Is it a sin to immigrate illegally?

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actually they are not “taking something to which they have no right” since 1) they do have a God given right to work to feed their families and 2) they are not “taking” but being offered work to feed their familes.
God has not granted them the right to be in this country. They may have a right to work but they have no right to work wherever they please. They have no rights to jobs that would readily be filled by Americans - except for the financial incentive illegals provide to less than scrupulous employers. These jobs are being taken from people with an equal moral right to them and an infinitely greater legal right.

Ender
 
Is it any wonder that Congress can’t come up with an acceptable plan seeing all the various (and might I add, somewhat self-righteous) opinions given here.

First things first…all things being equal, it is a sin to immigrate illegally because it violates the law, and we as Christians are charged to obey the law with very few exceptions. That being said there are factors which do mitigate culpability. However, there are LEGAL methods for coming to the US, and with very few exceptions, that’s how people need to come here.

On the other hand…the people with the bigger guilt, in my opinion, are those who knowingly provide jobs to illegals. I’m not buying the whole “jobs Americans won’t do” arguement. If you’re concerned about social justice be concerned that illegal immigration forces labor prices down.

Folks that work in places like slaughter houses make less now than they did 20 years ago because illegal immigration has forced down the price of labor. I know plenty of people who would love to get involved in roofing and other construction jobs…but are consistently underbid by companies that hire illegals who work for A LOT less.

We have prisons full of guys that need something constructive to do, rather than hiring illegals to pick our crops…let farmers bid for the use of voluntary prison labor…it’s worked in South Carolina…and yes, we need to reform our immigration laws to allow guest workers…but the first step in that reform is to start to hammer anyone who hires illegal immigrants.

Being against illegal immigration isn’t anti-immigrant or xenophobic…it’s being against breaking the law. I am not Anti-Immigrant…my grandfather came to the US from Italy in 1914 …but he did so LEGALLY. The mother of my Children came from another poor country…Panama…but she did so LEGALLY.

For my fellow Catholics concerned about the social justice issue…rather than ranting on about how we need to accept illegals into this country…why not fight for Social Justice by going to Mexico and the other nations from which our illegals come and fight for social justice THERE so that these poor people don’t feel compelled to come to the US illegally…and encourage those already here illegally to go to their home countries and fight for social justice.
BB25: It is the democracy of the dead.
That’s what they practice in Chicago, isn’t it? Lots of dead folks vote in Chicago…sorry, couldn’t resist an easy joke.
Originally Posted by BB25
Yes change is needed but to suggest that they sin because they want what you have is rank hypocripsy.
Actually, there’s this whole COMMANDMENT that tells us that coveting is a sin…
 
Wow, I thought I’d have been taken to task for this already. I’ve stunned my opponents into silence maybe?
 
Wow, I thought I’d have been taken to task for this already. I’ve stunned my opponents into silence maybe?
Your arguments are so well presented there’s nothing else for those of us who agree with you to say either.

Ender
 
YES. It is illegal and it is a sin. If that were not the case, DH and I would have saved thousands of dollars, time and worry and frustration, and just had him come here illegally from England. We were even offered a way by an immigration attorney to “get around the system” by doing just that and “fixing” things once he got here. I was completely disgusted at the mere suggesting.

Yes - it is absolutely illegal. If we can do it the right way, so can others.

In the instance of persecution or other evils, there are ways to seek assylum LEGALLY. No excuses.

:mad:
~Liza
 
Is it any wonder that Congress can’t come up with an acceptable plan seeing all the various (and might I add, somewhat self-righteous) opinions given here.

Wow, I thought I’d have been taken to task for this already. I’ve stunned my opponents into silence maybe?
you seem to have jumped right on in to the self-righteous pool yourself!
it is a sin to immigrate illegally because it violates the law, and we as Christians are charged to obey the law with very few exceptions.
Sin is an offense against God not man. According to your reasoning, if you make an “illegal” u-turn or go 5 mph over the speed limit, or get a ticket for parking illegally then you are, in fact, sinning?

