The debate on immigraton

Recent comments by presidential candidates have re-ignited the debate over immigration. Therefore, it is useful to know what the Catholic Church teaches on the subject, as well as some facts that are relevant.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has a webpage devoted to immigration. It includes links to their 2001 pastoral statement, Welcoming the Stranger Among Us; Unity in Diversity, as well as Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, a pastoral statement by the Bishops of the United States and the Bishops of Mexico.

The USCCB also sponsors the Justice for Immigrants website that provides facts and figures about immigration, gives answers to frequently asked questions and debunks some of the myths that are at the center of the debate.

Pray for the 2014 National Migration Conference

The 2014 National Migration Conference, a gathering hosted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), and Catholic Charities USA, is being held in Washington D.C. this week.  It is intended to build the capacity of the Catholic Church and society to advance the life and dignity of the human person in our work with immigrants, migrants, refugees, unaccompanied migrant children, victims of human trafficking, and other vulnerable people on the move. 



The purpose of this conference is to:

    - to share and apply Catholic Social Teaching on migration;
    - to share information on domestic and international issues affecting the life and dignity of  immigrants, migrants, refugees, trafficking victims and other vulnerable people on the move;
    - to prepare and organize participants to carry the message on these migration issues both to Congress in Washington, D.C., and to constituencies and political leaders in their own communities;
    - to deepen the capacity of diocesan and parish leaders to serve, minister to, and advocate for  immigrants, migrants, refugees, trafficking victims, and other people on the move by providing skill-building workshops, and by sharing strategies, best practices, materials and activities that  are useful at the local level;
    - to gather in the context of the Catholic social tradition to teach, pray, and celebrate the work and accomplishments of our networks.

Let us pray for the success of this gathering, and recall the words of Leviticus (19: 33-34): When an alien resides with you in your land, do not mistreat such a one. You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt. I, the LORD, am your God.

Catholic college officials support immigration reform

The Washington Post reports that more than 90 Catholic university heads are urging fellow Catholic legislators to pass comprehensive immigration reform, saying that their faith "values the human dignity and worth of all immigrants."

In the letter, the university presidents called for a path to legalization for all undocumented immigrants. The group asked the lawmakers to resist pressure from "powerful interest groups" and said that as Catholics, they have a "serious responsibility to consider the moral dimensions" of policies.

The letter comes as Congress has been grappling with proposals for a sweeping overhaul of U.S. immigration laws. Last month, the Senate passed a bipartisan measure that would give illegal immigrants a chance to become U.S. citizens, step up border security and increase visas for legal and skilled immigrants.

The House of Representatives, however, is sharply divided on the issue, and conservative leaders want to break it into smaller individual bills addressing border security, legal immigration, employment and illegal immigration. Supporters of immigration reform say this would effectively kill any chance of meaningful change.

In a conference call with journalists Thursday, the presidents of the University of Notre Dame, the Catholic University of America and other leading Catholic educators called on Congress to end what they called the abuse and exploitation of illegal immigrants and to enact legislation that would take a humane approach to the issue.

You can read more here.

Call before 4 p.m. TODAY

From Catholic Charities USA:

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote TODAY at 4:00 p.m. on S.744, the Border Security, Economic Competitiveness, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013. Please call your Senators at (202) 224-3121 and ask that they vote Yes on S.744. Catholic Charities USA joins with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the other members of the Justice for Immigrants coalition in supporting comprehensive immigration reform that provides a pathway to citizenship and strengthens families.

Jesuits report on immigration failures

The Kino Border Initiative (KBI), a bi-national humanitarian ministry of the Society of Jesus, in conjunction with Jesuit Refugee Service/USA and the Jesuit Conference, has published a study about the human cost of the current immigration system witnessed by staff and volunteers who serve at KBI’s Aid Center for Deported Migrants.

Research indicates that immigration enforcement programs intended to discourage migrants from entering the U.S. without authorization have a negligible, if any, deterrent effect. Instead, findings show that these programs have contributed to needless and widespread family separation, often driving further irregular migration and exacerbating the vulnerability of recently deported women, men and children.

