There was once a man, an undocumented immigrant, a foreigner, who crossed a border and who came to a new land, and went amongst the people of that place. He had been sent by his father, to work to save his family. As a baby, he and his parents had sought refuge in a neighboring country. He seemed different. He could often be found living amongst the poor. He did not appear to be in compliance with the letter of the law of the dominant culture. Some people perceived him to be a threat to their job, to their position and their influence in society. So, he was eventually arrested, charged with being an imposter, a law breaker, a rebel who was working against the ruler of the government and an enemy to the rule of law. He was tried and given what amounted to a death sentence. After his ‘removal’ from this human way of life, he once again crossed a border and overcame the death he had suffered. He came back to the people of this land, again. He forgave them and showed them that there was a Spirit of the law, a greater love, which would save them from themselves.
How do we receive the “foreigner” in “our land?” As the son of God come to earth?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that, “Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something {illegal alien}, but someone” [357]. The Book of Leviticus tells us, “We will treat a foreigner as one of our native born. We will love a foreigner as ourselves, for God’s people were once foreigners in Egypt” [19:33-34]. It sounds like the second part of the great commandment, “… love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus went further and gave an example by crediting the Samaritan who showed just such a love to the beaten and robbed man from the tribe of Judah left on the roadside to die. The Book of Numbers tells us that, “This is a lasting ordinance for generations to come. Citizens and foreigners shall be the same before the Lord” [15:15].
Human made laws, and their expansion, and their enforcement, must be to protect human rights, the common good. Human made laws are not always perfect. Overtime, some laws have been challenged, broken, protested and eventually changed. The famous Boston Tea Party was an act of breaking the law in opposition to higher taxes on teas from other sources rather than the tea from the company which was favored by the British government.
Offenses to laws are not equal. Murder and rape are not same as a traffic violation or an immigration violation. Today’s immigrant community in the United States (and throughout the world) is fleeing across borders for safety from harm or for relief from hunger and in the hope of finding work that might afford a better life. It has not been a criminal offense but, rather more of a civil offense, to be present without having been legally inspected and admitted to the United States. It is also a civil offense to be present in the United States after having “over stayed” a permitted temporary visit. As such, the penalty has been one of being barred from returning to the United States for a period of time or one of paying a fine.
Today, almost two-thirds of legal immigration is done through family members petitioning for other family members. It often involves years of separation and waiting. The remaining immigration is through employer labor petitions, a diversity lottery, refugees, asylees and a few other types of beneficiaries. There is currently estimated to be over 38 million foreign born persons residing in the United States. About forty percent have already become naturalized United States citizens. Another thirty percent are Permanent Residents or in some other legal status. It is the last thirty percent which are those who have entered the United States without being inspected and admitted or those who were admitted but have “overstayed” their permitted visa time.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, working in conjunction with the Bishops of Mexico, has stated the following guiding principles in their document, We Are Strangers No Longer:
Persons have a right to find opportunities [for work and to live] in their homeland. Persons have a right to migrate to support themselves and their families. Sovereign nations have a right to control their borders. Refugees and Asylum seekers should be afforded protection. And, the human dignity and human rights of undocumented immigrants should be respected.
The southern border of the United States has seen ten years of buildup of walls, technological advances and increased manpower. The border patrol has just completed the lowest record of apprehensions in four decades due to extraordinary vigilance, the threat of tougher consequences and the economic recession. Apprehensions were at twenty percent of what they were just seven years ago when they had reached about 1.5 million.
“Comprehensive Immigration Reform” has been proposed in Congress multiple times over the last seven years. It required securing the borders, penalizing employers who knowing hired unauthorized workers and a providing a process {of about twelve years} to earn permanent residency for undocumented persons. It was intended for those who have been residing, often times with family members, in the United States for a number of years . The process involved paying fines and fees, not having certain felony convictions, paying one’s taxes, learning English and U.S. history and civics, and waiting in line for those who were already in line ahead of them.
Additionally, many polls showed that 70 to 80% of the public were in favor of such a Comprehensive Immigration Reform. However, they were not necessarily passionately seeking to promote the reform law. On the other hand, the 20 to 30% of the public who opposed Comprehensive Immigration Reform were vehement and energized to call their congressman and senator, write editorials and blogs, and call into radio programs and voice their opposition, loudly. The majority of politicians followed the views of the very vocal minority over the silent majority.
