Florida’s Catholic bishops appealed to President Donald Trump on Monday to pause immigration enforcement activities during the Christmas holidays. The White House, in response, said it would be business as usual.

The appeal was issued by Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, and signed by seven other members of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“The border has been secured. The initial work of identifying and removing dangerous criminals has been accomplished to a great degree,” Wenski wrote. “At this point, the maximum enforcement approach of treating irregular immigrants en masse means that now many of these arrest operations inevitably sweep up numbers of people who are not criminals but just here to work.”

“A climate of fear and anxiety is infecting not only the irregular migrant but also family members and neighbors who are legally in the country,” Wenski added.

“Since these effects are part of enforcement operations, we request that the government pause apprehension and round-up activities during the Christmas season. Such a pause would show a decent regard for the humanity of these families.”

Responding via email, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson did not mention the holiday season in her two-sentence reply.

“President Trump was elected based on his promise to the American people to deport criminal illegal aliens. And he’s keeping that promise,” Jackson wrote.

Wenski has established a reputation as an outspoken advocate of humane treatment for migrants. In September, for example, he joined other Catholic leaders on a panel at Georgetown University decrying the Trump administration’s hardline policies for tearing apart families, inciting fear and upending church life.

Wenski highlighted the contributions of immigrants to the country’s economy.

“If you ask people in agriculture, you ask in the service industry, you ask people in health care, you ask the people in the construction field, and they’ll tell you that some of their best workers are immigrants,” said Wenski. “Enforcement is always going to be part of any immigration policy, but we have to rationalize it and humanize it.”

Wenski joined the “Knights on Bikes” ministry, an initiative led by the Knights of Columbus that draws attention to the spiritual needs of people held at immigration detention centers, including the one in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” He recalled praying a rosary with the bikers in the scorching heat outside its walls. Days later, he got permission to celebrate Mass inside the facility.

“The fact that we invite these detainees to pray, even in this very dehumanizing situation, is a way of emphasizing and invoking their dignity,” he said.

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

Florida is one of the top states where residents are able to spend Christmas surrounded by familiar folks.

Manhattan Mental Health Counseling, a psychological wellness firm, reviewed U.S. Census data to determine which states have the greatest number of people living alone and would likely spend Christmas by themselves.

Florida was ranked 42nd in the country in terms of solo living, with just 13.91% of the Sunshine State’s population living alone. The wellness firm concluded that Floridians are less likely to be lonely on Christmas than people in most other states.

Florida’s neighbor, Georgia, was ranked 41st, with only 13.93% of its population living by themselves. Texas was the only Southern state with a smaller share of people living alone than Florida, coming in 45th, at 13.09%.

Steven Buchwald, Managing Director at Manhattan Mental Health Counseling, noted that living alone isn’t automatically a negative.

“Plenty of people choose a quiet Christmas because it aligns with their lifestyle. Some enjoy independence, others use the time to rest, and many people simply don’t have family nearby due to work moves or long-distance relationships. For these individuals, a solo holiday can actually feel peaceful rather than isolating,” he said.

But spending Christmas alone can also present intense challenges, according to Buchwald, who noted friends or family can provide an easy pick-me-up.

“Holidays tend to amplify what people feel the rest of the year. Someone who is already dealing with isolation or grief may feel it more intensely in December,” Buchwald said. “That’s why it’s important to reach out, even with something small, a call, a message, or an invite. Those gestures can make a meaningful difference.”

North Dakota had the highest share of its population living alone, at 20.28%, according to the firm. South Dakota was second, followed by Wisconsin in third. Great Plains and Midwestern states dominated most of the top 10.

One exception was Louisiana, coming in sixth at 17.21%. The only other Southern state among the top 10 was Missouri at No. 10, with 16.85% of the population living alone.

Utah was ranked as the least lonely state, with a mere 9.72% of its population living by themselves.

One sitting judge is getting a promotion, and four lawyers are donning robes for the first time, courtesy of appointments by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

At the top of the list is Judge Katherine Miller of Daytona Beach, who has served as a Judge in the Volusia County Court since 2023. She’s now taking a seat on the 7th Judicial Circuit, which covers Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia.

Miller is filling a vacancy created under SB 2508, a measure DeSantis signed this year that increases the number of circuit and county court Judges statewide.

Also assuming judgeships due to SB 2508 are lawyers Frank Talbot of St. Johns County and Katherine Mish of Fort Pierce.

Talbot has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida since 2002 and previously worked as an Assistant State Attorney in the 10th Judicial Circuit. DeSantis also appointed him to the 7th Judicial Circuit.

Mish, meanwhile, has worked as an attorney for Treasure Coast Legal since 2015 and was previously an associate attorney for Cleaveland & Cleaveland. The Governor named her to the 19th Judicial Circuit, which covers Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties.

Steve Wilson of Vero Beach will join Mish there. A former Assistant State Attorney for the 19th Circuit, he has been an associate attorney at Rossway Swan Tierney Barry & Oliver since 2021.

He’s filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Lawrence Mirman, an ex-Gov. Jeb Bush.

Kenneth Johnson, an Elkton lawyer, is also bound for the Putnam County Court after 16 years of service as an Assistant State Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit. He prosecuted cases in the 2nd Judicial Circuit.

Johnson fills a vacancy created by the Nov. 30 retirement of Elizabeth Morris, the 7th Judicial Circuit’s longest-serving judge.

Miller earned her Juris Doctor from Florida Coastal School of Law; Talbot earned his from Mercer University; Mish and Johnson earned their law degrees from Florida State University; and Wilson learned to practice law at the Thomas Goode Jones School.