WELCOMING THE STRANGER

JUNE 25, 2006

As the immigration legislation debate continues and the Senate and Congress attempt to agree on legislation that addresses both the security of our country and the welfare of immigrants, let us not forget the immigrant role of the Holy Family in Egypt .

Early in the life of Jesus, after the Magi departed, “the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt , and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.’
“Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt .  He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’” (Mt 2:13-15)

Because concern for the welfare of their families moves the vast majority of immigrants to come to our land, immigration has been an ongoing pastoral concern for the Church.  The ensuing debate has brought people out in large numbers to express their desires for an immigration law that is compassionate and fair, and that respects the rights of those who are already here and who have worked and contributed to our economy, albeit “without papers,” as well as the rights of new immigrants.

We can all agree that our current immigration system needs revision.  Almost three years ago, moved by the bishops on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border, the bishops of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the bishops of the Conferencia Episcopal Mexicana (CEM), called attention to that fact. The joint pastoral letter on migration, Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, called on the legislatures of both nations to enact immigration reform laws that respect the human dignity of immigrants and migrants. A year later, we bishops of the United States initiated the “Justice for Immigrants Campaign.”  Its goal is to bring about a wide-ranging immigration reform, with special emphasis on legalization.

This has been and continues to be a major public policy priority of our Bishops’ Conference.  We believe that our immigration policy should protect the dignity and fundamental rights of every person, including freedom of movement and freedom to pursue economic opportunity and betterment. Every person in special need, we have said, must be treated with special consideration and compassion. We have also called for more generous immigration policies that reduce waiting times and better protect the unity of the immigrant family.  We have insisted, as well, that special consideration be given to those undocumented immigrants who are already in our midst.

We cannot deny the events of 9/11 and the terrorist threat that became paramount in our minds as a result.  We all agree that our nation has a right and an obligation to protect us from the nefarious deeds of persons who present a threat to our way of life and to the freedoms that we have enjoyed since 1776.  Homeland security must be an ongoing endeavor of our government.  It must be addressed creatively and effectively.  Simply controlling immigration is not the answer; much more must be done.  Not one security expert has stated that restrictive immigration policies would have prevented 9/11.

Hundreds of state legislative initiatives have been advanced, nonetheless, that seek to impose strictures or penalties on illegal residents or on those who employ or help them in any way.  By far, the most punitive legislative proposal to date is H.R. 4437 (the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act), passed by the House of Representatives, last December 16, 2005 .  The bill passed by the Senate, S. 2611 (the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006) also contains provisions that are punitive in nature. However, it does include key elements of comprehensive immigration reform.

There is a plethora of misinformation about immigrants in our nation. We must learn more about the issue and debunk the myths that taint people’s perceptions. Let me start by stressing that immigrants do not take jobs and opportunity away from Americans; they do not send all their money back to their home countries; they are not a drain on the our economy, they contribute to it.

        It is a fallacy to say that most immigrants cross the border illegally.  Around 75% of today’s immigrants have legal permanent (immigrant) visas; of the 25% that are undocumented, 40% overstayed temporary (non-immigrant) visas.
Nor can we say that weak border enforcement has lead to high undocumented immigration. From 1986 to 1998, the Border Patrol has toughened its enforcement strategy and the undocumented immigrant population has doubled. The fact that there are insufficient legal avenues for immigrants to enter the U.S. , compared with the number of jobs in need of workers, has significantly contributed to this current conundrum.

Most of us are persons who migrated here, or descended from a family that migrated here in a previous generation.  How can we wish to shut the door to others seeking to come here after us, yearning to live the life and freedoms we enjoy?  I am not saying, nor is the Catholic Church saying, that we should support or condone illegal immigration. We acknowledge and support the right of nations to defend their borders. At the same time, we are bound by faith to follow the teaching and example of Christ in dealing with our neighbor, and to apply his teachings to the contingent issues that arise in our personal and social lives.

As hearings between the Senate and the House of Representatives committee are scheduled for July and August to design a compromise bill, we are asking that congressional leaders “enact comprehensive immigration reform that address the root causes of migration.”  As Bishop Gerald R. Barnes pointed out during our meeting in Los Angeles , last week, “Any bill reported by a conference committee should contain a path to citizenship, a temporary worker program, family-based immigration reform which reduces backlogs. It should restore basic due process protections for immigrants and refrain from criminalizing immigrants and those who assist them with their basic needs.”

Let us keep in mind the words of Pope Benedict XVI in his first encyclical, Deus Cáritas Est, “Only my readiness to encounter my neighbor and to show him love makes me sensitive to God as well. Only if I serve my neighbor can my eyes be opened to what God does for me and how much he loves me.”

Let me conclude with that beautiful scene in the Gospel of Matthew when the Lord returns in glory.  It will inspire us, I am sure, to do our part in the present effort to ensure justice for immigrants. Those whom the Lord has placed on his right ask him, ‘“When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?’  And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”’ (Mt 25:38, 40)

+Bishop Raymundo J. Peña

last updated 05-Jun-2008 9:48 sitemap