I haven’t seen any references that say that migrating to find work to feed your family is a sin. Quite the opposite. I have quoted previously in this thread several references that say the exact opposite, both in the CCC and the OT. The example of the Holy Family traveling to Egypt, the example of the Jews leaving their country because of a famine, etc. In fact, it’s not only a sin to oppress the foreigner, it’s a sin that “cries out to God for vengeance”.
I’m not buying the whole “jobs Americans won’t do” arguement. If you’re concerned about social justice be concerned that illegal immigration forces labor prices down.
how many US Citizens do you know who’s ambition it is in life to spend their lives picking strawberries, who raise their children to pick strawberries? how about clean latrines or horse stalls? I’ve posted a reference regarding how willing US Citizens are to do this type of work in a previous post.
If you’re concerned about social justice be concerned that illegal immigration forces labor prices down.
I’m more concerned about the “sins that cry out to heaven for vengeance” and “I was hungry and you fed me”. The ONLY way that it would concern me is if they are not paying a “fair wage” since the failure to pay fair wages is also a “sin that cries out for vengeance”.

One of the problems or issues our government faces is keeping the jobs in the US, especially for border towns and border states. More & more companies are moving out - going global so to speak. Would you rather these employers take their jobs to another country? How do you propose we keep the jobs here while still insisting on earning a fair wage?
rather than hiring illegals to pick our crops…let farmers bid for the use of voluntary prison labor…it’s worked in South Carolina
I don’t see the charity in the above statement. You’re saying that rather than hire the poor undocumented immigrants and help feed their families by giving them work you would rather use of voluntary prison labor? I honestly am not following your reasoning here.
why not fight for Social Justice by going to Mexico and the other nations from which our illegals come and fight for social justice THERE so that these poor people don’t feel compelled to come to the US illegally…and encourage those already here illegally to go to their home countries and fight for social justice.
I agree that the BEST for all concerned is that people can find work to care for their families in their country of orign. I know that this might be hard to believe to many here, but most Mexicans don’t want US Citizenship. People who have a business or a good job don’t want to leave. The ones who come here just want to work. I work with Mexicans and they tell me the ONLY ones who come here are the ones who are poor. Think about it, would you leave your extended family & homeland, risking your life doing so and/or pay thousands of dollars to cayotes unless you had little or no other option? It’s not like it’s just a pleasant stroll across the border ya know. Makes sense to me!

How do you propose these people you are encouraging to leave and fight for social justice eat? feed their children? put a roof over their heads? in the interim or should they starve themselves and their children for your cause?

I doubt the US really wants an overthrow of the Mexican government right now. We could end up with a “Hugo Chávez” type who is hostile towards us and we don’t really want a border country hostile to us do we? I think this may even be one of the reasons we do take in so many immigrants - it’s our way of “stabilizing” the region.

The US through NAFTA and now CAFTA and the International World Bank has been instrumental in bringing about the loss of jobs in South American countries. I think we need to take the log out of our own eye, before trying to take the speck out of our brothers eye.

I suggest we work towards reforming our immigration system to allow for more legal entry options for unskilled labor and family reunification.
 
Ah, this is more like it, some one with the courage of their mistaken convictions.
I haven’t seen any references that say that migrating to find work to feed your family is a sin.
So, is stealing to feed your family a sin…even if you’re capable of working?

