Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) heavily criticized statements made by the Right Rev. Mariann Budde on Tuesday at the inaugural prayer service held for President Trump.
“The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list,” Collins wrote in a post on X with a clip of Budde’s comments.
Collins’s statement comes after Trump’s promise to carry out the largest deportation in the country’s history.
The former president instituted a plethora of border security laws on Monday including the “Remain in Mexico” program which requires asylum seekers to stay in Mexico until their U.S. immigration court date in addition to shutting down the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) One app which facilitates appointments for immigration proceedings.
During the service, Budde begged for mercy over communities likely to be impacted by Trump’s new policies.
Budde said although illegal immigrants are now facing heightened deportation measures, members of the demographic are “good neighbors.”
“They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors,” she declared.
“They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues and temples.”
She also highlighted the LGBTQ community earlier in her speech.
During the president’s inaugural speech, he declared the United States would only recognize two genders: male and female then signed an executive order affirming the directive hours later.
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families. Some who fear for their lives,” Budde stated.
Later in the day, President Trump raised issues with the message.
“Not too exciting, was it? I didn’t think it was a good service, no. Thank you very much. They can do, they can do much better,” he told reporters.
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