United States Representative Mark Green (R-TN), who serves as the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, blasted the Biden administration’s latest amnesty as “an affront to the rule of law.”

Green’s comments came after President Joe Biden would grant “parole amnesty” to roughly 550,000 illegal immigrants who are married to United States citizens and who have been residing illegally in the country for at least 10 years. Those who qualify for the amnesty program will be able to be granted green cards before ultimately receiving United States citizenship.

The Congressman from Tennessee contended that the move from the Biden administration “further legitimizes unlawful entry into our country.”

“By allowing otherwise inadmissible aliens to remain in the country indefinitely through a ‘parole-in-place’ sleight of hand, and to receive generous, taxpayer-funded benefits, this president is sending a loud and clear message to any would-be border crosser that the door is not only wide open — there’s a welcome mat,” Green went on to add.

“Despite being intended for use in extraordinary circumstances only, Biden and Mayorkas have warped the parole statute beyond recognition,” explained Lora Ries, the Heritage Foundation’s Director of the Border Security and Immigration Center.

Biden’s decision comes just after it was revealed that his administration dismissed the asylum proceedings of about 350,000 migrants in a move that United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) called a “covert mass amnesty program.”

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“These migrants are then no longer required to check in with authorities and can pursue other avenues to obtain legal status and remain in the country,” the senator explained.

Biden’s decision to provide legal status to over half a million illegal immigrants and dismiss the asylum proceedings of several hundred thousand migrants comes as the Democrat president has presided over the single most severe illegal immigration crisis that the United States has ever witnessed.

Authorities have recorded over 9.5 million nationwide encounters and 1.7 million estimated illegal immigrant gotaways during the Democrat’s presidential term.

The seismic increase in illegal immigration is so severe that the foreign-born population residing in the United States has surged to an all-time high of 51.6 million people under Biden, with the massive increase being driven primarily by mass illegal immigration.

A Catholic charity group in New Jersey sponsored a reading of a book for young children teaching kids to move “beyond the gender binary.”

The Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Trenton sponsored a reading on Monday at the Hamilton Township Public Library in Hamilton, New Jersey, of a book used to promote gender ideology. The book, “My Shadow is Purple,” follows the story of a young child who identifies as neither male nor female.

The reading prompted concerns from locals, who wondered how a Catholic charity could be promoting a book encouraging gender confusion. The book’s Amazon page says that it is an “inspiring book about being true to yourself and moving beyond the gender binary.”

“My dad has a shadow that’s blue as a berry and my mom’s is as pink as a blossoming cherry. There’s only those choices, a two or a one. But mine is quite different. It’s both and it’s none. If theirs are straight then mine is a circle,” the child says in the book.

The picture book features photos of the child wearing both masculine and feminine clothing, including a skirt/suit hybrid made for the school dance.

Screen shot of book from Reading Rocket YouTube reading.

At the dance, one student says, “There’s more than two colors our shadows can be,” after the child does not want to go to the male or female part of the dance floor.

Tom, a local parent and Catholic, said that he was shocked by the sponsorship of the reading.

“As devout Catholics and parents to children 4 and 1 1/2, this book event really hit home for my wife and me,” he told The Daily Wire. “We are in a state of complete disbelief that our Diocese would align itself with something so clearly in opposition to the teachings of our faith.”

“We seriously question how this sponsorship is anything other than a sad example of secularized virtue signaling,” he added. “I would also like the Diocese of Trenton to explain how moving children ‘beyond the gender binary’ will move them closer to God?”

In a statement to The Daily Wire, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Trenton said that the reading was part of the charity’s educational mission and indicated it was done as part of its contract with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families under the NJ Statewide Student Support Services Network (NJ4S).

“To that end, our NJ4S Mercer Hub team offers a wide variety of educational and prevention programs for students, families and educators to ensure the children in the county have access to behavioral health care as well as information about numerous issues that can impact a student’s mental health,” Hollis Painting, head of communications for the charity, told The Daily Wire.

Painting added that the reading was one of the free events put on by the team.

“The event you reference included a reading of Scott Stuart’s ‘My Shadow is Purple’ and a discussion and activity about ways children can express their individuality,” Painting told The Daily Wire. “Through this variety of programs, it is our aim to address the diverse scope of issues facing students in Mercer County.”

Hamilton Township Public Library Director Scott Chianese told The Daily Wire that the charity reached out to the library to host the event and that it was the first event the charity had done at the library.

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Bishop of Trenton David O’Connell, who is the president of the charity board, did not respond to request for comment on whether the book was in line with Catholic beliefs.

The charity says that it “offers mental health, poverty-reduction, and social and crisis services to individuals and families, particularly those impacted by trauma and adversity.”

The charity also offers immigration-related services and advises them to “not open the door to U.S. immigration agents or police unless they have a legal document with your name on it.”