Here’s a few references for you to chew on.
Sin is an offense against God not man. According to your reasoning, if you make an “illegal” u-turn or go 5 mph over the speed limit, or get a ticket for parking illegally then you are, in fact, sinning?
If you knowingly violate the law, then yes, you are sinning, because God has placed the rulers over us and, with the exception of immorallity, we are to obey those put over us by the Lord, this is found in both Scripture and the CCC. Paul says it quite plainly that the governing authorities are to be obeyed. So absolutely yes, when you go 75 instead of 70 on the interstate, you have sinned. When you cross the border of the US illegally rather than going through the proper immigration channels, you have sinned.
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
ROM 13:1-7
“Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, and to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work”
Titus 3:1

And then there’s always the RENDER UNTO CEASAR bit. Mind you…Peter, Paul, and Christ were speaking about the ROMAN GOVERNMENT here…far more oppressive and unfair than US law. IF you violate the law you commit sin…that’s pretty clear in the scriptures.
1 Peter 2:13 “Submit yourself to every ordinance of man . . . to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors.”
how many US Citizens do you know who’s ambition it is in life to spend their lives picking strawberries, who raise their children to pick strawberries? how about clean latrines or horse stalls? I’ve posted a reference regarding how willing US Citizens are to do this type of work in a previous post.
Life’s ambition? No, more than willing to do this type of work to feed their family…yes…I DID clean batherooms and horse stalls and put up hay in order to feed my family…and had picking strawberries, or picking popcorn out of poop been available I would have done it to feed my family.
Look, you have this worked out in your mind as if I don’t want foriegn workers here…that’s just not true…I want them here and I want them to work…but…I want them to do so LEGALLY…what’s wrong with that?
 
QUOTE]I don’t see the charity in the above statement. You’re saying that rather than hire the **poor undocumented immigrants **and help feed their families by giving them work you would rather use of voluntary prison labor? I honestly am not following your reasoning here. First, they are not “undocumented workers” they are ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS…see, they came to this country from somewhere else, so that makes them IMMIGRANTS, and they did so ILLEGALLY, so that makes them ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS…you need to get the terminology correct. Secondly, shouldn’t we give those poor prisoners, most of whom didn’t get a fair shake in life, something to do, a chance to earn money and begin to feel good about themselves while at the same time helping to keep our food prices low? Where’s the charity that should begin at HOME? You do this because if the jobs are not availble for illegals…they won’t come…and I blame those who employ them more than I do the illegals. As was stated in another thread by someone else…some here have confused Social Justice with Socialism.
I know that this might be hard to believe to many here, but most Mexicans don’t want US Citizenship.
Hey smart guy, right there is an issue that most US citizens oppossed to Illegal Immigration have with this issue…those who come here…and stay for decades quite often, don’t want to assimilate, don’t want to be part of the great melting pot that is our nation, but sure as hell don’t mind sending money out of our country and taking advantage of our social services.
How do you propose these people you are encouraging to leave and fight for social justice eat? feed their children? put a roof over their heads? in the interim or should they starve themselves and their children for your cause?
How has every oppressed people done so. Ya know, it’s easier to run from a problem than confront it…situations are hard…but maybe, just maybe, being hungry and having no roof might encourage some of those who would come here illegal to start working for change at home. It’s their government’s responsibility to feed them, not ours. I’ll donate money, I’ll donate time.
The US through NAFTA and now CAFTA and the International World Bank has been instrumental in bringing about the loss of jobs in South American countries. I think we need to take the log out of our own eye, before trying to take the speck out of our brothers eye.
Illegal immigration was a promblem LONG BEFORE NAFTA and CAFTA came along…thus Ronald Reagan’s quite mistaken amnesty…The problem is corruption in Mexico and other Central and South American Countries.
I suggest we work towards reforming our immigration system to allow for more legal entry options for unskilled labor and family reunification.
Hey, I’m all for a good reform of our immigration laws that will allow unskilled workers in as long as it doesn’t drive our labor prices down too much…I’m not anti-immigrant, I’m anti ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT. For the most part the Migrants, legal and illegal, that come from our southern border are honest, hard working family oriented people…but if they’re here illegally, they are here illegally.
I doubt the US really wants an overthrow of the Mexican government right now. We could end up with a “Hugo Chávez” type who is hostile towards us and we don’t really want a border country hostile to us do we?
I didn’t say a word about overthrowing Mexico’s government, I DID say that the illegals, and we as well, must fight for change. But, if things continue as they are Mexico will get a Hugo Chavez, unless and until the corruption in Mexico ends there will eventually be a populist get themselves elected as Chavez has…Chavez is no more honest no less corrupt than any government that came before him, but he’s convinced the poor of Venuzuela that he’s helping them when he’s really only helping himself…unless Mexico reforms, REALLY reforms, the same will happen there.

