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Solidarity is found in a commitment to the good of one’s neighbor. The good of one is the good of all, and the other is as important as the self. Injustice done to another is an injustice that affects everyone. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 193
With the Marginalized and the Vulnerable
Some people are born into economically stable families, receive a fine education, grow up well nourished, or naturally possess great talent. They will certainly not need a proactive state; they need only claim their freedom. Yet the same rule clearly does not apply to a disabled person, to someone born in dire poverty, to those lacking a good education and with little access to adequate health care. If a society is governed primarily by the criteria of market freedom and efficiency, there is no place for such persons, and fraternity will remain just another vague ideal. Pope Francis – Fratelli tutti, 109
So many needy brothers and sisters are waiting for help, so many who are oppressed are waiting for justice, so many who are unemployed are waiting for a job, so many peoples are waiting for respect. How can it be that even today there are still people dying of hunger? Condemned to illiteracy? Lacking the most basic medical care? Without a roof over their head? The scenario of poverty can extend indefinitely, if in addition to its traditional forms we think of its newer patterns. These new patterns often affect financially affluent sectors and groups which are nevertheless threatened by despair at the lack of meaning in their lives, by drug addiction, by fear of abandonment in old age or sickness, by marginalization or social discrimination… Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 5
Disabilities, Mental Health & Addictions
Persons with disabilities are fully human subjects, with rights and duties: “in spite of the limitations and sufferings affecting their bodies and faculties, they point up more clearly the dignity and greatness of man.” Persons with disabilities are to be helped to participate in every dimension of family and social life at every level accessible to them and according to their possibilities… They too need to love and to be loved, they need tenderness, closeness and intimacy according to their capacities. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 148
Indigenous Peoples & Reconciliation
The relationship of Indigenous peoples to their lands and resources deserves particular attention, since it is a fundamental expression of their identity. These peoples offer an example of a life lived in harmony with the environment that they have come to know well and to preserve. Their extraordinary experience, which is an irreplaceable resource for all humanity, runs the risk of being lost together with the environment from which they originate. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 471
The Church supports the work of reconciliation with indigenous people. We are called to support thriving Indigenous communities in United States, rooted in their unique cultures and traditions.
Rural Communities
Looking after the common good means making use of the new opportunities for the redistribution of wealth to the benefit of the underprivileged that until now have been excluded or cast to the sidelines of social and economic progress. Too often, social services and infrastructure development suffer from neglect in rural areas. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 299, 30, 363
Agricultural labour merits special attention… considering the many problems that need to be met in the context of an ever more globalized economy as well as its growing significance in safeguarding the natural environment. Radical and urgent changes are therefore needed in order to restore to agriculture — and to rural people — their just value as the basis for a healthy economy… Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 363, 299
Immigrants & Newcomers
Ideally, unnecessary migration ought to be avoided; this entails creating in countries of origin the conditions needed for a dignified life and integral development. Yet until substantial progress is made in achieving this goal, we are obliged to respect the right of all individuals to find a place that meets their basic needs and those of their families, and where they can find personal fulfilment. Our response to the arrival of migrating persons can be summarized by four words: welcome, protect, promote and integrate. – Pope Francis, Fratelli tutti, 129
In the modern world, where there are still grave inequalities between rich countries and poor countries, and where advances in communications quickly reduce distances, the immigration of people looking for a better life is on the increase. These people come from less privileged areas of the earth and their arrival in developed countries is often perceived as a threat to the high levels of well-being achieved thanks to decades of economic growth. In most cases, however, immigrants fill a labour need which would otherwise remain unfilled…
Institutions in host countries must keep careful watch to prevent the spread of the temptation to exploit foreign labourers, denying them the same rights enjoyed by nationals, rights that are to be guaranteed to all without discrimination. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 297, 298
We are called to welcome immigrants and refugees with generosity and good will, as if they were Jesus Christ himself. Matthew, Chapter 25
When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.
The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself;
for you were strangers in the land of Egypt:
I am the Lord your God.
Lev. 19:33-34
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The Marginalized & Vulnerable
The Party’s Credo affirms its belief that among the responsibilities of government is the duty to achieve a society in which the disabled can lead lives of dignity and where Social Security remains an unshakable commitment
With the disabled
The party states that:
– one in four American adults lives with a disability.
