frankly, that goes both ways. If I can be so bold, I think it's incumbent upon our religious leaders to recognize that in the era of social media, people will hang on every single word that they utter, even if that wasn't their intention and even if a given declaration isn't meant for consumption in the social media age."

Rather than nitpicking at every statement and every conflict the pope is involved in, Vance insisted that Francis is more concerned with the health of his church and the Catholics under his leadership.

'Some of our media and some of our social media influencers and even some of us fellow Catholics, I think, are trying to bring the Holy Father into every culture war battle in American politics.'

"But every day, since I heard of Pope Francis' illness, I say a prayer for the Holy Father," Vance said. "Because while yes, I was surprised when he criticized our immigration policy in the way that he has ... I believe that the pope is fundamentally a person who cares about the flock of Christians under his leadership. And he's a man who cares about the spiritual direction of the faith."

Vance put forth a more charitable understanding of the pope and his role, reminding those who may disagree with him to pray for him regardless, particularly as Francis' health is in jeopardy.

"And I say this because every day, me and my children have said a prayer for the Holy Father, and we pray for his health, and we present comfort as he deals with what appears to be a pretty serious health crisis," Vance added. "And while yes, some of our media and some of our social media influencers and even some of us fellow Catholics, I think, are trying to bring the Holy Father into every culture war battle in American politics, I will always remember the Holy Father, whether he makes his way through this illness, and I certainly hope that he does."

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NYC to close more than 50 migrant shelters as tidal wave of illegal aliens slows to trickle



New York City will soon close more than 50 migrant shelters, including the notorious shelter at the Roosevelt Hotel, now that the influx of migrants flowing into the city has slowed to a trickle.

At a press conference on Monday, Democratic Mayor Eric Adams confirmed the future closing of 53 sites and all tent shelters in the city. He attributed the closures to "the successful strategies we put in place here in New York City and because of policies we advocated for at the border."

The closure that has drawn most attention is the migrant shelter at the storied Roosevelt Hotel, located near Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. The iconic hotel closed in December 2020 after tourism in the city cratered due to COVID-related government restrictions. Then in May 2023, it reopened as an arrival center and shelter for the hordes of migrants moving into the city as the result of the porous southern border under the Biden administration.

Dubbed "the new Ellis Island," the hotel has served approximately 173,000 migrants in the months since. At its peak in July 2023, hundreds of male migrants even slept outside after the hotel ran out of bed space.

With the surge of migrants also came reports of an uptick in crime, especially smash-and-grab robberies in Times Square. The brutal Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua even reportedly managed to infiltrate the shelter, increasing concerns about safety.

However, the waves of migrants have slowed considerably. In May 2023, the city had to absorb about 4,000 new arrivals each week, causing the migrant population in NYC to swell to 69,000 by January 2024. Now under the Trump administration, that weekly total has slowed to just 350, and the total migrant population has dwindled to 45,000.

The Roosevelt shelter is expected to close in June, according to Adams. It currently houses about 2,850 migrants.

'We're not done caring for those who came into our care.'

Adams appears encouraged by the progress, claiming that the city has crossed another "milestone" in addressing the migrant crisis. However, he hesitated to declare the crisis "over" and cautioned that the city still has a ways to go. "I don’t want to say ‘mission accomplished’ before we’ve accomplished the mission," he said.

"We're not done caring for those who came into our care," Adams continued.

Though Adams seems to be on board with Trump's efforts to curb illegal immigration, he has publicly kept some distance from the new administration as accusations of a quid pro quo between Adams and Trump continue to swirl.

For instance, just last Friday, Adams sued the Trump administration for $80 million in migrant funding the federal government allegedly took back from the city recently. "I believe we deserve that $80 million," Adams said, claiming that Congress had already authorized the money.

After the Trump DOJ moved to dismiss the federal charges filed against Adams, critics suggested that Trump and Adams came to an agreement of sorts, whereby Trump would make Adams' legal troubles go away in exchange for cooperation on immigration. Both the DOJ and the mayor's office have denied the allegations.

