Catholic Bishops Launch Immigration Reform Campaign

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For those who support the Church’s stance on immigration, here’s some uplifting news. For those who disagree with it, take this as a challenge and opportunity to critically think about this issue.

For everyone, remember that ultimately it’s not about Republicans and Democrats, but about being a leaven to challenge and reform our nation.

The link:

usccb.org/comm/archives/2005/05-117.shtml

(I first saw this in Washington Post, but since not everyone has a subscription to that I’ve linked to the USCCB).
 
Immigrants are what made this nation what it is…we must embrace immigration, yet the Bishops should also want to do this in an orderly and legal fashion. We are to share the blessings and riches God has given us, yet that can only happen under an orderly process…and there absolutely must be more effort given to the reasons why so many people wish to migrate here and how we can help them improve their own lands.
 
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TPJCatholic:
Immigrants are what made this nation what it is…we must embrace immigration, yet the Bishops should also want to do this in an orderly and legal fashion. We are to share the blessings and riches God has given us, yet that can only happen under an orderly process…and there absolutely must be more effort given to the reasons why so many people wish to migrate here and how we can help them improve their own lands.
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On the plus side, at least the vast majority of illegal immigrants flooding into the US are Catholics. That gives me hope for the future of America. Maybe these people alot of us fear are God’s answer to the culture of death. I just hope they’ll ultimately choose to be American. That will depend on how they’re treated. They are not displacing American workers. We continue to have low unemployment even with millions of illegals. That tells me we have a huge demand for their labor, a demand that might have been met by our own people had we not permitted millions to be aborted. If we refuse to obey God’s law, God will give America to others. “The meek shall inherit the earth.” Europe’s similar moral demise has lead to similar immigration problems. But their immigrants are Muslim, less cause for hope there.
 
What makes you think that the Americans who were aborted would have been more willing to take these jobs than the Americans currently alive?
 
Philip P:
What makes you think that the Americans who were aborted would have been more willing to take these jobs than the Americans currently alive?
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I guess I haven’t bought into that myth. My point is the demand for labor is huge in America. Because of that, people have more choices. Not everyone has to be a farm worker (or whatever your stereotype of the typical illegal worker is.)
 
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TPJCatholic:
Immigrants are what made this nation what it is…we must embrace immigration, yet the Bishops should also want to do this in an orderly and legal fashion. We are to share the blessings and riches God has given us, yet that can only happen under an orderly process…and there absolutely must be more effort given to the reasons why so many people wish to migrate here and how we can help them improve their own lands.
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One point that is often lost. WHY do so many people risk their lives to come here and pick fruit? It demonstrates what a mess some of our southern neighbors have made of their own countries. Corruption, drug trafficking, terrorism, from Mexico through South America.

I have no problem with people coming here for work. But they need to come legally, pay appropriate taxes and abide by our laws.

Lisa N
 
Lisa N:
One point that is often lost. WHY do so many people risk their lives to come here and pick fruit? It demonstrates what a mess some of our southern neighbors have made of their own countries. Corruption, drug trafficking, terrorism, from Mexico through South America.

I have no problem with people coming here for work. But they need to come legally, pay appropriate taxes and abide by our laws.

Lisa N
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Lisa, I agree with everything you say (as usual:D ). But if our laws aren’t being enforced, I don’t blame them for that. And if free health care and free schooling are available to them, I don’t blame them for taking advantage of it. Most of them are poor and desperate for a better life. What else are they going to do? Am I angry that our elected officials are giving away the store? Yes. But our huge demand for immigrant labor and their desperation for a better life is driving this. And abortion has alot to do with not being able to meet this demand with our own population. The sooner Americans recognise this dynamic the sooner we’ll recognise the extreme folly of killing 40 million babies. I won’t be holding my breath. But this is the big picture of what’s going on.
 