You really seem against the Mexican government changing…why is that?
 
A few more issue:

When the Holy Family fled to Egypt they did so because A) God TOLD them to, and B) Herod was trying to KILL Jesus…and the presumption is that they entered Egypt LEGALLY…cuz breaking the law is a sin, and Mary is the pure ark…she didn’t sin.
When Jacob took his family to Egypt because of the Famine he did so LEGALLY…because he was invited to by the number 2 man in the Egyptian Government…his son Joseph.

By encouraging illegal immigration you CONTINUE the injustice the Mexicans face at home. The government in Mexico ENCOURAGES the illegals to come, because it eases pressure off of the government and because it pumps BILLIONS of dollars into the Mexican Economy…if we put an end to illegal immigration the Mexican government would be forced into making some changes because this flow of billions of dollars into their economy would stop…and that money would remain in the US economy…which, combined with the savings we have from stopping illegals in social services would add up to many billions of dollars staying in our economy producing more and better jobs giving our own poor a better life.
 
I’ll address the issue on NAFTA/CAFTA first since to quote author Christopher Zehnder it’s like “pumping water into our neighbor’s house and then forbid him the right to escape the consequent flooding.”
NAFTA displaced 1.5 million Mexican peasant farmers. Many of these displaced farmers sought industrial jobs, causing Mexican wages to drop by 20 percent. Communities and families were torn asunder as those who lost their livelihoods undertook the perilous journey to the United States in hopes of finding some way to support their family.
CAFTA, like NAFTA, is designed to complement and lock into place the neoliberal structural adjustments imposed on Central American nations, with disastrous results, by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Formerly pro-NAFTA development economists, such as Professor Riordan Roett of Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies, warned that CAFTA is “based on a logic that favors profit over human rights and sustainability.” Bishop Álvaro Ramazzini of San Marcos, Guatemala
ncronline.org/NCR_Online/arch…05/111105w.php
Annual immigration from Mexico to the United States increased 60 percent in the first six years of the [NAFTA] pact alone. (1994-2000)

now unless you actually read the article I’ve quoted you’ll probably say “hey nobody twisted their arms to sign the treaty” but that’s not the case, the article says:
CAFTA’s U.S. passage, made possible by political threats, payoff promises and procedural manipulations, resembled the tactics employed in March to pass CAFTA in Guatemala’s Congress…Ramazzini said the Bush Administration threatened “to cut off our existing trade preferences [with the United States] so as to force Central American approval” of CAFTA.
‘We cannot remain passive before certain processes of globalization which not infrequently increase the gap between the rich and the poor worldwide. We must denounce those who squander the earth’s riches, provoking inequalities that cry out to heaven.’ ~Pope Benedict XVI
the words “cry out to heaven” should be familiar to you by now.😉

In an article entitled "Pope Benedict XVI Insists: No Structural Adjustment Related to Forgiveness of the Foreign Debt. But What Is It?" The Holy Father … asked that the process of debt cancellation and reduction for the poorest countries be continued and accelerated, Pope Benedict XVI insisted that these processes **must not be made conditional upon structural adjustments that are detrimental to the most vulnerable populations **

