 Long-standing opponents of naturalization, the Tories condemned the Whig assertions that the immigrants would be beneficial to the economy, as they were already an acute financial burden.Similarly, many who worried for the security of the Church of England were concerned about the religious affiliations of these German families, especially after it was revealed that many (perhaps more than 2,000) were Catholic.Although the majority of the Catholic Germans were immediately sent back across the English Channel, many English thought their presence disproved the claimed religious refugee status of the Poor Palatines.