The study, entitled “Documented Failures: The Consequences of Immigration Policy on the U.S./Mexico Border,” is available here.

Americans' views on immigration

What do Americans really think about immigration and immigrants? A new survey from Public Religion Research Institute offers some answers.

Americans’ views on immigration policy are complex, but when Americans are asked to choose between a comprehensive approach to immigration reform that couples enforcement with a path to citizenship on the one hand, and an enforcement and deportation only approach on the other, Americans prefer the comprehensive approach to immigration reform over the enforcement only approach by a large margin (62 percent vs. 36 percent).

. . .

Americans express strong support for the basic tenets of the DREAM Act: allowing illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to gain legal resident status if they join the military or go to college

. . .

The survey findings suggest that we are in the midst of a struggle over what growing religious, racial and ethnic diversity means for American politics and society, and that partisan and ideological polarization around these questions will make them difficult to resolve.

You can read more here.

Thanking immigrants, legal or not

On the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Hispanic/Latino Bishops of the United States released a letter to immigrants, signed by 33 bishops:

We the undersigned Hispanic/Latino Bishops of the United States wish to let those of you who lack proper authorization to live and work in our country know that you are not alone, or forgotten. We recognize that every human being, authorized or not, is an image of God and therefore possesses infinite value and dignity. We open our arms and hearts to you, and we receive you as members of our Catholic family. As pastors, we direct these words to you from the depths of our heart.

In a very special way we want to thank you for the Christian values you manifest to us with your lives—your sacrifice for the well-being of your families, your determination and perseverance, your joy of life, your profound faith and fidelity despite your insecurity and many difficulties. You contribute much to the welfare of our nation in the economic, cultural and spiritual arenas.
. . .
Immigrants are a revitalizing force for our country. The lack of a just, humane and effective reform of immigration laws negatively affects the common good of the entire United States.

It pains and saddens us that many of our Catholic brothers and sisters have not supported our petitions for changes in the immigration law that will protect your basic rights while you contribute your hard work to our country. We promise to keep working to bring about this change. We know how difficult the journey is to reach the border and to enter the United States. That is why we are committed to do all that we can to bring about a change in the immigration law, so that you can enter and remain here legally and not feel compelled to undertake a dangerous journey in order to support and provide for your families. As pastors concerned for your welfare, we ask you to consider seriously whether it is advisable to undertake the journey here until after just and humane changes occur in our immigration laws.

Nevertheless, we are not going to wait until the law changes to welcome you who are already here into our churches, for as St. Paul tells us, “You are no longer aliens or foreign visitors; you are fellow-citizens with the holy people of God and part of God’s household” (Eph 2:19).

As members of the Body of Christ which is the Church, we offer you spiritual nourishment. Feel welcome to Holy Mass, the Eucharist, which nourishes us with the word and the body and blood of Jesus. We offer you catechetical programs for your children and those religious education programs that our diocesan resources allow us to put at your disposal.

The rest of the letter is here. San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller told Reuters, "This letter is pastoral in nature and is not about politics or programs. It is my desire to offer comfort, kindness, and compassion to all immigrants who are suffering, especially at this time of year."

The New Sanctuary Movement

The Evangelist has an interesting story about the New Sanctuary Movement:

When Holy Family parish in Albany lost its youth minister six years ago, both the parish and the community suffered. The youth minister’s family had been deported back to Mexico, and the parish had one fewer leader.

But for one parishioner, that loss was a motivation to help other immigrants who found themselves in legal trouble: Two years later, Fred Boehrer started the New Sanctuary Movement.

Last year, Holy Family parish closed, with the church building becoming Our Lady of the Americas shrine church. But the program Mr. Boehrer created continues, located at St. John/St. Ann’s outreach center in Albany.

Mr. Boehrer is also a director of Emmaus House, the Albany Catholic Worker community. The New Sanctuary program is designed to help immigrants and their families find both legal and practical assistance in their new country.

