Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, the Church, and Crime [OPINION]

It has come to light that Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson puts his responsibility to America and the law above the activities he sees in his own church.

Sheriff Hodgson is a Catholic and unlike lots of us who were raised Catholic, he still goes to Sunday Mass on a regular basis. I have been friends with Tom for decades and I can testify to his faith in the Catholic religion. When my mother suddenly died in 1997, Tom was at her funeral Mass and he joined my family as she was lowered into the ground at St. Anthony's cemetery. I will always remember his warm embrace and comforting words in the graveyard.

Don't believe what his enemies say about him. Sheriff Hodgson has a deep appreciation for his fellow man and it is rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church.

As the Sheriff of Bristol County, he is elected to serve and protect the good people of his county. He has seen the horror that some illegal immigrants have caused and he is committed to making the federal government aware of the problem. He was bringing attention to the issue during the presidential administrations of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now Donald Trump. He has testified repeatedly to Congress about the problems of illegal immigration.

Sheriff Hodgson has jurisdiction over the cities of New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, and Attleboro and all of those communities have significant problems with illegal immigration-related crimes.

When Sheriff Hodgson found literature in foreign languages, advertising to help illegal immigrants avoid deportation at his own Catholic church, he notified the White House. He didn't raid the church, he didn't arrest the priests, he didn't hold a press conference, he simply notified his contact at the White House. We only know about it because it is being used by his political enemies at the ACLU and some in the media to attack him.

Too bad others in the past didn't speak up when they saw something going wrong in the Catholic churches of Massachusetts.

Foreign-born women and children in America illegally are routinely victims of sex trafficking. Some are brought here under false pretenses and then sold and resold to perverts until they are mentally and physically destroyed.

Sheriff Hodgson takes his oath of office seriously and despite what his enemies are implying, he is also acting in the best tradition of a Catholic layman who cares about his fellow human beings. President Trump has made an excellent selection for chairman of his Massachusetts re-election campaign.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.