– people with disabilities have long strengthened the nation’s economy and expanded the nation’s possibilities.
– groundbreaking legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act have made significant strides toward equal opportunity for people with disabilities.
– yet people with disabilities are three times less likely to have a job, and when they do, they are often paid less money for doing the same work.
– the current administration signed an executive order establishing a government-wide commitment to advancing equality and equity in federal employment, including for people with disabilities, and ordered the Labor Department to protect workers with disabilities.
– the administration is helping state and local governments, businesses, and nonprofits access federal funds to hire more disabled Americans, and is appointing people with disabilities to positions across government.
– it is helping young people with disabilities transition from education to employment through the Disability Innovation Fund.
– it has barred health care providers from denying medical treatments related to organ donations or lifesaving care for disabled Americans based on their disability alone.
– the administration launched long COVID clinical trials and created the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice; and caused the National Institutes of Health to designate people with disabilities a “health disparity population,” unlocking new resources for research.
The party advocates:
– aggressive enforcement of federal mental health and substance abuse parity laws, to prevent unlawful discrimination by health insurers and care providers.
– hiring of more mental health and addictions professionals, especially in rural areas, and expanding access through Medicaid.
– expanded support for incarcerated persons suffering mental health or addiction issues.
– strict enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
– a holistic approach to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and increasing SSI benefits for millions of Americans, eliminating waiting periods for SSDI.
– increases federal funding to expand accessible transportation and accessible, integrated, and affordable housing.
Mental Health
The party states that during its current term in office the administration it:
– released a comprehensive national strategy to transform understanding and treatment of mental health, and has invested nearly $1 billion to support the 988
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
– is investing in training of more mental health professionals and expansion of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics nationwide
– has taken action to improve and strengthen mental health parity requirements to ensure that more than 150 million Americans with private health insurance can better access mental health benefits under their insurance plan
– is investing to support student mental, including to help hire and train over 14,000 school-based mental health professionals across the Nation
Behavioral Healthcare
The party states that:
– in 2022, almost a quarter of adults suffered from mental illness, 13 percent of adolescents had serious thoughts of suicide, and overdose deaths continued near record highs
– as a core pillar of his Unity Agenda, the President released a national strategy to transform the way in which mental health is understood and addressed in America
In order to strengthen mental health parity protections, the party’s 2035 budget proposal advocates:
– requires all health plans to cover mental health and substance use disorder benefits, ensures that plans have an adequate network of behavioral health providers, and improves the Department of Labor’s (DOL) ability to enforce the law
– allocating $275 million over 10 years to increase the DOL’s capacity to ensure that large group market health plans and issuers comply with mental health and substance use disorder requirements, and to take action against plans and issuers that do not comply
– significant investments in expanding the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which is projected to respond to 7.5 million contacts in 2025, and in related CDC programs
– allocating $1 billion to advance Health IT adoption and engagement in interoperability
Addictions
The party states that during its current term in office the administration:
– has made the overdose epidemic a top priority, providing funding to States, localities, and Tribes for overdose prevention efforts like access to naloxone and
treatment for opioid-use disorder
– requested $1.6 billion in supplemental funding for 2024 in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand substance use prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support services to address the overdose crisis
In its 2025 budget proposal, the party advocates:
– increased funding for the State Opioid Response grant program, which has provided treatment services to over 1.2 million people and enabled States to reverse more than 500,000 overdoses with over nine million purchased overdose reversal medication kits
– investment in a new technical assistance center to strengthen health providers’ understanding and treatment of women’s mental health and substance use
The party advocates:
– ending over-prescribing of pain medicines
– expanded mental health support for incarcerated persons
– eliminating incarceration for drug use alone and increasing harm reduction interventions and treatment diversion programs
Native American & Tribal Peoples
The party states that during its current term in office:
– it has helped champion a new and better chapter in the story of nation-to-nation relationships with Tribal Nations, including appointment of the first Native American Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, and more than 80 Native Americans to senior Administration roles.
– it relaunched Tribal Nations Summit and reestablished the White House Council on Native American Affairs. He is protecting sacred and Tribal lands, including by restoring protections for Berryessa Snow Mountain, Avi Kwa Ame, and Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.
– to further tribal self-governance and self-determination, it signed a historic executive order to promote maximal autonomy in funding and other steps.
