Anybody who has even casually perused the statements of the USCCB will notice their apparent intense love affair with illegal immigration. For example, if we look at the latest news posted on the USCCB website for today (October 2nd,2007), there are six articles linked. Of the six, three of them have to do with supporting illegal immigration. The articles bear titles like USCCB Migration Chairman Expresses Concern About Direction and Tone of National Immigration Debate, U. S Bishops urge congress to make changes to “Material Support” statute affecting refugee and asylum seekers, and U.S. Bishops Urge Elected Officials To Support DREAM Act, Affirm It Is The Right And Moral Thing To Do. So a random sampling of their news outlet shows that a full 50% of the USCCB's statements are in support for illegal immigration. What about abortion? Well, there is one article on abortion, but really it is only about "Respect Life Sunday" and mentions abortion only as one of many issues. For an article really condemning abortion in America, one has to go to the archives and scroll back to August 24th for an article condemning Amnesty International for supporting abortion.
So, on one day we have three articles out of six supporting illegal immigration, and for an equally strong condemnation of abortion we have to scroll all the way back to August 24th. What does this mean? It implies what Christ said, that "Out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks." Given that the bishops speak so often on immigration and so little on abortion, we can rightfully conclude that in their hearts they are more concerned with supporting illegal immigrants than with stopping abortion. Why on earth would this be the case?
I can't figure out why anybody would support illegal immigration, but I think with the USCCB it is tied up with a guilt complex over abortion. It is well known that the bishops, as a whole, have been woefully silent and apathetic over the years in standing up for the lives of unborn infants. I imagine this wears on their conscience, and so they try to assuage it by supporting something else that they wrongfully see as a life issue: illegal immigration. It's as if they are trying to say, "Well, yeah we're silent on abortion. But we're not all bad! Look, see how much we support the rights of illegal immigrants? We really are compassionate and loving after all!"
Of course, the bishops cannot positively take a unilateral position in favor of illegal immigration. They always make certain to throw in the little token reminder that, in the words of the USCCB, “The U.S. bishops acknowledge the right of our country to secure our borders and enforce immigration law. Such enforcement, however, must respect human rights and dignity and minimize the separation of families.” But in an article of 15 paragraphs, the little blurb alone is the only mention of the right of a nation to secure its borders. And notice how reluctant it is; "the U.S. bishops acknowledge"; what a weak statement of support for the government-side of the debate. The other 14 paragraphs are passionate pleas in favor of illegal aliens. It is as if they are saying, "Well, Church doctrine forbids us to positively deny this right of the state, and so we will do as little in support of it as we can; we will merely acknowledge it. But that's it!" They dryly acknowledge the state's right; but when it comes time to defending the aliens, then they get passionate!
The USCCB seems positively intent on promoting the idea that illegal immigration is a human right. Thus, any attempt to curb illegal immigration would be a denial of human dignity. This is so far-fetched that I am surprised that anybody buys into it. First of all, nobody has a right to go wherever they please. Secondly, if people do come into another country, they need to go through the proper channels. Just because you may not like the proper channels does not mean you are therefore free to discard them. At the bank this morning, it took me fifteen minutes in line before I could get to the teller; does that mean I can just bust into the safe and take my money because I think the conventional methods are too slow? Of course not!
Furthermore, illegal immigration does such harm to this nation's economy that I would say the US government has an obligation to strictly enforce the borders. There are 13 million undocumented workers in this country, and most of them send their meager wages back home to Mexico. Billions of American dollars are being exported to a third world country every single year; meanwhile, there are millions who can't get work here. There are many other factors at play here, but the point is that why would we let an army of people who pay no taxes, got here by breaking our laws, and who destroy our economy by their presence, simply send off billions out of our country. Did you know that money sent to Mexico by illegal immigrants is Mexico's chief source of state revenue? What kind of country does that? Mexico is not a country; it is a parasite nation. Furthermore, how can we survive economically if we allow all our money to be exported?
Worst of all, week after week we have to endure our bishops supporting this parasitical relationship as if it were a fundamental, inalienable human right. If you are going to get all worked up, then get worked up about abortion, gay marriage, liturgical abuse or something that really is important. Stifling our country's attempts to protect itself is not a good way to endear yourselves to hard working citizens.
By the way, for a look at how I think we should solve the immigration problem, click here for this article on Operation Wetback, a 1954 operation organized by President Eisenhower. Notice how they managed to remove almost 1.5 million illegals with only 1050 agents. I also like how when the deport them, they don't just drop them at the border; they ship them 500 miles away into the deep Mexican interior or way down the coast at Vera Cruz closer to central America. I hope to post something in the future on this topic that is more scholarly and has some good statistics; but in the meantime, check out this website to view a lot of great articles on illegal immigration that are more well thought out and less off the cuff than mine!
For me, and I'm sire for many others, the reason i emphatize with the latin american immigrants, even the illegal ones, is that they so much resemble the other Catholic minorites - Itish & Italian - that struggled in much the same way.
ReplyDeleteAmerica's immigration history is rife with anti-Catholicism, so i think the Catholic Church is right to support these people. I don't mean politically support illegal immigration, i mean offering support to them, such as services, education, training - things that help them build the better life they came to America for.
The way I see it, the problem isnt so much the illegal immigrants. The huge majority of them are honset, hardworking people trying to make a better life for themselves and their families; in that way they are remarkably similar to almost every other American immigrant throughout history.
The real problem is the system; which makes it so hard for these people to come here illegally. What the Catholic Church should be doing, i think, is offering support to all her children, regardless of their legal status, while working hard to make changes in the system, so that all may come to America to seek the better life they deserve, especially our Catholic brothers and sisters.