In this article by Christopher Zehnder entitled “Why the Perilous Journey? Free Trade and Illegal Immigration” he explains the lethal economic effects of NAFTA/CAFTA/IMF/SA’s
…To save the first world banks, these bodies offered to loan debtor countries the money they needed to service their loans if, in return, they would adjust their economies according to policies instituted by the International Monetary Fund. Basically, countries have had to cut their budget deficits and increase exports through “stabilization” and “structural adjustment” programs…To comply with IMF directives, debtor countries had to privatize state-controlled industries, devalue their currency, remove price controls, decrease government spending (on education and health care, for instance), and move toward an export economy.
While this may all sound benign, it is not. To encourage exports, “structural adjustment” programs have benefited industries owned either by wealthy natives or by first world corporations. Profits made by the latter do not enrich the debtor country but go to owners and stockholders in the US and other first world countries. Money formally spent on social programs goes to financing the debt, thus relocating large amounts of capital outside the country. In the name of “flexibilizing” labor, managers have been allowed to crack down on unions and given greater discretion over employees’ hours. The result is that earnings among lower-income groups have become seriously depressed. At the same time, prices of basic goods have risen, rendering many poor families incapable of obtaining such essentials as potable drinking water, food, and decent shelter. Because governments under a structural adjustment plan have to favor large businesses for their export potential, they remove protections for competing small business. Many small proprietors cannot compete and are forced to join the ranks of the underpaid workers – or emigrate to the United States.
again, it’s a matter of removing the log from my own [nations] eye, before picking the speck out of my neighbor [nations] eye.
 
now that I’ve given you a little background I’ll go into some church teaching regarding law & authority:
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.
2242 The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel. Refusing obedience to civil authorities, when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience, finds its justification in the distinction between serving God and serving the political community. "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s."48 “We must obey God rather than men”:49
Given my previous post on NAFTA/CAFTA/IMF/SA’s I would say that the US has seriously failed in it’s obligation towards the common good in favor of greed. (common good does not only refer to one’s nation - here are some CCC references if you like)

re: the scriptures you provided.

I do love proof texting scripture, but nowhere does it explicitly say that to ignore man’s law is a SIN.

I don’t know if you noticed above but the CCC actually quotes the same scripture you did:

"Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s."48

only the Magesterium goes on to interpret it’s meaning

"We must obey God rather than men":49 (Acts 5:29)

29 But Peter and the apostles answering, said: We ought to obey God, rather than men.

a little food for thought:

Quote:
Pacem in Terris (Pope John XXIII, 1963)
Among man’s personal rights we must include his right to enter a country in which he hopes to be able to provide more fittingly for himself and his dependents. It is therefore the duty of state officials to accept immigrants and—so far as the good of their own community, rightly understood, permits—to further the aims of those who may wish to become members of a new society. [106]
Quote:
Gaudium et Spes (Second Vatican Council, 1965)
When workers come from another country or district and contribute to the economic advancement of a nation or region by their labor, all discrimination as regards wages and working conditions must be carefully avoided. All the people, moreover, above all the public authorities, must treat them not as mere tools of production but as persons, and must help them to bring their families to live with them and to provide themselves with a decent dwelling; they must also see to it that these workers are incorporated into the social life of the country or region that receives them. [66.1]
 
Given my previous post on NAFTA/CAFTA/IMF/SA’s I would say that the US has seriously failed in it’s obligation towards the common good in favor of greed.
Dear Sprout,

Do you think most US citizen low-wage workers would agree with your assessment that the US has chosen greed over good? These low-wage folks are, after all, the ones most directly impacted by illegal alien workers. I find that most people who are pro-alien do not have jobs that might be taken by an alien. This makes sense in a way, since it’s generally easier to give away somebody else’s jobs, working conditions and pay increases than one’s own.

The pro-alien arguments I’ve heard are that wages won’t go up even if illegal aliens cannot be hired, or that business would go down if wages went up meaning lost jobs. This is a theoretical debate, and more will be known when immigration laws are actually enforced. It is certainly reasonable to suspect that wages will go up if the immigration laws are enforced more stringently. And it is certainly reasonable (and moral) to urge that our already generous immigration laws be enforced.

