W
Whitacre_Girl
Guest
I have a question that really has nothing to do with the morality of immigration, but about a pamphlet I found on a church bulletin board.
My husband and I were visiting a Catholic Church in my parent’s hometown over the weekend. We love that church when we visit, and never miss if we can help it, when we are in town. But we were really shocked when we saw a bulletin board with a pamphlet that was very questionable. Basically, is was advising undocumented (illegal) immigrants on how to avoid Immigration officials, and how to “stay off the grid” should you commit a crime when living in the United States as an undocumented immigrant. There were also parts on how to make sure you are getting your rights, should you be caught, which I liked. I also liked that it told readers never to lie, or falsify documents.
What concerned us is that it is against “the law of the land” to immigrate to the United States without the proper documentation. Whether the laws are just or not (we happen to think that they need serious revision), we are wondering how appropriate it is for a church bulletin board to present information on how to commit a crime, and not get caught. To us, it kind of seems like advising people on how to smoke marijuana (not necessarily sinful if it is not a criminal act), and not get caught. As much as I think immigration needs to be reformed, I do think that until the laws are changed, we need to encourage people to follow the laws, unless they constitute a conradtiction in our faith, and I don’t think it’s vital to Catholics to live in the United States. Maybe a more fitting pamphlet would be advising undocumented people on how to get their citizenship, or resident status. Or advising people on how to work to get the laws changed.
Should I say anything about this, and if so, who should I talk to?
My husband and I were visiting a Catholic Church in my parent’s hometown over the weekend. We love that church when we visit, and never miss if we can help it, when we are in town. But we were really shocked when we saw a bulletin board with a pamphlet that was very questionable. Basically, is was advising undocumented (illegal) immigrants on how to avoid Immigration officials, and how to “stay off the grid” should you commit a crime when living in the United States as an undocumented immigrant. There were also parts on how to make sure you are getting your rights, should you be caught, which I liked. I also liked that it told readers never to lie, or falsify documents.
What concerned us is that it is against “the law of the land” to immigrate to the United States without the proper documentation. Whether the laws are just or not (we happen to think that they need serious revision), we are wondering how appropriate it is for a church bulletin board to present information on how to commit a crime, and not get caught. To us, it kind of seems like advising people on how to smoke marijuana (not necessarily sinful if it is not a criminal act), and not get caught. As much as I think immigration needs to be reformed, I do think that until the laws are changed, we need to encourage people to follow the laws, unless they constitute a conradtiction in our faith, and I don’t think it’s vital to Catholics to live in the United States. Maybe a more fitting pamphlet would be advising undocumented people on how to get their citizenship, or resident status. Or advising people on how to work to get the laws changed.
Should I say anything about this, and if so, who should I talk to?