Grand Rapids Acton Institute on Trump Administration’s Immigration Policies: Promoting Hate Against Immigrants

The Grand Rapids-based Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty has historically promoted Neo-Liberal Capitalist economic policies and practices, by using Christianity as its main justification. 

Over the years as the Grand Rapids organization has evolved, they have expanded their scope by taking on both US foreign and domestic policy. Along with their expansion of issues, they have added more staff and more researchers to fill the expansion of their scope.

One of those added staff is Paul Bonicelli. According to the bio provided on the Acton Institute website, Bonicelli worked in the George W. Bush administration with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), often working collaboratively with the National Security Council and the State Department. Bonicelli also appears on numerous media outlets and serves as a Senior advisor to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). CSIS is a DC-based think tank board of advisors is made up of former Republican and Democratic administration cabinet members, such as Richard Armitage, William Cohen, Henry Kissinger, Leon Panetta and Brent Scowcroft, all of which have been committed to furthering US world dominance through economic and military means.  

As the Director of Programs and Education for the Acton Institute, Paul Bonicelli was recently on Fox News, talking about the most recent Trump Administration Executive Orders regarding immigration. Here is the clip from Fox News. Pay attention to the language used and the calmness to which the guests and the Fox News pundit refer to immigrants as illegal and criminal.

This video commentary is indicative of the current political climate around seeing undocumented immigrants as criminal and in violation of the law. There is no discussion on why people are coming to the US and what are the factors in determining their departure from their countries of origin.

The news clip only includes two white male “experts,” which means that immigrant voices are excluded from the conversation and irrelevant when it comes to most major news outlets.

Just another example of why the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is a dangerous organization that promotes hate and White Supremacist values. Those who live in West Michigan need to pay attention to how they influence regional and national policy debates.