– it has taken action to address a decades-long epidemic of unresolved disappearances and killings Indigenous persons crisis. For example, the Departments of Justice and the Interior are working together to accelerate investigations, and it has continued to implement the Not Invisible Act Commission recommendations to address violent crime and the high rates of people reported missing in Native communities and relaunched the North American Trilateral Working Group on Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls.
– it has issued final fee-to-trust land acquisitions rules and changes to Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act regulations.
The party advocates:
– adequate and stable funding for HIS, including advance appropriation to end historical underfunding
– allocating $8 billion in 2025, including increases for clinical services, preventative health, facilities construction, contract support costs, and tribal leases
– reauthorization and increased funding for the Special Diabetes Program for Indians
– in accordance with feedback from tribal consultations, the Budget continued support for indigenous communities in keeping with U.S. Federal trust responsibilities
while working to advance equity, including $4.6 billion for DOI’s tribal programs, an increase of more than $1 billion over the 2021 level, to support public safety and justice, human and social services, and education
– prioritizing restoration of healthy and abundant wild salmon, steelhead, and other native fish populations in the Columbia River Basin, and honoring United States’ obligations to tribal nations, including $145 million through the Corps of Engineers, $19 million through the Bureau of Reclamation, and $34 million through NOAA to enhance restoration efforts in the watershed
– to address reports that Native Americans are seven times more likely to live in overcrowded conditions and five times more likely to have inadequate plumbing, kitchen, or heating systems than other U.S. households, allocating $1.1 billion at HUD to support tribal efforts to expand affordable housing & improve housing conditions
– allocating $2.8 billion to the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund, as well as $226 million in discretionary funding to meet existing settlement obligations
– honoring and strengthening US trust obligations to Tribal Nations consistent with US laws and treaties
– working with Tribal Nations on a nation-to-nation basis to empower Indigenous peoples, increase economic development in Tribal Nations, and protect Tribal lands and assets
– a surge in funding to the Indian Health Service to fight COVID, and to help economic recovery
– restorative justice to address boarding school trauma, and increased funding for the Bureau of Indian Education
– substantial funding increases to address Tribal housing needs
– promotion of Indigenous culture and languages
– pursuing environmental and climate justice, including for Indigenous peoples, and will invest in clean water and wastewater infrastructure
– investing in sustainable and regenerative agriculture
– mandatory full funding for the Indian Health Service
– increasing public investment in Tribal broadband infrastructure
Rural Communities
The party advocates:
– doubled investments in community and rural health centers, and expanded mobile health units
– expanding USDA ownership and loan programs, to encourage new and beginning farmers, ranchers, and foresters, including particularly farmers of color
– limiting foreign ownership of farms, to protect families and food security
– preventing states from blocking municipal or co-op, publicly-owned broadband internet; increased federal support for municipal broadband
– expansion of local and regional markets for family farmers and ranchers
– zero-emissions agriculture industry
– investment in sustainable, low-carbon and organic agriculture
– enforce labor and environmental protections for farm workers
– 10-20-30 funding, to provide 10% of federal funding to communities in which at least 20% of population has lived beneath the poverty line for 30 years or more
Refugees & Newcomers
The party states that:
– immigrants are essential to our society and our economy, that they enrich American culture, grow the nation’s food, care for our loved ones, serve in our armed forces, and provide critical health care services.
– the immigration framework was last updated in the 1990s, and does not reflect the needs of the 21st century. Many immigrants are forced to wait years, and often decades, to immigrate lawfully to the United States.
– a robust immigration system with accessible lawful pathways and penalties for illegal immigration alleviates pressure at the border and upholds our values. The bipartisan U.S. Citizenship Act would permanently increase family-sponsored and employment-based immigration, and the number of immigrant visas that are available by 250,000 over 5 years.
