Why does the church care
about immigration policies?
The Catholic
Church has historically held a strong interest in immigration and
how public policy affects immigrants seeking a new life in the
United States. Based on Scriptural and Catholic social teachings,
as well as her own experience as an immigrant Church in the United
States, the Catholic Church is compelled to raise her voice on
behalf of those who are marginalized and whose God-given rights are
not respected.
The Church
believes that current immigration laws and policies have often led
to the undermining of immigrants’ human dignity and have kept
families apart. The existing immigration system has resulted in a
growing number of persons in this country in an unauthorized
capacity, living in the shadows as they toil in jobs that would
otherwise go unfilled. Close family members of U.S. citizens and
lawful permanent residents must wait years for a visa to be
reunited. And, our nation’s border enforcement strategies have been
ineffective and have led to the death of thousands of migrants.
The Church has a
responsibility to shine the message of God on this issue and help to
build bridges between all parties so that an immigration system can
be created that is just for all and serves the common good,
including the legitimate security concerns of our nation.
Does the Catholic Church support illegal immigration?
The Catholic
Bishops do not condone unlawful entry or circumventions of our
nation’s immigration laws. The bishops believe that reforms are
necessary in order for our nation’s immigration system to respond to
the realities of separated families and labor demands that compel
people to immigrate to the United States, whether in an authorized
or unauthorized fashion.
Our nation’s
economy demands foreign labor, yet there are insufficient visas to
meet this demand. Close family members of U.S. citizens and lawful
permanent residents face interminable separations, sometimes of
twenty years or longer, due to backlogs of available visas. U.S.
immigration laws and policies need to be updated to reflect these
realties.
Does the Catholic Church support “amnesty”?
The Catholic
bishops are proposing an earned legalization for those in this
country in an unauthorized status and who have built up equities and
are otherwise admissible. “Amnesty,” as commonly understood, implies
a pardon and a reward for those who did not obey immigration laws,
creating inequities for those who wait for legal entry. The
bishops’ proposal is not an “amnesty.”
The Bishops’
earned legalization proposal provides a window of opportunity for
undocumented immigrants who are already living in our communities
and contributing to our nation to come forward, pay a fine and
application fee, go through rigorous criminal background checks and
security screenings, demonstrate that they have paid taxes and are
learning English, and obtain a visa that could lead to
permanent residency, over time.
August 22, 2005