Keep in mind that Mexico is the most prosperous country in Latin America. Most of her people are not starving. For those who are, the situation is different, as has already been acknowledged by many in this thread. It is important to recognize, and keep in mind, that those who were starving in their home country are not the illegal aliens most US citizens have a problem with.

Let’s talk about those illegal aliens who do not have a “grave reason” for being here, and leave aside the bickering about whether they are in the majority or not. What I hear you saying is that immigration law does not really need to be followed. To address that implication I would like to change the emphasis of your quotes a bit if I may.
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.
In the other paragraph you quoted I suspect you are referring to a possible situation where one would not have to follow current immigration law. I find it a bit awkward to try and apply paragraph 2242 below to the immigration situation, but if we are talking about those illegal aliens who are here without a “grave reason”, then this passage, especially the part you omitted in your post, takes on a more nuanced meaning, and I think speaks more to people like me, US citizens in low-wage jobs who could reasonably expect to receive better treatment if illegal aliens were not so abundant here.
2242 The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel. Refusing obedience to civil authorities, when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience, finds its justification in the distinction between serving God and serving the political community. "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s."48 “We must obey God rather than men”:49
When citizens are under the oppression of a public authority which oversteps its competence, they should still not refuse to give or to do what is objectively demanded of them by the common good; but it is legitimate for them to defend their own rights and those of their fellow citizens against the abuse of this authority within the limits of the natural law and the Law of the Gospel.
Finally, I think that if, as 75% of the participants in this thread’s poll have said, if (and when) immigrating illegally is in fact a sin, then encouraging and covering up for that sin is also a sin. Now there’s some food for thought. It may turn out that we do in fact have to evaluate the actions of others from time to time after all - in order to be able to determine what our responding actions should be.
 
I truely do not believe that illegal immigration could be a sin. Especially if these illegal immigrants are coming here for a good reason, like to feed their under paid, underfed families. Do you even know how much most immigrants get paid in their home countries? Try feeding a family of 4 or even 6 on a weekly check of about $20…at the most!
If that is not a reason to immigrate into the US then I would not know what is a good reason! What about the people who are trying to pay for medical supplies for their sick wife, child or parents? A lot of people die because they cannot afford to pay for health care! How could it possibly be a sin if they are just trying to provide for a better life for their families?? Do you honestly believe that a person would just up and leave their loved ones, the place where they grew up their whole lives, their ailling parents, little kids, spouses, friends, etc.,…just to go to a whole different country, just for the heck of it?? It is all about necessity! Who wouldn’t cross a river or a 110 degrees dessert to be able to give his/her child a piece of bread to eat?? Yes, it is illegal to come into to this country uninvited, I agree with that much…but if these people have tried aking for permisssion and were denied?? What other alternative do they have? The people who were invited to this country ended up causing 9/11, they came into this country with student visas, some of them were even overstays…These people, HUMANS, come over to work and feed their children to try and give them a better chance at life! They usually get the jobs that most American won’t do anyways so while is everybody so scared of them taking their jobs??? Who is going to pick the fruit and vegetable with malathion on it, risking toget diseases, and put that fruit and vegetables on your dinner plates?? I honestly dont think that you will do it! These are very humble and honest working people. We are all Gods children and we should act like it!!! There are no borders in heaven are there??
 
dklolita,

All well and good, I feel sorry for most of those who come here illegally, but don’t you think the US has a RIGHT to know who is in our country? Don’t you think the US Government has a right to decide who uses it’s medical treatment facilities for free? You can not force someone to be charitable…that’s called STEALING.