The party advocates:
– rescinding the state of emergency declared at the US-Mexico border
– termination of discriminatory travel and immigration bans, and corresponding legislation
– expansion and streamlining of protections for Dreamers and parents of American citizen children
– permitting asylum for victims of gang and domestic violence, as well as LGBTQ+ people who are safe in their home countries
– providing roadmaps to citizenship for millions of undocumented workers, caregivers, students, and children
– expansion of annual visa caps for victims of human trafficking
– end workplace and community immigration raids
To accommodate refugees and care for unaccompanied children, the party’s 2025 budget advocates:
– allocation of $9.3 billion to help rebuild the Nation’s refugee resettlement infrastructure and support resettlement of up to 125,000 refugees in 2025 and to allow
ORR to continue the programmatic improvements in expanding access to counsel to help children navigate complex immigration court proceedings and enhancing case management and post-release services
– establishment of an emergency contingency fund that would provide additional resources when there are unanticipated increases in the number of unaccompanied
Children
– to improve immigration courts, allocation of $981 million, an increase of $121 million to help address the backlog of over 2.4 million currently pending cases, including support for 25 new immigration judge teams
– allocating $30 million for EOIR to partner to with the U.S. Digital Service to maximize each judge’s adjudicatory capacity and help reduce the case backlog
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Supporting the Marginalized
The party states, among its ten key values, that:
– society must consciously confront in itself and in its organizations, any discrimination by race, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, nationality, religion, or physical or mental ability that denies fair treatment and equal justice under the law
The Disabled
The party states that:
– the physically and mentally challenged are people who are differently abled from the majority, but who are nevertheless able to live independently
– the mentally ill are people with serious mental problems who often need social support networks
– physically and mentally challenged people have the right to live independently in their communities
– the mentally ill also have the right to live independently, circumscribed only by the limitations of their illness
– these people are their own best advocates in securing their rights and for living in the social and economic mainstream
– current Medicaid policy forces many challenged people to live in costly state-funded institutions, excluding and alienating them from society and the workforce, and denying them the chance to use their potentials
– as a result of diminishing funds for care for the growing number of the mentally ill often result in their homelessness, vagrancy and dependence on short-term crisis facilities, and increases the necessity of placing them in long-term, locked facilities
The party advocates:
– full enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act to enable all people with disabilities to achieve independence and function at the highest possible level
– Government assurance that children with disabilities are provided with the same educational opportunities as those without disabilities
– increased rehabilitation funding so that persons with disabilities can pursue education and training to reach their highest potential
– participation by the differently abled in allocation decisions of state rehabilitation department fund
– ratification of the United Nations Convention on Rights for Persons with Disabilities as well as the Optional Protocol
– funding for in-home support services to allow the differently abled to hire personal care attendants while remaining at home
– adequate funding to support community-based programs that provide out-patient medical services, case management services and counseling programs
– making it easier for the chronically mentally ill to apply for and receive Supplemental Security Income
– mainstreaming the differently abled
– increased teacher training in regard to the needs of differently abled students
– discouragement of stereotyping of the mentally and physically challenged by the entertainment industry and the media
– funding for programs to increase public sensitivity to the needs of the mentally ill and differently abled.
Indigenous Peoples
The party states that:
– it has great respect for Native American cultures, especially their deference for community and the Earth
– it recognizes both the sovereignty of Native American tribal governments and the Federal Government’s trust obligation to Native American people. Native American nations are just that — nations — and should be treated in like fashion, with the special circumstance that they are located within the United States
– the federal government is obligated to deal in good faith with Native Americans; honor its treaty obligations; adequately fund programs for the betterment of tribal governments and their people; affirm the religious rights of Native Americans in ceremonies (American Indian Religious Freedom Act); provide funds for innovative economic development initiatives, education and public health programs; and respect land, water and mineral rights within the borders of reservations and traditional lands
The party advocates:
– efforts to broadly reform the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make this vast agency more responsible and more responsive to tribal governments
– just settlement of the claims of the thousands of Native American uranium miners who have suffered and died from radiation exposure, and condemns the stance of secrecy taken by the Atomic Energy Commission during this era and its subsequent claim of government immunity, taken knowingly and immorally at the expense of Native people
– because Native American land and treaty rights often stand as the front line against government and multinational corporate attempts to plunder energy, mineral, timber, fish, and game resources; pollute water, air, and land in the service of the military; expand economically; and consume natural resources, the party advocates legal, political, and grassroots efforts by, and on behalf of, Native Americans to protect their traditions, rights, livelihoods, and sacred spaces
– support for the rights of indigenous peoples to their lands, their ways of life, and all other rights of free peoples
– adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by the UN, actively supported by the federal government and by governments worldwide
Local & Rural Communities
The party states that:
– successful local communities nurture everyone of all ages, generate good jobs and housing, and provide public services; creating cities and towns that educate everyone, encourage recreation, and preserve natural and cultural resources; building local governments that protect people from environmental hazards and crime; and motivating citizens to participate in making decisions
The party advocates:
– reforms that give communities more control over their own local economies
– economic decentralization, including community-based economics whose aim is local prosperity and self-sufficiency
– protecting local businesses from the predatory pricing practices of chain and “big box” stores
– incentives for co-operative enterprises, such as consumer co-ops, workers’ co-operatives, credit unions and other institutions that help communities develop economic projects
– allowing municipalities to approve or disapprove large economic projects case-by-case based on environmental impacts, local ownership, community reinvestment, wage levels, and working conditions
– allowing communities to set environmental, consumer, human rights, labor, health and safety standards higher than federal or state minimums
– investment in the commons: rebuild infrastructure; improve mass transit
– support for local living wage laws
– establishing local currencies such as Time Dollars, Ithaca Hours and BerkShares, to strengthen local economies
– place of origin labeling.
