Illegal Immigrants Bill---
There is a Higher Law: Welcome the Stranger
by Roger Mahony
LOS ANGELES - I've received a lot of criticism for stating last month
that I would instruct the priests of my archdiocese to disobey a proposed
law that would subject them, as well as other church and humanitarian
workers, to criminal penalties.
The proposed Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration
Control bill, which was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in
December and is expected to be taken up by the Senate next week, would among
other things subject to five years in prison anyone who "assists" an
undocumented immigrant "to remain in the United States."
Some supporters of the bill have even accused the church of
encouraging illegal immigration and meddling in politics. But I stand by my
statement.
Part of the mission of the Roman Catholic Church is to help people in
need. It is our Gospel mandate, in which Christ instructs us to clothe the
naked, feed the poor and welcome the stranger. Indeed, the Catholic Church,
through Catholic Charities agencies, is one of the largest nonprofit
providers of social services in America, serving both citizens and
immigrants.
Providing humanitarian assistance to those in need should not be made
a crime, as the House bill decrees. As written, the proposed law is so broad
that it would criminalize even minor acts of mercy like offering a meal or
administering first aid.
Current law does not require social service agencies to obtain
evidence of legal status before rendering aid, nor should it. Denying aid to
a fellow human being violates a law with a higher authority than Congress -
the law of God.
That does not mean that the Catholic Church encourages or supports
illegal immigration. Every day in our parishes, social service programs,
hospitals and schools, we witness the baleful consequences of illegal
immigration. Families are separated, workers are exploited and migrants are
left by smugglers to die in the desert. Illegal immigration serves neither
the migrant nor the common good.
What the church supports is an overhaul of the immigration system so
that legal status and legal channels for migration replace illegal status
and illegal immigration.
Creating legal structures protects not only those who migrate but also
America, by giving the government the ability to better identify who is in
the country as well as to control who enters it.
Only comprehensive reform of the immigration system, embodied in the
principles of another proposal in Congress - the Secure America and Orderly
Immigration bill - will help solve our current immigration crisis.
Enforcement-only proposals like the Border Protection act take the
United States in the opposite direction. Increasing penalties, building more
detention centers and erecting walls along our border with Mexico, as the
act provides, will not solve the problem.
The legislation will not deter migrants who are desperate to survive
and support their families from seeking jobs in the United States. It will
only drive them further into the shadows, encourage the creation of more
elaborate smuggling networks and cause hardship and suffering.
The unspoken truth of the immigration debate is that at the same time
America benefits economically from the presence of undocumented workers, we
turn a blind eye when they are exploited by employers. They work in
industries that are vital to the U.S. economy yet they have little legal
protection and no opportunity to contribute fully to the nation.
While we gladly accept their taxes and sweat, we do not acknowledge or
uphold their basic labor rights. At the same time, we treat them as
scapegoats for our social ills and label them as security threats and
criminals to justify the passage of anti-immigrant bills.
This situation affects the dignity of millions of our fellow human
beings and makes immigration, ultimately, a moral and ethical issue.
That is why the church is compelled to take a stand against harmful
legislation and to work toward positive change.
It is my hope that our elected officials will understand this and
enact immigration reform that respects our common humanity and reflects the
values - fairness, compassion and opportunity - upon which the United
States, a nation of immigrants, was built.
Roger Cardinal Mahony is the Roman Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles.
© 2006 International Herald Tribune
###
Replacing America's Republicans with Mexicans, Central Americans, Russians,
Chinese, Polish, etc would be a step up for the United States. With the
***** American Conservatives all you get is hatred.
At least the Immigrants pay their taxes. Republicans don't.
.
|
