The death of Marco Antonio Muñoz has not been publicly disclosed by the Department of Homeland Security, and it did not appear in any local news accounts.

But, according to a copy of a sheriff's department report obtained by The Washington Post, Muñoz was found on the floor of his cell on 13 May.

Muñoz's death occurred not long after the Trump administration began implementing its ­"zero-tolerance" crackdown on illegal migration.

The chairman of the US bishops' Committee on Migration on June 1 criticised the Trump administration for "forcibly separating children from their mothers and fathers" at the US-Mexico border.

Such a policy "is ineffective to the goals of deterrence and safety, and contrary to our Catholic values," said Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas.

"Family unity is a cornerstone of our American immigration system and a foundational element of Catholic teaching".

Bishop Daniel Flores issued a statement three days ago in which he said while a nation has a right to secure its sovereign border, it does not mean that it may use any means available to deter immigrants who seek to ask for asylum.

Flores is the Bishop of Brownsville, which is on the border between Texas and Mexico.

"This nation, for the sake of its soul, must learn to weep with these children, and all the children who are being instrumentalised and commodified in our midst", Flores said.

He called the Catholics of Brownsville and all people of good will to write to the President, the Attorney General and members of Congress to insist that this manner of enforcement comes to an end.

Source

• washingtonpost.com
• catholicphilly.com
• Supplied: Father Tony O'Connor
• Image: edition.cnn.com

On the last stop of his recent pastoral visit to Mexico, in Ciudad Juarez - the border city across from El Paso, Texas - the Holy Father in his homily during an open-air Mass said, "The human tragedy that is forced migration is a global phenomenon today. This crisis which can be measured in numbers and statistics, we want instead to measure with names, stories, families. They are the brothers and sisters of those expelled by poverty and violence, by drug trafficking and criminal organizations."

While the pope had not put a foot onto American territory, he clearly stepped into the U.S. immigration debate; and as always, Francis weighed-in on the side of mercy.

"Being faced with so many legal vacuums, they [refugees and migrants] get caught up in a web that ensnares and always destroys the poorest," he preached.

"Not only do they suffer poverty but they must also endure these forms of violence.

Many migrants fleeing the drug-fueled violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, discover that instead of finding asylum in the U.S., they are deported back to the violence where some are gunned-down by the gangs they fled from (see: http://bit.ly/1Ql2X6Q).

Reminiscent of when Pope Francis prayed before the Israeli-built separation barrier that divides Israel from the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank (see: http://bit.ly/1pcRXhV), Francis prayed before a large cross overlooking the U.S. constructed border fence. The cross was built to remember the migrants who have died along Mexico's border.

While 200,000 Mexicans welcomed Pope Francis to Ciudad Juarez, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made it a point that he was on the other side of the fence - literally, politically and spiritually.

Since Trump wants to build a wall across the entire U.S.-Mexico border, he was at odds with the pope's Eucharistic celebration at the border. He criticized Pope Francis as being a political pawn of the Mexican government.

When questioned about Trump's criticism during a press conference aboard the pope's return flight to Rome, the pontiff (meaning "bridge builder") replied, "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges is not Christian." He added, "This is not in the Gospel."

With a thorough U.S. vetting process already in place, the U.S. needs to more generously and justly welcome those fleeing for their lives. Yes, building bridges not walls, is the Christian response to suffering.

Also, the serious U.S. drug addiction crisis needs to be comprehensively treated. Imprisoning drug users instead of adequately treating their problems has been a disaster.

Additionally, instead of a failed military war on drugs, the U.S. government needs to provide adequate funds that address problems of dysfunctional families, poor education, unemployment and underemployment in both the U.S. and Central America.

Such a strategy would go a long way in drying up drug use and drug gangs.

During his homily at Ciudad Juarez Pope Francis emotionally proclaimed, "No more death! No more exploitation! It's not too late for change, for a way out, a time to implore the mercy of God. In this Year of Mercy … I beg for God's mercy."

Then the Holy Father touchingly added, "With you I wish to plead for the gift of tears, the gift of conversion."

• Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings about Catholic social teaching. His keynote address, "Advancing the Kingdom of God in the 21st Century," has been well received by diocesan and parish gatherings from Santa Clara, Calif. to Baltimore, Md. Tony can be reached at tmag@zoominternet.net