– corporate “good character” laws, requiring corporations, when applying for a permit, to disclose all violations of law they have committed, and empowering officials to deny permits based on such information
Immigration & Newcomers
The party states that:
– the current controversial influx of immigrants in this country has been largely due to unfair US trade policies. If it were economically possible to provide for their families many would choose to remain in their native countries
– any immigration policy should be seen a way to address all people’s humanitarian needs as we undo the damage to local communities and chart a course toward sustainable local economies
– it stands firmly for social justice for all those living in this country regardless of their immigration status
– it accepts as a goal a world in which persons can freely choose to live in and work in any county he or she desires, while recognizing that this would be impractical without reciprocity between nations
– it acknowledges the rights of countries to know the identity of persons seeking to enter, and to limit who can come in to protect public safety
– the U.S. needs a complete overhaul of its immigration laws
– millions of people are living and working in the U.S. with no legal status, making them subject to extreme exploitation and abuse; and immigration raids are terrorizing the immigrant community and breaking up families
– immigration issues must be considered from an international standpoint, taking into account international labor and environmental standards, and human rights
The party advocates:
– recognition that there cannot be any true solutions to the conflicts created by immigration until we are able to organize globally to overcome the power of multinational corporations, which seek to drive down workers’ living standards everywhere. International cooperation and solidarity among labor organizations are essential to combat this trend.
– undocumented immigrants who are already residing and working in the United States, and their families, should be granted a legal status which includes the chance to become U.S. citizens. Persons should be excluded from this process only if they present a clear and present danger to other members of our society
– any such path to citizenship should include a recognition of past, uncredited payments into the Social Security System
– permanent border passes to all citizens of Mexico and United States whose identity can be traced and verified
– easily-attainable work permits for citizens of Mexico and United States
– all persons fleeing political, racial, religious, or other types of persecution must be welcomed and given permanent resident status, with particular attention being given to those minorities who are political exiles and refugees and those whose lives would be at risk if asylum is not granted
– family reunification must be a priority in accepting applications for permanent residency
– permanent residency should not be denied based on political views, racial or national origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, disability, or any other arbitrary basis
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Disabilities & Addictions
The campaign states that:
– healthcare is a key aspect of American revitalization, as it consumes nearly one-fifth of GDP. However, it’s not just a matter of shifting the burden of who pays: healthcare spending per capita has increased twelve-fold since 1960. Is America twelve times healthier? On the contrary, the nation faces a pandemic of chronic disease. Auto-immunity, allergies, diabetes, obesity, addiction, anxiety, and depression afflict two-thirds of the population, up from a few percent in our grandparents’ time.
– addiction afflicts all ethnic groups in America
The campaign advocates:
– going beyond making existing modalities available to all, to include low-cost alternative and holistic therapies that have been marginalized in a pharma-dominated system, and moving a sick care system to a wellness society
– a nationwide network of low-cost or free addiction healing centers on organic farms available to anyone who sincerely wants to heal
Indigenous Rights & Relations
The party states that:
– Candidate Kennedy inherited from his father a deep commitment to improving the lives of Native Americans, seeing the poverty and suffering in Indian Country as our country’s greatest shame. He views federal government’s unfair dealings and broken treaties with the tribal nations as our nation’s original sin.