The rest of the article is here.

Immigration Reform

This Lent, the Justice for Immigrants campaign of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops invites you to pray, fast, learn, give and advocate for just and human immigration reform, in solidarity with immigrants and refugees by committing to various activities on your Lenten journey. Their site includes valuable information here.

Justice to immigrants

Participants at the Catholic bishops’ Regional Consultation on Migration in Washington, June 2-4 issued a joint statement calling for protection, hospitality, service and justice to immigrants throughout the hemisphere.

The bishops called attention to several issues that should be addressed on a regional level, such as the promotion of sustainable economic development in the hemisphere, violence and drug smuggling, human trafficking, protection of migrants, refugees and other vulnerable population, and special assistance to Haiti.

They also called upon the Congress of the United States and the Obama Administration to affirm the country’s tradition as a nation of immigrants and “reform U.S. immigration law to allow migrants who work hard in the U.S. economy to enjoy the benefits of legal protection.”

“This reform would preclude the need to impose criminal penalties on persons not lawfully admitted,” said the bishops. “It also would end deportations of family members and the breakup of families.”

The meeting congregated Catholic bishops and staff of Catholic agencies working with migrants in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Also present were Archbishop Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant People and representatives from the Latin American Council of Bishops’ Conferences (CELAM).

Full text of the statement is here.

Bishop Hubbard discusses immigration reform

Bishop Howard Hubbard discusses immigration reform in his monthly column in The Evangelist:

This year, our Diocese of Albany is one of many in the country seeking to educate our members about the need for comprehensive immigration reform, and to encourage our people to advocate with the President and Congress in addressing this urgent issue.

The Church’s concern about the migration of people has its foundation in the Scriptures; this phenomenon is a common thread throughout the Old and New Testament.

In Exodus, for example, we read of the Israelites, who flee the oppression of Egypt and wander in the wilderness for 40 years, until God leads them to a new home, Israel.

In the New Testament, exile and homelessness mark the life of Christ, as well. In Matthew, the child Jesus and the Holy Family flee as refugees to Egypt to escape the persecution of Herod.

As an adult, Jesus is an itinerant preacher who travels throughout Galilee and Judea to spread his message. He tells us: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head.”
. . . .

Hence, policies that address the root cause of migration must include the following principles:

1. People have the right to find opportunities within their own homeland: They have the right not to migrate. This principle emphasizes that all people have the right to find in their own countries the economic, political and social opportunities to live in dignity and not be compelled to migrate.

2. People have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families where conditions do not exist to meet their basic needs. Unfortunately, U.S. immigration laws and policies have become outdated and even harmful to some immigrants and asylum seekers.

As already noted, between 10 and 12 million people in the U.S. live on the margins of our society for lack of proper immigration documentation. Immigrants who are legal permanent residents in the U.S. who want to reunite with close family members must often wait 10 or more years for visas for their relatives.

Enforcement strategies employed along our southern border have resulted in thousands of deaths and have not resulted in a decrease in migration flows. Asylum seekers who flee persecution in their home countries and look for safe haven in the U.S. instead find themselves detained as criminals.

Immigration reform in the United States, then, should include a path to permanent residency which is achievable and family unification which allows immediate family members to join workers.

3. Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders. The Church does not promote an “open border” immigration policy, but rather policies that ensure safe, legal and orderly immigration and address the needs of both migrant families and impacted communities.

4. The human dignity and human rights of all migrants should be respected. Regardless of their legal status, migrants, like all persons, possess inherent human dignity and human rights that should be respected. Enforcement and border control practices should respect the human dignity of migrants.

In sum, the Church must work to reduce the need for people to migrate and to protect those people who have little choice but to do so. Our long-term goal is equitable and sustainable development for all peoples, so that migration is driven by choice, not by desperation.

The entire column can be found here.

