Immigration Reform and the Church

For the last ten week, I have been in a Spanish Immersion program. It is the equivalent of four college semesters in ten weeks. The course is put on by my department and the class is composed entirely of officers, detectives and sergeants. A number of students in the class will be going to Morelia, Mexico for an additional five weeks of immersion with more class room time and by living with a Mexican family. The police department is trying to be pro-active and train it's officers to speak Spanish because of the influx of people from Mexico and Central American who only speak Spanish.

The course doesn't stop at merely trying to teach the language but tries to teach an appreciation of the Latino culture and to help the students better understand why people are coming to America. About once a week, men were brought in from the Westside CAN Center to speak with us. Then men were illegal aliens mostly from Mexico but also from other Central American countries. Being able to speak with them not only helped us practice to our Spanish but also help us understand what these men, and their families went through in order to get here and why.

I don't think it takes a brain surgeon to figure out why they come here--the economy in Mexico is horrible and life is difficult. I personally do not blame them for doing what they have to do in order to survive. I think most American's would do the same thing if the roles were reversed. And these guys go through some hardships just to come to America to work. They leave their families for a year or more, travel for a month or so across the desert or they pay a lot of money to "Coyotes" in order to make it across the border.

Throughout the course, I became very conflicted. As an American, I feel that our borders need to be made more secure. I get angry and concerned at the resources being used for illegal aliens that our taxes pay for such as the health care system, the education system and the criminal justice system. I do think that we need to do something to stop the flow of illegal immigration. This feeling has made me upset at those who try to push for immigration reform or amnesty programs. Those who have pushed for these reforms are sometimes the bishops of the Catholic Church which has always bothered me because I try to be a faithful Catholic and loyal to the magisterium. Especially when I know that those bishops are following the precepts set out in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. For example, paragraph 2241 of the Catechism says:

“The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.” (2241 CCC)

So, I'm having to re-explore my feelings to immigration and come to grips with the reality that we, as as a wealthy country, need to do something in order to help those who are only trying to support their family. Some interesting articles I've read they help me to better understand the Catholic views on immigration have come out recently. Just last week The Catholic Key put out an article on immigration reform. Also, last week in the Catholic Key Blog was an article of a speech given in Missouri by Archbishop Gomez, the successor to Cardinal Mahoney in Los Angeles. It's a fascinating speech that has many good points, although I disagree with some of his opinions. It can be found here.

I've come to the conclusion that we do need to strengthen our borders, especially after 9-11, for our own safety and to keep criminals out. But I can also see how we need immigration reform. I believe that we can help our country as well as our neighbors and brothers to the south out by allowing my migrant workers into the US. By allowing these people to be here legally we are more likely to get tax money from them. They are more likely to make money and return back to their homes and to their families. I'm not naive--I know it's not a simple issue and there are many things that need to be looked at. I'm only saying that the subject needs to be looked at with a Christian heart.

This is a difficult subject and I'm still conflicted. What do you think? Are you ready to open your mind and see that immigration reform may be helpful in order to stem the flow of illegal aliens? Are you willing to see that illegal immigration is a dangerous thing?