Do you not know that by allowing illegal immigration as we do we continue to allow the victimization of those poor in their own countries? What reason would the Mexican government have to change as long as it’s citizens are coming here illegally and sending back billions of dollars a year pumping up the economy and keeping the corrupt in power. If you’re so concerned for their welfare perhaps you should go THERE and demand that their government change it’s corrupt ways.
They usually get the jobs that most American won’t do anyways so while is everybody so scared of them taking their jobs???
This is a fallacy, illegals are in large sections of the economy…restaurants…hotels…construction…like I stated earlier, I know a guy who is a great roofer but can’t get contracts because he’s consistently underbid by companies that hire illegals for less than he can pay his union guys…so yes, illegals are taking food out of the mouth of these workers.
Who is going to pick the fruit and vegetable with malathion on it, risking toget diseases, and put that fruit and vegetables on your dinner plates?? I honestly dont think that you will do it!
If I needed money and the job was available I’d take it…I’ve cleaned stalls, I’ve put up hay, I’ve cut corn out of bean fields, there’s nothing I won’t do to feed my family…
These are very humble and honest working people.
Yes, most of them are, I’m not angry at them, I’m angry at the people who lure them here…the people who HIRE them are the ones I’m upset with…
We are all Gods children and we should act like it!!!
And God demands that we OBEY CIVIL AUTHORITY.
There are no borders in heaven are there??
Yes, there are actually, those defining purgatory, hell, and the universe from heaven…and God KNOWS who is coming into heaven…we don’t have the right to know who is coming into the US? Besides which, in heaven, they don’t have to worry about terrorists or people stealing medical services or welfare money…do they?
 
QUOTE=urban-hermit;2654224
I find that most people who are pro-alien do not have jobs that might be taken by an alien.
really? and how do you know what type of jobs “pro-aliens” have if any at all? I do commend you on the use of the word “alien” as that is a term much preferable to “illegal” and the term used in the Bible. The only ones “giving away” these jobs are the employers who offer these jobs and our gov’t that allows it. In case you missed it here are some citations regarding “unskilled labor” statistics and US Citizens’ willingness to fill those jobs
QUOTE=urban-hermit;2654224
It is important to recognize, and keep in mind, that those who were starving in their home country are not the illegal aliens most US citizens have a problem with.
Except for you I haven’t seen any others here who oppose Illegal Immigration make any such distinction. On the contrary, they seem to lump all these people into one category they refer to in the inhumane manner as “illegals”.
QUOTE=urban-hermit;2654224
What I hear you saying is that immigration law does not really need to be followed.
No. I’m not saying that. I’m saying that countries can and do make laws that are immoral, unjust and do not follow God’s law and are outside the Gospel. One cannot just blindly follow their national leaders and politics to the exclusion of the gospel and give their nation’s laws the same due only to God (to me that would border on blasphemy and woshipping false gods). To blindly say that " breaking any country’s law is a sin" is this kind of false blind alliegance. Also, given the fact that US and World Bank greed has brought about this situation I would think that would add significantly to our nations culpability.
QUOTE=urban-hermit;2654224
Finally, I think that if, as 75% of the participants in this thread’s poll have said, if (and when) immigrating illegally is in fact a sin, then encouraging and covering up for that sin is also a sin.
Yes. And since sin is not a matter of public opinion and it hasn’t been established in the least that crossing a nation’s border to accept work that’s been offered to feed your family is a sin against God, then I think I’m pretty safe there. Besides, I do not “encourage or cover up” for those who do so.

In contrast, oppressing the foreigner is not only a sin, but one of the sins that cry out to heaven for vengeance?
You shall not molest or oppress a foreigner, for you were once foreigners yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry. Exodus 22:20-22
Do not exploit the foreigners who live in your land. They should be treated like everyone else, and you must love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I, the LORD, am your God. Leviticus 19:33-34
  • Israel was to remember and be kind to these people, because they themselves had once been strangers in Egypt, where they were oppressed. Foreigners, together with the widows and orphans, were allowed to glean the fields after they had been harvested. (Deut. 24:19-21). **The penalty for disobedience to this law is oppression of the oppressors. *** justpeace.org/foreigner.htm
1867 The catechetical tradition also recalls that there are “sins that cry to heaven”: the blood of Abel,139 the sin of the Sodomites,140 the cry of the people oppressed in Egypt,141 the cry of the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan,142 injustice to the wage earner.143
1868 Sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them:
  • by participating directly and voluntarily in them;
  • by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them;
  • by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so;
  • by protecting evil-doers.
So it is my position that by ordering, advising, praising, approving of, not disclosing or not hindering our governments when they attempt to:
  • exploit the foreigners who live in your land.
  • or fail to treat them " like everyone else, and you must love them as you love yourself. "
  • molest or oppress a foreigner
then one is guilty of cooperating in these sins that “cry out to heaven for vengeance”
 