Illegal immigrants and health care

One of the issues bubbling to the surface in the health care debate is the question of providing care for illegal aliens. A group of religious conservatives who gathered at the annual Values Voter Summit this month believes that the issue of illegal immigration is the more important issue. As reported by Kevin Eckstrom at Religion News Service:

WASHINGTON -- Health care reform may be Priority No. 1 in Congress and at the White House, but for the 1,825 religious conservatives who gathered here for the annual Values Voter Summit over the weekend, the subject was barely on their radar screen.

"To me, there are so many more important issues than health care right now," said John Leaman, a retired yacht builder from Lancaster, Pa. Added his wife Linda, a waitress: "I don't think it's as urgent as Obama's making it out to be." The real problem, she said, is illegal immigrants "cluttering up our emergency rooms."

Indeed, among the dozen issues that attendees cited in casting their votes in a straw poll for possible 2012 Republican presidential candidates, health care never made the list. The top three issues were abortion, protecting religious liberty and opposing same-sex marriage.

The entire story is here.

Meanwhile, Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, believes health reform should include all immigrants, legal or not. As reported by Chaz Muth of Catholic News Service:

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Though Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., concedes there's no political will in Washington to include illegal immigrants in health care reform, he believes it's the country's moral obligation to ensure that everyone in the nation receives proper medical care.

That includes those who enter the country illegally, he told Catholic News Service in mid-September.

"I agree that there is a special problem with those who have entered here without the permission of the United States, and that has to be looked at," said Bishop Murphy, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. "But that's a problem unto itself."

Most U.S. Catholic bishops who have spoken publicly about health care reform have expressed the opinion that one of the richest countries in the world should find a way to guarantee that everyone within its borders has access to medical care, from conception to natural death.

The rest of that article is here.

Building Peace with Justice

Building Peace with Justice is a brief, weekly bulletin reflection on Catholic social teaching written by members of a Rochester Diocese Public Policy sub-committee. This is the reflection for June 14, 2009

For the Israelites, no other substance than blood could symbolize the solemnity of their covenant with God. The new covenant, based on love and sealed with Jesus own blood would be ritualized with wine become-blood. To uphold our end of the covenant we need simply to follow Jesus, going from the Eucharist, reaching out to the world as healers.

In the southwestern desert, Catholics gather each year with their bishops to celebrate the Eucharist on either side of a fence separating Mexico from the U.S. They pray for the many people - men, women and children - who will cross the desert looking for work and for government leaders in both countries to find a solution to this crisis that will keep desperate people from dying in the desert.

Reflection: How does the Eucharist call us to respond to the immigration crisis?

National Migration Week

Bishop John C. Wester, Chair of the Committee on Migration for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, writes about National Migration Week, January 6 - 12, 2008:

I am honored that one of my first responsibilities as the new chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration is to join you in celebrating the 27th annual National Migration Week observance. This year's theme, From Many, One Family of God, reminds us that though we come from many cultures and places, we are all part of one human family and members of the one Body of Christ. Sadly, rather than embracing newcomers to our land whose circumstances have compelled them to seek new lives among us, we too often respond in fear and harbor attitudes of resentment and suspicion.
. . .
When we set aside our concerns and share our resources, God's blessings extend to all of us. United as one family of God, let us commit ourselves during this year's observance of National Migration Week to work together to create a truly welcoming community for migrants and strive to achieve justice for them at all levels of our American society. Then they can take their proper place alongside us at the Lord's banquet that He has prepared for all of His family.

Many resources, including bulletin inserts, posters, and prayers are available here. What will your parish be doing?

Immigration

The Wall Street Journal, no bastion of liberalism, reports on immigration and some myths you may believe (or not).

Talk radio hosts, cable newscasters and Presidential hopefuls insist that foreign nationals drive crime rates, swell welfare rolls and steal jobs. But the data tell a very different story.

Between 1994 and 2005, the illegal immigrant population in the U.S. is estimated to have doubled to around 12 million. Yet according the Department of Justice, over that same period the violent crime rate in the U.S. declined by 34.2% and the property crime rate fell by 26.4%, reaching their lowest levels since 1973. Crime has fallen in cities with the largest immigrant populations -- such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami -- as well as border cities like San Diego and El Paso, Texas.