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miguel:
Lisa, I agree with everything you say (as usual:D ). But if our laws aren’t being enforced, I don’t blame them for that. And if free health care and free schooling are available to them, I don’t blame them for taking advantage of it. Most of them are poor and desperate for a better life. What else are they going to do? Am I angry that our elected officials are giving away the store? Yes. But our huge demand for immigrant labor and their desperation for a better life is driving this. And abortion has alot to do with not being able to meet this demand with our own population. The sooner Americans recognise this dynamic the sooner we’ll recognise the extreme folly of killing 40 million babies. I won’t be holding my breath. But this is the big picture of what’s going on.
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I do not blame the folks at all. I work with several organizations that assist farmworkers and our church has a committee that focuses on migrant workers as this is a major issue in this location.

We need to streamline the visa process so that people can come here temporarily to work. It’s a win win for the people coming and for those who need the workers. If they are properly documented they will pay taxes and be on the radar screens of our various government and justice departments. That will allow law enforcement to focus on the criminal element that is coming in, increasingly not from Mexico but from South America and leave the legitmate, peaceful and hardworking majority alone.

We (like everyone!) have a terrible Meth problem and apparently some 80% of the meth comes from Mexico. But until we document the legitimate workers, we can’t single out the bad guys until they are caught. We’ve had such an increase in crime and drug trade, quite honestly so many who are caught have hispanic names. They cannot say they are undocumented but invariably they are. Just last week three hispanic teens broke into a house in a remote area and killed a couple while their baby granddaughter and an elderly relative looked on. The kid who pulled the trigger is fourteen years old and the job was planned, not spur of the moment. They had the young kid shoot as they figured he would get off easier. The only reason they were caught so easily is that they’d been seen casing the area previously and someone either recognized them or got a license number. Another ring of hispanic kids was burglarizing homes in a rural area close to Portland, also caught by a homeowner who took down the license number. It’s a shame that our citizens are having to do their own police work but the problem is now so huge and out of control, that there are few options.

We cannot seem to get the attention of our politicians and I think some changes need to be made. This county has had a 440% increase in hispanics in the last few years. They often came as migrants but as jobs materialized in nurseries, construction and roadbuilding, they are increasingly staying permanently. It’s overburdening health care, social services, schools and the jails. What a mess!

Lisa N
 
Lisa,

I agree. There is only so many resources each nation has to share, sooner or later we will use the gifts God has given to us. I feel strongly that we need to help our neighbors learn how to use the gifts given to their own lands. I believe God did not leave any people wanting, it is just sin that causes the theft and abuse of the resources God has given.
 
Lisa N:
I have no problem with people coming here for work. But they need to come legally, pay appropriate taxes and abide by our laws.
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But…If our laws are de facto exclusionary, then – per the Bishops – we need to work to change those laws.

I winced a little at the reference up-thread to the need for immigration to be “orderly.” On the face of it, this of course makes sense. But this is one of the arguments that has been used by those who wish to maintain low annual quotas on immigration, particularly from non-European countries. I don’t know that TPJCatholic meant it that way…but we should all be sensitive to the baggage that such things carry.
 
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TPJCatholic:
Lisa,

I agree. There is only so many resources each nation has to share, sooner or later we will use the gifts God has given to us. I feel strongly that we need to help our neighbors learn how to use the gifts given to their own lands. I believe God did not leave any people wanting, it is just sin that causes the theft and abuse of the resources God has given.
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The situation in Mexico is utterly ridiculous. A country with wonderful natural resources, a hardworking, family oriented people, incredible history and beautiful beaches should not have people living in garbage dumps. This government has been corrupt and peoples’ property rights have not been respected for so long that it’s going to be very difficult to turn the bus around.

Quite honestly my experience is that MANY of our immigrant workers want to go home but there is nothing for them so they stay. As tough as Bush is with Putin, you’d think he’d give Mr Fox a bit more grief about his failure to provide for his own people, instead suggesting they cross the border. This whole thing is going to result in backlash and I think a lot of innocent people will be hurt.

Lisa N
 
Lisa,

It is hard to realize that Mexico is something like 95% Catholic!
 
miguel,

Yes, they are nearly all Catholic, which is a very good thing. You just have to wonder how their faith has not lead them to improve their own nation.
 
I agree with Lisa. When I moved to Texas 13 years ago I was delighted to get to know so many Mexicans and found them warm, hard-working, family-oriented, bright and loving. How could such a people have such a poor country? Decades of corrupt socialist governments (that persecute the Church) led them to this point. Instead of blaming America for poverty in Mexico, the Mexican government should instute the reforms that would allow the impoverished to make a better living in Mexico. Is that so hard to understand?
 