The only ones “giving away” these jobs are the employers who offer these jobs and our gov’t that allows it. In case you missed it.

Sprout,

Love your ideas and your honest debate.

Don’t know much about what you guys are throwing around in quotes, however, on the illegals taking jobs, I personally know about that.

I was replaced at my job a few years ago by two illegals. The boss told me that he could pay me $10/hr plus benefits for a 40 hour week or, pay two mexicans(didn’t care if illegal or not as there are more where they came from) at $6 per hour with no benefits. This leads to the question, setting aside the owner’s responsibility, about the worker’s sin here. They knowenly took my job. They send most money back to their home town in Mexico and brag about how rich they are. They work here for 5-10 years and then retire back to their rich town. They get free food here, medical. $6 doesn’t sound like much, but with no expenses… I wish I could have $6 per hour to spend on anything I want to and not have to support my family. Do you think Mexico would allow me to do the same back? If you are caught illegally immigranting to Mexico, you are sent back AFTER you do two years hard time in prison.

This is likened to people from here who go to Alaska for the fishing season. Hard work for a short period of time, but lots of money to take home with you. Never mind the people who live there and need the job.

There are cases of mexicans starving,families separated, etc. but the majority of illegals around here, are young men/women who are coming for the money and not staying permanently.
 
Just an aside. The people that owns and operates a family run nursery that has been handed down from generations past have been having a hard time with the competition of the Mexican migrants (read illegals and yes we know they are illegal). The illegal workers are doing lawn maintenance at a lower cost then the nursery can do it. Snow removal (another off season income maker) is also being done by the same illegal workers at a lower cost. Tree trimming in season and out of season due to storms or just normal maintenance is the same story.

Our neighbor pays over minimum wage, taxes on the business and for the worker, workers comp insurance, unemployment taxes, land taxes, maintenance on the property and vehicles, are regulated by OSHA, state, local and federal environmental regulations and EAT those costs before any profit.

The “migrant” worker (read illegal) has none of the above expenses and those hiring them are not bound to pay the minimum wage. The illegal worker is not obligated to maintain their equipment etc.

In the past couple of years the utilities company putting in the gas and phone lines have hired many illegals. The unfortunate part is that we have had homes blown up and when the authorities wanted to question the workers as to what happened they (the workers) could not speak english and had no one to translate for them. Our local authorities have had to DEMAND that ALL workers hired by the utility companies are legal. But the state says it is a federal problem that they do not want to enforce so the illegal workers still work here.

NOW THE REASON I BROUGHT THIS UP. My son-in;law was making $15 an hour as a legal worker hired for manual labor (ditch digging) and received time and a half for overtime. He was willing to do the work for this amount. When another company that the work was out sourced to started to being in “migrant” workers (they lived in the trucks) at minimum wage my son-in-law was replaced. The company (BIG BUSINESS) then gave the contract to the minimum wage illegal company because they said they could not get LEGAL workers to do the job.

So with houses being blown up, workers living in trucks, wages depressed for legals (immigrants and citizens), it is hard to justify the “WE CAN’T GET AMERICANS TO DO THE JOB” mentality.
 
But Joab and Kathleen, what you’re describing, these are the jobs American’s don’t want…right?
 
Which has been my point to those who think it’s ok for workers to come to the US ILLEGALLY…it harms our economy, and it perpetuates the causes of suffering in their home country…they just don’t get it.
 
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