– Candidate Kennedy was inspired by his father’s campaign visits to reservation to focus a significant amount of his own career on representing the interests of indigenous Americans in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. He has advocated for these first Americans in courtrooms and in treaty negotiations; he has fought for them against mining, timber, hydroelectric, and oil-industry forces endeavoring to steal their resources and destroy their lands and tribal culture
– Candidate Kennedy has been on the front lines of recent battles in Indian country, joining water protectors at Standing Rock, he and his son Conor were arrested protesting the Keystone XL pipeline.
The campaign advocates:
– addressing historical wrongs done to Native American communities, including honoring the spirit as well as the letter of treaties as the highest law of the land: documents made between sovereign nations
– supporting cultural renewal and defense of religious practices and sacred sites
– respecting tribal sovereignty and the right of self determination
– elevating the need for restoration of illegally taken lands and resources, compensation for broken treaties, protection and enhancement of natural resources in Indian Country to matters of national interest and examination
– working in partnership with Native American leaders to learn more and to find the solutions. It is the duty of the federal government to do all that it canto create a better life for all Americans—especially those who have been reprehensibly neglected
– seeking to restore trust between Native Americans and the federal government, working hard to deserve it. It is not enough to apologize for—or even attempt to rectify—past injustices; we need to prevent current and future injustices from occurring.
Immigration & Newcomers
The campaign states that:
– it sees the situation at the border primarily as a humanitarian crisis which has spread far beyond the border, as a flood of migrants has overwhelmed the resources of cities as faraway as New York. The suffering of the migrants at the hands of drug cartels, human traffickers, and exploitative employers is heartbreaking
– it seeks to end the humanitarian crisis, starting with its most immediate cause — an uncontrolled border. While sealing the border to illegal immigration, it proposes to enact deeper reforms to stem illegal migration in the long term, while expanding lawful, orderly immigration according to principles of justice and fairness
– Americans must recognize that the foremost victims of a porous, chaotic border are the immigrants themselves. Compassion and decency demand that we do not allow the current situation to continue
– ruthless criminal cartels have woven drugs, immigration, and human trafficking together into a multi-billion dollar business, and American policy has exacerbated the situation. Immigration is being administered by the cartels, not our government
– yet a controlled border is necessary
The campaign advocates:
– first, getting the border under control. There are two ways people enter this country illegally. One way is by sneaking in. The other is by simply walking across at an entry point, claiming asylum, and disappearing. Both must be addressed simultaneously
– second, working with other countries to stem the tide of migrants
– third, to fully fund and prioritize the administrative infrastructure for lawful, orderly immigration to this country
To regain control over the border, the campaign advocates:
– closing the border by returning to use of technology dismantled by the current administration, such as cameras, lights, and motion detectors, coupled with physical barriers in key areas. There is no need to build a wall across the entire 2,000-mile border. We have the technology to prevent people from getting through undetected.
– regaining control asylum of claims by fully funding courts, services, and border agencies to allow lawful immigration in accordance with U.S. law and deny non-compliant access, and appoint more judges to handle asylum cases. There are too few asylum judges to process even the legitimate claims of political refugees. If claimants of political asylum knew their case would be heard swiftly, and that specious claims would be met with swift deportation, the cartels’ business model would fail. Hundreds more judges need to be appointed to deal with the backlog of 1.6 million immigrants living in the US while they await their asylum hearing
In working with other countries to stem the tide of migrants, the campaign advocates a new kind of Good Neighbor Policy, to reestablish regional diplomatic, proper planning, and end economic exploitation, including:
– ending military adventurism that destabilizes other nations and generates millions of refugees, as in Syria and Iraq, which sent millions of migrants into Europe. The current flood of arms into Ukraine sends ripples of instability across the continent. Some of the weapons have already ended up in Africa and central Asia, two major sources of immigration.