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Top NY Dems working to topple Eric Adams for embracing Trump deportation policies: Report



Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is reportedly considering removing Eric Adams from his mayoral post after several New York City officials resigned from his administration.

First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer as well as Deputy Mayors Meera Joshi, Anne Williams-Isom, and Chauncey Parker all resigned on Monday. Following their resignations, Hochul is set to hold a meeting Tuesday to discuss a "path forward" for the dwindling Adams administration.

'I think they used the terminology, "You were not being a good Democrat,''' Adams said. 'I think that was their philosophy. That I was supposed to silently watch what happens to this city, and I love this city.'

"If they feel unable to serve in City Hall at this time, that raises serious questions about the long-term future of this mayoral administration," Hochul said of the former staff in a Monday statement.

Hochul also alluded to potentially removing Adams from his mayoral post, citing "alleged conduct" that has taken place in City Hall.

"I recognize the immense responsibility I hold as governor and the constitutional powers granted to this office," Hochul said in the statement. "In 235 years of New York State history, these powers have never been utilized to remove a duly-elected mayor; overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly."

"That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored," Hochul added. "Tomorrow, I have asked key leaders to meet with me at my Manhattan office for a conversation about the path forward, with the goal of ensuring stability for the City of New York."

Much of the conflict surrounding Adams and the administration in recent weeks has revolved around his sudden embrace of President Donald Trump's deportation policies.

In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Adams admitted that when he spoke with Biden's administration about the migrant crisis, he was told to "be a good Democrat."

"I think they used the terminology, 'You were not being a good Democrat,'" Adams said. "I think that was their philosophy, that I was supposed to silently watch what happens to this city. And I love this city."

Truthfully, Adams couldn't afford to be a "good Democrat" anymore. The migrant crisis in New York City was costing taxpayers billions, flooding their schools and their communities with the expectation of endless welfare and subsidies. After realizing they could no longer foot the bill, Adams' approach changed.

In doing so, Adams has had multiple meetings with border czar Tom Homan, who seemed optimistic about the mayor's cooperation.

"He’s all in on addressing public safety threats that are here illegally and helping me find these missing children," Homan said of Adams.

"I think New York City is about to get a lot safer," Homan said. "I think New York City is about to send a strong message."

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Exclusive: Rep. Biggs presses Biden admin over auctioning border wall material



Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona and dozens of his House GOP colleagues pressed the Biden administration's decision to auction off unused border materials less than one month before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office, according to a letter Tuesday obtained exclusively by Blaze News.

After President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, his administration worked quickly to halt the construction of the border wall and to get rid of Trump's immigration policies. As a result, the Department of Defense began to auction border materials, a move that Biggs and his colleagues said "serves only as a legal gimmick" for Biden to prevent Trump from further securing the border.

'The fact that your administration has not done so after an election where the President-elect made clear his intention to erect more barriers shows a clear intention to inhibit your successor in accomplishing his stated goal of securing the border and stopping the largest flow of illegal immigration in American history.'

"These actions are tantamount to purposeful waste of government resources and are part of a deliberate effort to preemptively curtail the next administration on an issue which loomed large in the previous election," the letter reads.

"Since you took office, these border materials have sat idle just feet away from the border wall and the adjacent unfinished areas," the letter continued. "Every Border Patrol agent knows that the areas with the highest number of illegal crossings are where border construction immediately halted in January of 2021."

Since Biden took office, there have been nine million nationwide migrant encounters, over 7.4 million of which took place on the southern border alone.

"Since then, your administration has not expressed the intention to use the border materials for their purpose or create a plan to ensure homeland security at the border," the letter reads. "Instead, the American people have seen the number of illegal aliens entering the country skyrocket, including dramatic increases in convicted criminals and individuals on terror watchlists."

The letter also mentions that departments like the DOD could have reasonably opted to keep certain materials for incoming administrations "in the interest of government efficiency and budgetary constraints." Despite this, the Biden administration decided to sell the materials anyway.

"The fact that your administration has not done so after an election where the President-elect made clear his intention to erect more barriers shows a clear intention to inhibit your successor in accomplishing his stated goal of securing the border and stopping the largest flow of illegal immigration in American history," the letter reads.

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