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1.
Some opponents of your position claim that
your faithful do not agree with your position and that you are
misrepresenting their views. How would you respond to that assertion?
We recognize that the
issue of immigration is an emotional and divisive one. We recognize
that not all of our faithful will agree with the Church teaching on this
particular issue. However, the bishops are obligated as leaders of our
Church to educate Catholics about the Church teaching and to attempt to
convince them that the Church position is the correct one. We have not
come to our position lightly—it is based on Gospel and Church teaching,
evolved from papal writings, over a long period of time. It is our
understanding, from experts who know about the views of Catholics, that
there is a majority of Catholics who are unaware of the Church position
and may not have a strong opinion on immigration. This is why we
launched the Justice for Immigrants’ campaign, to educate the faithful
on the importance of the issue to the Church and to our brothers and
sisters who are immigrants. Not everyone will agree with us, but with
God’s grace we may be able to change the hearts and minds of a large
number.
2.
You say that immigration is a moral issue.
Some claim that breaking the laws of the United States is an immoral act
and that the Church is condoning such behavior. How would you respond
to that?
Let me say that the
Church does not condone or encourage illegal immigration because it is
not good for society or for the migrant, who lives outside the law and
in the shadows. What we are trying to do is change our laws to reflect
the reality of migration in the world today and to ensure that basic
human rights and dignity are respected. Yes, those in the United
States without legal status have broken the law, but they do so in order
to survive and to support their families. At the same time, they
contribute to our economy through their hard work and work in important
industries. So we must consider if the law is a just one and whether
it is in the best interest of the nation to change the law. We
obviously think the law should be changed.
3. H.R. 4437 makes
it a crime to assist an undocumented alien. You say that this could
affect church workers and other humanitarian workers. Does that mean
that church workers do actively assist undocumented immigrants to remain
in the country? Does the Church, thus, encourage undocumented
immigrants by helping them?
The Church has many
social service, legal, or health programs which assist immigrants. The
law does not require us to ask an immigrant for documentation before
providing assistance. We believe that is the correct policy, since we
are not law enforcement specialists—we respond to human need. The
provision in the House bill would criminalize anyone who assists an
undocumented person knowingly or with reckless disregard to whether a
person is undocumented. This could be providing them a meal in a soup
kitchen or any kind of basic needs assistance. As human service
providers, we should not be forced to pick winners and losers or turn
someone away who is in need. Humanitarian and church workers, as well
as any other Good Samaritan, should not be considered criminals by
showing acts of mercy.
4. The sponsors of
H.R. 4437 claim that the provision which allegedly criminalizes church
workers for assisting undocumented immigrants will not be enforced, that
it is more designed to apprehend and prosecute smugglers and traffickers.
Do you agree with this assessment?
No. The sponsors can
find a way to apprehend and prosecute smugglers and traffickers without
placing church personnel and property at risk. They should re-examine
the language and eliminate what would harm church workers who perform
acts of charity.
5. Some claim that
the Church is for open borders. Do you have a position on the
enforcement of immigration laws?
Let me again say that
the church supports the right of the sovereign nation to control its
borders. That is not the issue here. The issue is that the
immigration system, which includes enforcement, is flawed and needs
repair. As an example, our nation has spent nearly $25 billion on
border enforcement over the past ten years, yet the undocumented
population has more than doubled in the same time period. We need a
new approach. We believe that by reforming the legal immigration
system we will take pressure off of the enforcement side and relieve the
pressure on our borders. Creating legal avenues for migration will
reduce the need of migrants to cross the desert and to depend on human
smuggling. We also believe our proposals are pro-security. By
legalizing the 11 million undocumented in our nation, for example, we
know who is here. By creating a temporary worker program and improving
family immigration, we also know who is coming.
6.
What do you say to members of your faithful
who are U.S. citizens, may be struggling economically, and have trouble
with finding jobs which in many cases undocumented immigrants may be
filling?
As we have said, we do
not believe that undocumented immigration is good for society or the
migrant. In some cases, it is not good for the U.S. worker because it
can drive down wages. That is why we are trying to change the status
quo so that a legal immigrant work force can bargain for higher wages,
driving up wages for everyone. We also believe any temporary worker
program should ensure that U.S. workers are protected and have the
“first bite at the apple,”
or the first shot at a
job.
As you know, migrant
workers labor in low-skill but important jobs, such as agricultural
workers, as construction workers, and as service personnel. As
President Bush has stated, many Americans are not working for those jobs
or competing for them.
7.
Do you believe President Bush is doing enough
to support immigration reform?
President Bush has shown
leadership in putting immigration on the political agenda. He has
taken some criticism from many, including some in his own party. We do
believe that presidential leadership will be important in the debate and
in the effort to produce a comprehensive bill which addresses our
immigration crisis. On May 15, the president spoke clearly about
supporting a path to citizenship and a comprehensive approach to
immigration reform.
8.
What do you plan to do to influence the
outcome of this debate?
Well, we will continue
to advocate our position with lawmakers, particularly Senators. We
have organized a grass roots campaign, called the Justice for Immigrants
campaign, so that Catholics may be involved. And we will continue to
speak out on the moral consequences of immigration and how it impacts
human dignity and human life.
9.
What do you say to opponents who claim that
your position is an amnesty and that you are rewarding lawbreakers over
those who have stayed in the system and waited in line?
Our position is not an
amnesty. It requires undocumented workers to pay a fine and work for
six years prior to being eligible for a green card. Thus, they are
“earning” the right to remain in the country. Once they are eligible,
they will have to wait behind those who are currently waiting in line
for a green card. As for rewarding lawbreakers, we must consider that
these people are working hard, paying taxes and otherwise contributing
to our economy and life here in the United States. Since these people
are here to help us, not hurt us, we must consider whether our
immigration laws are broken and fix them.
06-12-2006 |
