Bishop during National Prayer Service asks Trump to 'have mercy' on immigrants, transgender youth

"There are gay, lesbian, transgender children, Democratic, Republican, independent families — some who fear for their lives," Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde said.

Published: January 21, 2025 2:18pm

A Episcopalian bishop preaching Tuesday during the Service of Prayer for the Nation at the Washington National Cathedral that President Donald Trump attended asked him to "have mercy" on immigrants and transgender youth.

“I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared," Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde said from a pulpit. "There are gay, lesbian, transgender children, Democratic, Republican, independent families – some who fear for their lives."

The night before Trump signed executive orders to crack down on illegal immigration and one that states the government will only recognize the two sexes – male and female. 

Budde also said that the immigrants are the people who "pick our crops and clean our office buildings."

"They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals," she said. 

Trump said after the service, in Washington, D.C., they "could do much better," according to The Hill newspaper, seeming to refer to the church.

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