Did Jeff Sessions make illegal border crossings a sin?

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We certainly have some common ground, how much I’m not sure. To answer your original question, yes, some laws are unjust. Just how that applies to our current immigration laws, I’m not sure as it seems you are more familiar with them then I. If you could provide a specific law it might start a fruitful conversation. I didn’t try to misrepresent your view, which is why I asked you what your view was. Thank you for clarifying.

As to which single influential policy maker supported open borders, the only one who comes to mind was Hillary Clinton…but we don’t have to worry about her now.

www.chicagotribune.com

Will Hillary explain her dream of ‘open borders’?

Just as America was tossed — or did we eagerly jump — into the sexual political gutter with Bill and Hillary and Donald, there was other news breaking. At least I thought it was news. B…
www.chicagotribune.com www.chicagotribune.com

Not sure if she was truly open borders, or she misspoke. Its not too difficult to find folks on the internet trying to make the case for open borders.

My view is that there is a particular number of immigrants we can assimilate in any given year. What that number is, I’m not sure, but one can reasonably assume there is a fixed number. Now, if we can allow X people into the US in a given year, who do we let in? My wife is from the Philippines…she has (poor) relatives that would like to come here, but since they are not fortunate to be in a country physically connected to ours, it seems that for us to make allowances for people who break our laws by crossing the southern border, that its unfair to those who are trying to follow them. To me, its not so much a question of letting people in, rather its a question of how do we do it fairly and orderly (and legally).
 
Fill out the forms and then get in line.

[Members of MS-13 and disease carriers are automatically excluded.]
 
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I’m familiar with her quote but see it in an economic context, like “free trade” and an EU-type arrangement. She’s always been one to say what it takes to get major corporations to fund her, and as politicians go, she’s hardly unique this way. It may also depend on how you define “open borders.” I essentially envision no fence and a complete dissolution of border patrol. HRC’s official stance, for whatever it’s worth, is here, and doesn’t seem to meet that definition. Immigration reform - The Office of Hillary Rodham Clinton

I think you’re right: Clarifying each other’s positions will help this dialogue along. Do you see our current process for legal immigration as just? Should there be in reforms in the status quo, and if so, what?

I would argue that if our system were just, it would be fair to express outrage over people coming in to the U.S. illegally. This team of immigration lawyers does a good job of explaining why. Why Don’t They Just Get In Line? There Is No Line for Many Unauthorized Immigrants | American Immigration Council
 
I can’t imagine anyone else will illegally cross the border considering the highly trained personel we have down there.
 
alyson_t said:
if they are coming to the US to provide,
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But how do you know that alyson? Most just come to be with illegal families that already crossed the border and take up benefits. Only GOD will be able to judge them but even if you are correct they need to apply at the ports of entry. This conversation is about skipped the legal entry and just hoping the fence WHICH IS A SIN.
 
The question is not about trying to sneak in immigration but what does the Catholic church teach about not obeying a host countries laws?
 
JourneyForTruth said:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
2241 The more…

Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.
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Yes, but the executive branch didn’t make the rule. It is their duty to enforce it, but how they do that only rarely affects the morality of breaking the law. (If their actions made the act more or less likely to be a risk of life, for instance, that could affect the gravity of the act in that way, I suppose.)
JourneyForTruth said:
The question is not about trying to sneak in immigration but what does the Catholic church teach about not obeying a host countries laws?
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It is a serious matter to commit a felony. It would take a very serious reason to mitigate the culpability for committing a serious transgression of civil law or to make such a violation a moral act. This is particularly true if by illicitly taking some opportunity to immigrate you are preventing someone else from taking it licitly, someone who might need it even more than you do. If the illegal immigration of some is preventing the legal immigration of others, those who immigrate illegally have committed an offense both against the sovereignty of the nation whose laws they are breaking and also an offense against those in similar circumstances who refused to break the law and have to wait longer to immigrate legally because of the lawbreakers.
Having said that, if someone is fleeing a mortal danger, it may not be practical to get permission before crossing the border and into safety. I don’t think anyone would think Jews secretly fleeing Germany didn’t have a morally legitimate reason to break the immigration laws of their mother country or the countries they fled to.
KMC said:
My view is that there is a particular number of immigrants we can assimilate in any given year.
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Even if borders were totally open, every sovereign nation deserves to know who she has within her borders. The government would still have the right to know who has come here and who has left, even if it were to decide to accept all comers.
 
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Terrorists most often gain entry legally (with temporary visas) and were often present legally when they commit their crimes:

cis.org

How Militant Islamic Terrorists Entered the U.S.

Foreign-born militant Islamic terrorists have used almost every conceivable means of entering the country.
cis.org cis.org

Actually, terrorists have used just about every means to get here and stay here as any other immigrant, including naturalization.
 
Question about should the Catholic Church have political views on immigration?
2246 It is a part of the Church’s mission “to pass moral judgments even in matters related to politics, whenever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls requires it. The means, the only means, she may use are those which are in accord with the Gospel and the welfare of all men according to the diversity of times and circumstances.”
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http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2246.htm
 
It already has.
2241 The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.

Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.
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http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2241.htm
 
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PetraG said:
Having said that, if someone is fleeing a mortal danger, it may not be practical to get permission before crossing the border and into safety.
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True but when this caravan got to Mexico they were offered asylum…they refused it and wanted the good life of American. Therefore they are in SIN.
 
blackforest said:
The reason that the Mexican border generates more moral outrage may be due more to an inherent cultural xenophobia against poor, dark people than any otherwise rational basis.
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Well no, it’s about stopping the continuing flow of Latin american countries sending their poor and sick instead of taking care of them and protecting them from gangs and corrupt police. It’s not about Mexico.

ONCE PEOPLE SUCCESSFULLY GET IN OTHERS WILL TRY.
 
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