Still, Comprehensive Immigration Reform is what is needed for the millions who live and participate in the fabric of this society and for benefit of our own common good. In Centesimus Annus, Pope John Paul II stated, “Justice will never be fully attained unless the people who see in the poor person, who is asking for help in order to survive, not annoyance or a burden, but an opportunity for showing kindness and a chance for greater enrichment.”
Jim Albright
Regional Coordinator for the Eastern Vicariate
How do we receive the “foreigner” in “our land?” As the son of God come to earth?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that, “Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something {illegal alien}, but someone” [357]. The Book of Leviticus tells us, “We will treat a foreigner as one of our native born. We will love a foreigner as ourselves, for God’s people were once foreigners in Egypt” [19:33-34]. It sounds like the second part of the great commandment, “… love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus went further and gave an example by crediting the Samaritan who showed just such a love to the beaten and robbed man from the tribe of Judah left on the roadside to die. The Book of Numbers tells us that, “This is a lasting ordinance for generations to come. Citizens and foreigners shall be the same before the Lord” [15:15].
Human made laws, and their expansion, and their enforcement, must be to protect human rights, the common good. Human made laws are not always perfect. Overtime, some laws have been challenged, broken, protested and eventually changed. The famous Boston Tea Party was an act of breaking the law in opposition to higher taxes on teas from other sources rather than the tea from the company which was favored by the British government.
Offenses to laws are not equal. Murder and rape are not same as a traffic violation or an immigration violation. Today’s immigrant community in the United States (and throughout the world) is fleeing across borders for safety from harm or for relief from hunger and in the hope of finding work that might afford a better life. It has not been a criminal offense but, rather more of a civil offense, to be present without having been legally inspected and admitted to the United States. It is also a civil offense to be present in the United States after having “over stayed” a permitted temporary visit. As such, the penalty has been one of being barred from returning to the United States for a period of time or one of paying a fine.
Today, almost two-thirds of legal immigration is done through family members petitioning for other family members. It often involves years of separation and waiting. The remaining immigration is through employer labor petitions, a diversity lottery, refugees, asylees and a few other types of beneficiaries. There is currently estimated to be over 38 million foreign born persons residing in the United States. About forty percent have already become naturalized United States citizens. Another thirty percent are Permanent Residents or in some other legal status. It is the last thirty percent which are those who have entered the United States without being inspected and admitted or those who were admitted but have “overstayed” their permitted visa time.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, working in conjunction with the Bishops of Mexico, has stated the following guiding principles in their document, We Are Strangers No Longer:
Persons have a right to find opportunities [for work and to live] in their homeland. Persons have a right to migrate to support themselves and their families. Sovereign nations have a right to control their borders. Refugees and Asylum seekers should be afforded protection. And, the human dignity and human rights of undocumented immigrants should be respected.
The southern border of the United States has seen ten years of buildup of walls, technological advances and increased manpower. The border patrol has just completed the lowest record of apprehensions in four decades due to extraordinary vigilance, the threat of tougher consequences and the economic recession. Apprehensions were at twenty percent of what they were just seven years ago when they had reached about 1.5 million.
“Comprehensive Immigration Reform” has been proposed in Congress multiple times over the last seven years. It required securing the borders, penalizing employers who knowing hired unauthorized workers and a providing a process {of about twelve years} to earn permanent residency for undocumented persons. It was intended for those who have been residing, often times with family members, in the United States for a number of years . The process involved paying fines and fees, not having certain felony convictions, paying one’s taxes, learning English and U.S. history and civics, and waiting in line for those who were already in line ahead of them.
Additionally, many polls showed that 70 to 80% of the public were in favor of such a Comprehensive Immigration Reform. However, they were not necessarily passionately seeking to promote the reform law. On the other hand, the 20 to 30% of the public who opposed Comprehensive Immigration Reform were vehement and energized to call their congressman and senator, write editorials and blogs, and call into radio programs and voice their opposition, loudly. The majority of politicians followed the views of the very vocal minority over the silent majority.
Still, Comprehensive Immigration Reform is what is needed for the millions who live and participate in the fabric of this society and for benefit of our own common good. In Centesimus Annus, Pope John Paul II stated, “Justice will never be fully attained unless the people who see in the poor person, who is asking for help in order to survive, not annoyance or a burden, but an opportunity for showing kindness and a chance for greater enrichment.”
Jim Albright
Regional Coordinator for the Eastern Vicariate
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