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TPJCatholic:
miguel,

Yes, they are nearly all Catholic, which is a very good thing. You just have to wonder how their faith has not lead them to improve their own nation.
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The people in power are mostly atheistic socialists, that’s why. It started with the Cristero War when many Mexicans were martyred for the faith. It’s amazing how such a small percentage of people seized and maintained power.
 
Philip P:
For those who support the Church’s stance on immigration, here’s some uplifting news. For those who disagree with it, take this as a challenge and opportunity to critically think about this issue.

For everyone, remember that ultimately it’s not about Republicans and Democrats, but about being a leaven to challenge and reform our nation.

The link:

usccb.org/comm/archives/2005/05-117.shtml

(I first saw this in Washington Post, but since not everyone has a subscription to that I’ve linked to the USCCB).
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The Church in the U.S., i.e., the USCCB, needs to focus on matters of faith and morals and let the government sort out the immigration mess. We as Catholics have to worry about the future of our faith. Our parishes are closing and Catholic education will soon be a thing of the past. Focusing on immigration reform is a big turnoff to many faithful and is seen as a complete waste of resources and a diversion from the things that really matter.

As it is, we have legislation that will pay medical bills for illegal immigrants and 8 states that offer free college tuition to illegals. Now we have the USCCB using our annual appeal funds to promote more misuse of our tax dollars. To me, that just doesn’t make any sense at all. Let Vincente Fox fix his own house.
 
I’m all for bringing more Catholic Mexicans to this country which gives me an idea: If I’m not mistaken, Christianity is still against the law in Mexico. It is an old communist law that they have not gotten around to repealing. I wonder if a Mexican could come to this country claiming asylum from religious persecution. Granted, no one is actively persecuting, but pehaps one could make a hash out of the mere existence of this law. Waddya think?

Scott
 
Mexico os 90%-95% Catholic. Most are Catholic in a nominal sense, however. Many of them don’t know much about the Faith. The Church in Mexico is poor.

Mexicans are poor because of the institutional corruption of the Mexican Government. It has long been their policy to force their poor people upon the United States and prop up their economy with remittances sent back from the US.

The Mexican ruling elite has long been anti-Catholic. Oh, many of them are “Catholics” but look at their actions, now and in their history.

The United States government has the right and the oblicgation to control and safeguard our borders. There should be a limit on immigration from Mexico. Many of these people do not want to assimilate into American life. There are radical Latino groups like La Raza and MeCHa that want to reclaim the American Southwest and rename it Aztlan. If left unchecked, we will have our own “Palestinian” problem in the future.

Mexico’s schools teach about the “terrible” Americans who “seized” Texas, the Southwest, and California. What they don’t teach is that the Mexican government has doen a terrible job in governing the remaining Mexican nation.

Mexico’s schools do not whine and complain for the loss of the present day Central American republics, which were one part of the Mexican nation. The Mexican government deports illegal immigrants into Mexico that come from El Salvador, Honduras, etc.

The terrible, deep-set poverty of all of Latin America is something that most Americans know little and care about even less. These nations are our neighbors and their problems become our problems as well. The Colombian Marxist FARC rebels conduct their assaults largely with money earned from cocaine sales to the US.

This wekeend, there will be the annual second collection for the Church’s appeal for Latin America and Eastern Europe.
 
Lisa N:
…This whole thing is going to result in backlash and I think a lot of innocent people will be hurt…
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This is what I’m afraid of as well. The immigrant invasion is very disturbing. And it’s hard not to get caught up in all the heated rhetoric against it. But I’m keeping my anger directed at the policy of unrestricted baby killing which I believe is at the root of this mess.
 
Lisa N:
I do not blame the folks at all. I work with several organizations that assist farmworkers and our church has a committee that focuses on migrant workers as this is a major issue in this location…
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Lisa, I hope you don’t think I accused you of blaming the immigrants. That was not my intention at all. I happen to think you are one of the most reasonable people on this forum.
 
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