A recent paper by the Immigration Policy Center, an advocacy group, notes that "Numerous studies by independent researchers and government commissions over the past 100 years repeatedly and consistently have found that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes or be behind bars than the native born." Today, immigrants on balance are five times less likely to be in prison than someone born here.

It's not because law-abiding foreign professionals from India and China are compensating for criminally inclined low-skill Latinos. Immigrants from countries that comprise the bulk of our illegal alien population -- including Mexicans, Salvadorans and Guatemalans -- have lower incarceration rates than the native-born.

Another popular belief is that immigrants come here to go on the dole. The data show that welfare caseloads have fallen as illegal immigration has risen. As Peter Wehner and Yuval Levin report in the December issue of Commentary magazine, "Since the high-water mark in 1994, the national welfare caseload has declined by 60%. Virtually every state in the union has reduced its caseload by at least a third, and some have achieved reductions of over 90%."

More of this interesting article is here. You might want to pass it along to a friend when you finish reading it.

Justice for Immigrants

Here is a news release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Catholics from across the country will visit Capitol Hill and urge lawmakers to pass comprehensive immigration reform as part of an April 17-19 conference that will bring together social justice leaders, diocesan directors and others active in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Justice for Immigrants campaign.

Mark Franken, executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services office, will give the opening presentation. The theme for the gathering is “Offering Hope, Promoting Justice.”

Other speakers will include Kevin Appleby, the director of the U.S. bishops’ Migration and Refugee Policy office; Frank Sherry, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum; and Mirna Torres, the director of legalization and advocacy for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.

Participants will share ideas, strategies and best practices for educating the Catholic community about key elements of the bishops’ immigration reform proposals. The conference will be held at the Hilton Washington, located at 1919 Connecticut Ave, NW.

The U.S. bishops have consistently advocated for comprehensive immigration reform that includes the following elements:
• An earned legalization program that allows undocumented persons to earn permanent residency;
• A guest worker program that protects foreign-born workers and safeguards against the displacement of U.S. workers;
• Family-based immigration reform that reduces waiting times for family reunification;
• Restoration of due process protections for immigrants; and
• Policies that address the root causes of migration.

The Justice for Immigrants campaign, which began in 2004, is a national movement that seeks to educate the public and public officials about Catholic teaching on immigration. For more information, please visit www.justiceforimmigrants.org

"Totally immoral"

Catholic News Service reports on an Archbishop who calls U.S. policy on Haitian migrants 'totally immoral.'

Calling U.S. immigration policy toward Haitians "totally immoral," Archbishop John C. Favalora of Miami has urged "the powers that be" to grant temporary protected status to all Haitian migrants until the political and economic situation in their island nation stabilizes.

He also pleaded for the immediate release from detention of 101 Haitians -- including 13 children -- whose homemade sailboat washed up on Hallandale Beach March 28. One man died during the trip, which the migrants said took 22 days at sea, the last 12 without food or water. A U.S. Coast Guard official estimated the trip took about 12 days.

The migrants, some of them suffering from dehydration, are being held by the U.S. Border Patrol at several detention centers in south Florida.

Refugee advocates and immigration attorneys fear they will be moved elsewhere, far from relatives and a network of attorneys who could help them with their asylum claims.

"The church stands ready to make sure that these people have a place to go and people to take care of them while they make their claim," Archbishop Favalora said during a press conference at the archdiocesan Pastoral Center March 30.

The entire article is here.

Justice for Immigrants

Justice for Immigrants is the Catholic campaign for immigration reform. Their website

is designed to help achieve the goals of the Justice for Immigrants Campaign. It provides tools and information for diocesan and community-based organizing, education, and advocacy efforts. You will find information about Catholic teachings that underpin this Campaign, as well as proposals from the Catholic Bishops to achieve reforms in our nation’s immigration laws and policies that better reflect our values as a nation of immigrants.

You can find the website here.