Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff born in the United States, and Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of New York City, issued pro-immigrant messages marking the 250th anniversary of US independence. The back-to-back statements on Friday came a day before the July 4 celebrations, commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

In a video broadcast from the Vatican to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pope Leo hailed the immigrants who shaped the US and appealed to the nation to recommit to its founding principles, recognizing human dignity regardless of borders. "In these past 250 years, for so many peoples throughout the world, it was the firm resolve to achieve the noble vision of the nation's founders that made America a byword for freedom, as the country opened its doors to successive waves of immigrants," the Chicago-born pope said.

Leo, who has previously criticized the Trump administration's immigration policies as "inhuman," called for "a public discourse marked by moderation, respect for the views of others and an ongoing effort to find common ground." He urged America to remain "ever true to the dream that has earned it the title of land of the free and home of the brave."

Mayor Mamdani delivered a video speech surrounded by recently naturalized citizens from New York City, a metropolis of about nine million people where over 200 languages are spoken. The mayor, himself a naturalized citizen as of 2018, urged listeners to reject the "powerful" forces who believe in a country where "only a select few are allowed freedom, where not all are created equal."

"America, if you ask them, becomes less, the more people it welcomes. America, they will tell you, belongs only to those with the right accent or the right trait of skin," Mamdani said. "The rest of us, they insist, should be grateful for merely being allowed to visit. How small they are, how weak, how unoriginal."

The speeches come amid a long-running debate over which ideals should define the US. The Trump administration has rejected slogans like "diversity, equity and inclusion," arguing they detract from meritocracy. Top adviser Stephen Miller has sculpted the president's hardline immigration stance, pushing to restrict nearly all forms of immigration, including legal pathways, while launching a mass deportation drive.

Just days before the anniversary, the US Supreme Court struck down Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship, ruling it unconstitutional. However, the high court has backed other parts of Trump's immigration platform, ruling on June 25 that immigration agents could physically block asylum seekers from setting foot on US soil. After the ruling, Miller announced that "America's doors are closed, fully, to asylum seekers."

Source: www.aljazeera.com