– ending support for despotic governments, juntas, coups, death squads, and repressive regimes that persecute and impoverish their own people
– ending opposition to governments that seek land reform, labor reform, and social welfare for their people. These create a desperate and miserable population prone to flee their homeland for a better life
– cooperating with Mexico and Central American countries to improve economies and provide economic incentives to build jobs and develop much-needed infrastructure and a better standard of living, so people will be motivated to stay in their home country and enjoy their natural culture and heritage
– pursuing a different trade and economic policy, including ending decades of neoliberal austerity measures and US encouragement of financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank to demand that developing nations gut their social programs, privatize public assets, and strip away environmental and labor protections
– ending appeals to xenophobia and bigotry in calling for a tough border policy and turning toward compassion and humanitarian conscience
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The party states that its core belief is “respect for the life, liberty and property rights of each individual. This means that no one may initiate force against another, as that violates those natural rights. While many claim adherence to this principle, only libertarians apply the non-aggression axiom to the state.”
The party has published no official statement concerning its positions regarding:
– Supporting the marginalized or vulnerable
– Relations with Indigenous Americans
– Rural communities
– Immigration and newcomers
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The Marginalized & Vulnerable
The party’s 2024 platform comprises no statement concerning its policies on support for the marginalized or vulnerable.
Indigenous Rights & Relations
The party’s 2024 platform comprises no statement concerning its policies on Indigenous rights or relations.
Rural Communities
The party’s 2024 platform comprises no statement concerning its policies on support for or development of rural communities.
Refugees & Newcomers
The party advocates:
– sealing the border, and stopping the migrant invasion, by restoring all border policies of the previous Trump administration and halting all releases of Illegal Aliens into the interior. It advocates completing the Border Wall, shifting massive portions of Federal Law Enforcement to Immigration Enforcement, and use of advanced technology to monitor and secure the Border. We will use all resources needed to stop the Invasion—including moving thousands of troops currently stationed overseas to our own southern border and deploying the U.S. Navy to impose a full fentanyl blockade on the waters of our region—boarding and inspecting ships to look for fentanyl and fentanyl precursors. Before we defend the borders of foreign countries, we must first secure the border of our country.
– enforcing immigration law, including strengthening Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), increasing penalties for illegal entry and overstaying Visas, and reinstating “Remain in Mexico” and other Policies that helped reduce Illegal Immigration to historic lows in the prior Trump administration. We will also invoke the Alien Enemies Act to remove all known or suspected gang members, drug dealers, or cartel members from the United States, ending the scourge of Illegal Alien gang violence once and for all.
– reinstating the Travel Ban, and using Title 42 to end the child trafficking crisis by returning all trafficked children to their families in their Home Countries immediately.
– carrying out the largest deportation operation in American history, reversing the Open Borders policies that have allowed criminal gangs and Illegal Aliens from around the World to roam the United States without consequences, and sending illegal aliens back home and removing those who have violated American law.
– using existing federal law to keep foreign Christian-hating Communists, Marxists, and Socialists out of America. Those who join the country must love it. It advocates use of extreme vetting to ensure that jihadists and jihadist sympathizers are not admitted.
– to stop sanctuary cities, cutting federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions that release dangerous Illegal Alien criminals onto the streets, rather than handing them over to ICE, and requiring local cooperation with Federal Immigration Enforcement.
– to ensure that the immigration system puts American workers first, prioritizing merit-based immigration, ensuring those admitted to the country contribute positively to society and the economy, and never become a drain on Public Resources, including ending chain migration
– deporting pro-Hamas radicals and making college campuses safe and patriotic again
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Points to Ponder: Solidarity
Mental Health & Addictions
To what extent would further deregulation, decriminalization and legalization of controlled substances give individuals further freedom to “develop their potentialities, become aware of their dignity and prepare to face their unique and individual destiny” (St. John Paul II, On the Hundredth Year (Centesimus Annus) #39), or lead to additional abuse and suffering? How could desirable outcomes be achieved, through efforts of federal, state, and local agencies, educational institutions, and private benevolent groups, and through support for and encouragement of the family?
Refugees & Newcomers
– Catholics are enjoined by both the Old and New Testaments to welcome strangers in their midst, and to look after those in need as they would look after themselves. What can or should be done to ensure that those in need are offered refuge in the United States?
– What is being done, and what, if anything, should further be done to ensure that refugees and newcomers are safe, healthy, and enabled to flourish in the United States?
Rural Communities
– What is being done, and what, if anything, should further be done to ensure vibrant, healthy rural life in America? Of those measures, what should be done at the federal level? By the states? By businesses, residents, and civil associations in rural areas?
– Territorial areas are also of concern. What special circumstances are faced by those living in America’s territories, and how should their needs best be assessed?